Yaroslav Gelfand, MD

Yaroslav (Jacob) Gelfand, MD, is an attending physician and Assistant Professor at Montefiore-Einstein. Dr. Gelfand’s clinical specialty is in the use of minimally invasive approaches to diagnose and treat a wide variety of spine pathologies and problems. With extensive training in both minimally invasive and complex spine surgery, Dr. Gelfand offers the latest treatment options to patients, using cutting-edge technology including intraoperative image guidance, fluoroscopy, endoscopy and pre-operative computer planning.

After completing his Bachelor of Science in biomedical engineering at University of California, Davis, Dr. Gelfand studied his Doctor of Medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College, earning the degree in 2013. His time at Weill Cornell included a yearlong Howard Hughes Medical Fellowship at the institution’s neurobiology and behavioral science lab. From 2013 to 2018, Dr. Gelfand pursued a residency in neurosurgery at Albert Einstein College of Medicine. He then completed a research fellowship at Columbia University as well as a nonclinical research fellowship with Globus Medical's Musculoskeletal Education and Research Center in 2019, before returning to be chief resident at Einstein’s Department of Neurological Surgery from 2019 to 2020. In 2021, Dr. Gelfand completed his yearlong minimally invasive and complex spine surgery fellowship at the University of California’s Los Angeles Spine Center.

Dr. Gelfand’s research focuses on the latest spine technology, surgical techniques and patient outcomes. He has authored and co-authored over 35 peer-reviewed publications and book chapters along with many more abstracts and presentations. His research efforts have been presented at numerous national and international conferences and have been recognized with several distinguished awards. He is also a reviewer for Global Spine Journal, Clinical Biomechanics and Spine Journal.

Dr. Gelfand is a member of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons and the American Association of Neurological Surgeons.