Richard C. Anderson, MD

I never really considered pursuing a career other than medicine. My mother always told me I would choose a pediatric specialty, because I like interacting with children. After taking a first-year neuroscience course in medical school, I became fascinated by the brain and how it works. During a neurosurgery rotation as a third-year medical student, I knew this was the specialty for me.

I provide prenatal consultations and see patients up to age 21 who have neurological conditions that can be managed with surgery. I take care of children who have scoliosis and kyphosis, which are forms of abnormal curvature of the spine. I also manage hemivertebra, in which the vertebrae do not fully develop. In addition, I see children who have spondylolysis, which are stress fractures of the vertebrae, and spondylolisthesis, in which the vertebrae slip out of position.

I perform surgery to manage tethered spinal cords, brain and spinal tumors, vascular malformations, hydrocephalus, and craniosynostosis, in which the bones in the skull fuse too early. I also manage Chiari malformations, which is when brain tissue extends through an opening in the skull and into the spinal cord.

In addition, I specialize in selective dorsal rhizotomy, a surgical procedure that helps manage spasticity, or uncontrollable muscle movements caused by nerve damage.

I partner with other neurosurgeons to surgically manage neurological disorders, helping to improve outcomes. NYU Langone offers a world-class team dedicated to taking care of children who have neurosurgical needs. I always tell families that if my child needed surgery tomorrow, I would want Hassenfeld Children’s Hospital at NYU Langone to take care of them because of the family-centered environment.

I am part of a clinical research team focused on disorders of the pediatric spine. We publish extensively and are leading several large studies.

I have received numerous awards, including being named in Castle Connolly’s “Top Doctors” series for the New York metro area for the last decade. I am also secretary of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons and Congress of Neurological Surgeons’ Section on Pediatric Neurological Surgery and secretary and treasurer of the Society of University Neurosurgeons.