John Andrew Boockvar, MD

John Boockvar, MD, is the vice chair of the department of neurosurgery as well as director of the Brain Tumor Center and the Pituitary/Skull Base Center at Lenox Hill Hospital. He is professor of neurological surgery and otolaryngology/head and neck surgery at the Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell, and an investigator at the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research, where he directs the Laboratory for Brain Tumor and Therapy.

Internationally known for his surgical expertise and providing patients with effective and minimally invasive treatment for brain tumors, skull base disorders, and disorders of the spine, Dr. Boockvar has also been recognized for his basic science and clinical research in brain tumors.

His innovative, deeply empathetic approach to cancer care is highlighted in the critically acclaimed television shows Lenox Hill and Emergency NYC, Netflix-produced documentaries. “The shows, and my work, demonstrate the way we provide leading-edge care for patients that brings together the latest translational research with compassionate care,” he says.

Dr. Boockvar is repeatedly named to the lists of New York Magazine’s Top Docs, Best Doctors in New York-Castle Connolly, New York Super Doctors, America’s Top Surgeons, America’s Best Doctors, and America’s Best Doctors for Cancer. His research has been widely published and he has received numerous national awards including the Eric Lichtenstein Humanitarian Award from Voices Against Brain Cancer for his compassionate work. Dr. Boockvar was recently elected to the prestigious Academy of Neurological Surgeons and to the Senior Society of the American Board of Neurological Surgery.

In 2022, Dr. Boockvar was appointed visiting professor at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, where he will continue to advance research on brain tumors. He will also lead a phase three national clinical trial looking at novel treatments that can bypass the blood-brain barrier for glioblastoma, an aggressive cancer in the brain or spinal cord.

“This trial allows us to get higher doses of a medication into the brain than we could by standard oral or IV techniques,” he says. “That has the potential to be game changing for those patients being treated for this cancer, and for others who need advanced treatment for brain-related issues.”