In the late 1980s, Carl Stafstrom and Alan Cohen started their careers at New England Medical Center in Boston. Dr. Strafstrom was a resident there, and Dr. Cohen was an attending physician. Now, nearly three decades later, they’ve reunited at Johns Hopkins, with Dr. Stafstrom as the director of pediatric neurology and Dr. Cohen as the director of pediatric neurosurgery. They are dedicated to using their joint skills and leadership to provide the best care to patients with neurological diseases and disorders.

There are many areas where their work overlaps. For example, their teams collaborate closely when they care for patients with brain tumors: Neurology makes the diagnosis, and neurosurgery delivers a key component of the treatment. Similarly, they provide joint care for a number of other medical issues, including epilepsy, hydrocephalus, tethered spinal cords and birth malformations.

With 17 faculty members between their two departments, they’re able to provide comprehensive care for the range of conditions that affect the nervous system. Neurosurgery recently added three of these faculty members to the roster, including Dr. Cohen and Shenandoah “Dody” Robinson, who came to Johns Hopkins in May of this year from Boston Children’s Hospital, and Mari Groves, who did her residency and fellowship at Johns Hopkins as well as an additional fellowship in pediatric spinal deformity at Shriners Hospitals for Children in Philadelphia.

Both directors say they are thrilled to be working together again and leading their departments to provide the excellent care, training and research that form the pillars of Johns Hopkins’ mission.