Chiari EDS Program Team
About the Physicians
Ilene S. Ruhoy, MD, PhD, Medical Director
Ilene S. Ruhoy, MD, PhD is a board certified neurologist and Medical Director for the Chiari EDS Center at Mount Sinai South Nassau. Dr. Ruhoy serves on the faculty at Mount Sinai South Nassau as a neurohospitalist and is involved in pre-and post-operative patient care. Originally from New York City, she trained in both pediatric and adult neurology at the University of Washington and Seattle Children’s Hospital.
In addition to neuromuscular fellowship training at the University of Washington, she graduated from the University of Arizona Integrative Medicine Fellowship and is also a graduate of the Helms Medical Institute Acupuncture for Physicians certification program. Her PhD is in Environmental Toxicology.
Paolo A. Bolognese, MD, Surgical Director
A native of Torino, Italy, Paolo A. Bolognese, MD, graduated magna cum laude in 1986 from the Medical School of the University of Turin. In 1990, he completed his neurosurgical training at the same university under the guidance of Professor Victor A. Fasano, an international leader in the field of high-tech applied to neurosurgery. During this time, Dr. Bolognese became a leading worldwide expert in the field of laser Doppler flowmetry applied to neurosurgery and a top European figure in the field of neurosurgical intraoperative ultrasound.
Upon the passing of his former mentor, in 1992 he accepted the invitation of Dr. Thomas H. Milhorat to transfer his laser Doppler research to the United States and to be retrained under Dr. Milhorat at SUNY Health Science Center at Brooklyn. At SUNY at Brooklyn Dr. Bolognese completed his residency in neurosurgery, his fellowship in management of Chiari I Malformation and related disorders, and served as chief resident in neurosurgery.
In August 2001, Dr. Bolognese joined Dr. Milhorat at the Department of Neurosurgery at North Shore University Hospital and Long Island Jewish Medical Center, as an Associate Director of the Chiari Center. Along with Dr. Milhorat, he co-founded The Chiari Institute, where he served as Associate Director until August 2014. On September 2nd 2014, he started the Chiari Neurosurgical Center, where he was later joined by Dr. Roger W. Kula. On December 15th 2015, he moved his hospital activity to Mount Sinai South Nassau. Dr. Bolognese’s professional affiliations include the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS), Congress of Neurological Surgery (CNS), American Syringomyelia & Chiari Alliance Project, Inc. (ASAP), and Chiari Syringomyelia Foundation (CSF).
Learn More About Our Chiari Malformation Program
Meet Our Team
What is Chiari Malformation?
What is Ehlers-Danlos Syndromes (EDS)?
How are Chiari and EDS Related?
Chiari EDS Newsletter - Spring 2023