Dr. McCormick received his medical degree from Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons in 1982.  Following the completion of his surgical internship at Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center in 1983 and a research fellowship at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Md. in 1984, Dr. McCormick performed his neurosurgical residency training at the New York Neurological Institute between 1984-1989.  After residency, he completed a one-year fellowship in complex spine surgery at the Medical College of Wisconsin and returned to The New York Presbyterian Hospital and Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons in 1990.  In 1998, while maintaining his full time clinical, research, and teaching responsibilities at Columbia, Dr. McCormick enrolled in the Executive Master of Public Health (MPH) program in Health Policy and Management at Columbia's Mailman School of Public Health. He was awarded his MPH degree in October 2000.

Dr. McCormick's current positions are Attending Neurosurgeon at the New York Presbyterian Hospital, Director of the Columbia Presbyterian Spine Center, and the Herbert and Linda Gallen Professor of Clinical Neurosurgery at the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons.

 Dr. McCormick's research, clinical, and teaching interests have focused on the evaluation and management of disorders of the spine and spinal cord. In particular, he is a world-renowned expert on the microsurgical treatment of spinal cord tumors and vascular malformations. He has written or co-authored over 125 publications in peer reviewed scientific journals and books. He has written or edited seven books. He has been invited to give over 100 oral presentations at both national and international neurosurgical meetings. He has been a visiting lecturer at numerous prestigious institutions such as Johns Hopkins, Stanford, Cornell, NYU, UCSF, Mount Sinai, UMDNJ, and the University of Pittsburgh. He has been invited to present his work in Europe, Japan, Canada, Mexico, South America, North Korea, and India.  He has been the principal investigator of several clinical trials at Columbia and has received numerous research grants. Dr. McCormick has consistently been named as one of the best Doctors in New York and America and was recently featured in a Discovery Channel episode on spinal tumors.

 Dr. McCormick's leadership and expertise in Neurosurgery is recognized throughout the national and international medical community. He currently serves on the Editorial Board of 5 peer review scientific journals: Spine, Neurosurgery, The Journal of Neurosurgery, The Spine Journal, and Journal of Neurosurgery: Spine. He is also active in the national leadership of Neurosurgery. He has served on the Board of Directors of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, Vice President of the Congress of Neurological Surgery, and President of The Joint Section on Disorders of the Spine and Peripheral Nerves, with an international membership of over 1500 surgeons. He has been elected to the most prestigious surgical and neurosurgical societies such as the American College of Surgeons, the American Academy of Neurological Surgeons, the Society of Neurological Surgeons, and the Society of University Neurosurgeons. In 2004, Dr. McCormick was selected as a Director of the American Board of Neurological Surgery (ABNS), a member board of the American Board of Medical Specialties, that functions to elevate the standards of neurosurgical training and practice by defining the requirements of neurosurgical training and Board Certification.

Dr. McCormick's clinical practice and research interest are entirely devoted to spinal disorders.  He has specific interests in spinal microsurgery for spinal cord tumors, vascular malformations, cervical and lumbar herniated discs, and spinal stenosis.  His research interests include patient oriented outcomes analysis and spinal cord tumors. 

Surgical Video for Clinicians
Spinal Cord Hemangioblastoma Procedure

Relevant links:
Columbia University Department of Neurosurgery