Dr. George V. Kakoulides, MD, FAANS, FACS

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Get to know Neurosurgeon Dr. George V. Kakoulides, who serves patients throughout the State of New York.

A board-certified neurosurgeon, Dr. Kakoulides has successfully treated thousands of patients at Long Island Brain & Spine, with offices in West Islip and Smithtown, New York. He specializes in managing spinal and cranial disorders and specializes in both minimally invasive and complex spinal surgery of the cervical, thoracic, and lumbar spine.

The doctor prioritizes thoughtful, individualized treatment based on a patient’s diagnosis, lifestyle, and goals. He first tries to find effective surgery alternatives, such as epidural injections, acupuncture, yoga, and chiropractic treatment. When the time comes where surgery is necessary, he has the skills to perform a wide range of surgical procedures to achieve beneficial results.

Born and raised in Long Island, he obtained his medical degree with high honors from Tufts University School of Medicine, and pursued a joint master’s degree in International Relations at The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University. He then completed his residency in neurological surgery at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, where he also obtained advanced training in complex spine surgery during a year-long spine fellowship.

As a testament of his continued education, Dr. Kakoulides is board-certified in neurological surgery by the American Board of Neurological Surgery, whose broad aim is to encourage the study, improve the practice, elevate the standards, and advance the science of neurological surgery and thereby serve the cause of public health.

Achieving fellowship status, he is a Fellow of both the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (FAANS), and the American College of Surgeons (FACS). He also routinely attends seminars and conferences to stay versed in the most up-to-date surgical techniques and has additional expertise in the management of benign and malignant brain tumors as well as radiosurgery.

The patient's experience is of utmost importance to Dr. Kakoulides and he is currently pioneering ways in which to enrich this experience from the clinic, to the hospital and to home. Through his research in a landmark study published in The Annals of Surgery that led to the creation of IKONA, a company that utilizes immersive technology to transform the patients journey, he has shown how the patient experience can play a role in the recovery process. As co-founder of IKONA, he is now helping to train the next generation of healthcare professionals.

Neurosurgery is the medical specialty concerned with the prevention, diagnosis, surgical treatment, and rehabilitation of disorders which affect any portion of the nervous system including the brain, spinal cord, peripheral nerves, and extra-cranial cerebrovascular system. Neurosurgeons are doctors who diagnose and treat problems with the nervous system, often by performing surgery on the brain or spine. They treat strokes, tumors, certain types of birth defects, infections, and head or spinal cord injuries.

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