Kalil Abdullah, MD

Kalil G. Abdullah, MD, MSc, is a board-certified neurosurgeon and the System Director of Central Nervous System Cancer for Northwell Health.Dr. Abdullah specializes in the surgical treatment of benign and malignant brain tumors, including glioblastoma, gliomas of all grades, brain metastases, and meningioma. He performs open craniotomy for tumor resection as well as a full range of minimally invasive approaches: Laser Interstitial Thermal Therapy (LITT), Gamma Knife and TrueBeam radiosurgery, stereotactic biopsy, and endoscopic and tubular surgery. He selects the approach based on the tumor and the patient and commonly treats recurrent and complex tumors. He also cares for adults with hydrocephalus, including normal pressure hydrocephalus.Dr. Abdullah sees patients across Northwell Health and offers same-day appointments for newly diagnosed brain tumors. Patients are evaluated in a multidisciplinary setting alongside neuro-oncology and radiation oncology, and all his patients are …screened for clinical trial eligibility.In addition to his clinical practice, Dr. Abdullah leads a research laboratory studying why brain tumors grow and resist treatment. His goal is to develop new therapies for brain tumors. His research is supported by multiple grants from the National Institutes of Health, and he has published more than 100 peer-reviewed articles, including in Nature, Cell, and Cancer Cell.In his systemwide role, Dr. Abdullah directs Northwell's brain and spine tumor program, leading an integrated approach to care for patients across New York and Connecticut. He also serves as Executive Vice Chair of Neurosurgery.Dr. Abdullah earned his medical degree from the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine and completed his neurological surgery residency at the University of Pennsylvania. He received advanced fellowship training in neurosurgical oncology at Wellington Regional Hospital in New Zealand and holds an MSc from The London School of Economics and Political Science. He is certified by the American Board of Neurological Surgery.