MUSC Health Neurosurgery at University Medical Center Extension

Dr. Alejandro M. Spiotta is a Professor of Neurosurgery \& Neuroendovascular surgery, Vice Chair of Neurosurgery, and Chief of Neuroendovascular Surgery. Dr. Spiotta received his M.D. from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine in 2005, and his undergraduate degree in molecular biology from the University of Pennsylvania College of Arts and Sciences in 2001. He completed an internship in General Surgery, residency in Neurological Surgery, and fellowship in Neuroendovascular Surgery at the Cleveland Clinic.Dr. Spiotta is board certified by the American Board of Neurological Surgery and is a member of numerous professional and scientific societies including the Congress of Neurological Surgeons, Society of Neurointerventional Surgery, and the American Association of Neurological Surgeons. He reviews manuscript submissions for numerous peer reviewed journals, is an associate editor for several journals,Dr. Spiotta's research focus is outcomes research in cerebrovascular disease, device development, implementation of endovascular simulation as training tools among residents and fellows, as well as novel training paradigms for Neurosurgery residents. He is the founder and Principal Investigator of STAR (Stroke Thrombectomy and Aneurysm Registry),Dr. Spiotta's clinical interests are Vascular Neurosurgery and Neuroendovascular Surgery. He specializes in acute stroke thrombectomy, aneurysm coiling and microsurgical clipping, arteriovenous malformations, carotid stenosis

Dr. Jonathan R. Lena is an assistant professor of Neurosurgery and Neuroendovascular Surgery at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) in the Department of Neurosurgery. Dr. Lena received his M.D. from Eastern Virginia Medical School in 2008, and his undergraduate degree in biology from the University of Virginia in 2004. He completed an internship in General Surgery, residency in Neurological Surgery, and fellowship in Neuroendovascular Surgery at MUSC. He also spent several months in France and Germany learning from world renowned Neuroendovascular surgeons.Dr. Jonathan R. Lena is an assistant professor of Neurosurgery and Neuroendovascular Surgery at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) in the Department of Neurosurgery. Dr. Lena is board certified by the American Board of Neurological Surgery and is a member of the top neurosurgical professional and scientific societies including the American Association of Neurological Surgeons as well as the Congress of Neurological Surgeons. He is a co-author of numerous peer-reviewed research articles and also reviews manuscript submissions for the Journal of Neurointerventional Surgery. Dr. Lena's clinical focus includes Neuroendovascular Surgery, Vascular Neurosurgery, and spine surgery. He has a particular interest in arteriovenous malformations of the brain and spinal cord, dural arteriovenous fistulas, and complex brain aneurysms. As an endovascular trained neurosurgeon, he is able to treat many diseases including complex brain aneurysms, brain and spinal arteriovenous malformations, dural arteriovenous fistulas, carotid stenosis, and moyamoya disease.Dr. Lena also specializes in EC-IC bypass, acute stroke thrombectomy, spine surgery, as well as sclerotherapy for the treatment of head and neck venous/lymphatic malformations.

Hailing from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, board-certified neurosurgeon Dr. Kicielinski obtained her medical degree from Penn State College of Medicine. She went on to complete her neurosurgical residency training at the University of Alabama Birmingham, where she was twice the recipient of the James "Buddy" Nobles Jr Resident Education Award for resident of the year.





During residency, she also completed a Masters of Science in Public Health in Epidemiology from the University of Alabama Birmingham. Spending two years in Boston at Harvard Medical School and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, she undertook a specialized fellowship in open and endovascular cerebrovascular neurosurgery under Drs. Christopher Ogilvy and Ajith Thomas. During that time she served as a clinical instructor at Harvard Medical School.





After joining MUSC in 2019, she was voted Faculty of the Year by the MUSC neurosurgery residents in 2021 and again in 2023. She has been invited to present her research at national meetings and serves in multiple positions within organized neurosurgery, including Treasurer Women In Neurosurgery national joint section and serves on the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion task force for the Congress of Neurological Surgeons. Her research interests are in blood vessel disorders of the nervous system, resident education, patient-physician communication during critical situations, and palliative care.





She was attracted to MUSC for the world-class expertise in cerebrovascular disease, with a focus on taking care of patients, pushing boundaries, and serving as a leader in the field. She serves as an Associate Professor in the Department of Neurosurgery at MUSC and the Division of Neuroendovascular Surgery.