Dr. Nikhil Nayak, MD, FAANS is a board-certified neurological surgeon with advanced training and specific expertise in spinal disorders.
Nikhil R. Nayak, MD, FAANS
Expert Spinal Surgeon Leading Innovations
Dr. Nayak specializes in minimally invasive, complex, image-guided, motion-preserving, and robotic spinal surgery for a variety of degenerative, traumatic, and oncologic conditions, including cervical myelopathy, cervical and lumbar radiculopathy, spinal stenosis, spinal fractures, primary and metastatic spinal column, and spinal cord tumors, adult degenerative scoliosis, and revision spinal surgery.
Comprehensive Spinal Care Beyond Boundaries
Dr. Nayak’s versatility in spinal surgery affords him the ability to offer patients the full spectrum of available options for their spinal conditions, and he is frequently called upon to provide second opinions once surgery has been recommended. He also participates in emergency neurosurgical call and performs general cranial neurosurgery for head trauma, intracranial hemorrhage, hydrocephalus, brain tumors, and related conditions.
Elite Education, Global Expertise
Dr. Nayak received his MD and MHS degrees from Yale University and is a magna cum laude graduate of Georgetown University. He completed his neurosurgery residency at the University of Pennsylvania and a clinical spine fellowship at Wellington Hospital, Capital, and Coast District Health Board in Wellington, New Zealand.
Leading Neurosurgical Innovator
Dr. Nayak serves as Vice Chairman of the Department of Neurosurgery at Virginia Hospital Center in Arlington, VA. He is a Clinical Instructor of both Medicine and Neurology at the George Washington University School of Medicine, where he is the site director for the VHC neurosurgery clerkship and also serves as a preceptor for first and second year medical students. He has co-authored over 25 peer-reviewed publications and has a special interest in tracking functional outcomes following spinal surgery. He is a fellow of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons and a member of AOSpine.
Recognitions
- Washingtonian Magazine – Top Doctor
- Northern Virginia Magazine – Top Doctor
- Virginia Living Magazine – Top Doctor
- Diplomate, American Board of Neurological Surgery
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Medical Fellow
- Farr Scholar, Yale University School of Medicine
- Shucart Award, New England Neurosurgical Society
- Max Kade Medical Fellow, American Austrian Foundation
- Clinical Performance Committee, Virginia Hospital Center
- Trauma Advisory Committee, Virginia Hospital Center
