Hershey

Eight Penn State Health doctors named to 'Top Physicians Under 40' list

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HERSHEY, Pa. — Eight Penn State Health doctors have been named among the Pennsylvania Medical Society's "Top Physicians Under 40."

Winners were nominated by colleagues and selected by a statewide committee of the society's member physicians.

The 45 physicians on the 2020 list represent 19 different medical specialties.

The Penn State Health physicians recognized are:

  • Dr. Eldra Daniels, a sports medicine physician. While a resident in the Family Medicine Residency Program, Daniels received the Joseph P. Bering Award for Excellence in Patient Care. He is involved with his community and has made several appearances on local news broadcasts to discuss health-related issues. He has also co-authored several papers on sports medicine topics.
  • Dr. David Ermak, a vascular neurologist. In addition to the care Ermak provides to patients at the Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, he also offers tele-stroke care to patients at outlying hospitals. Ermak also serves as medical director of quality and patient safety and assistant professor in the Department of Neurology.
  • Dr. Neerav Goyal, an otolaryngologist. Goyal specializes in the surgical management of head and neck cancers. He serves as director of head and neck surgery and as team leader for head and neck surgical oncology disease. Goyal is actively involved with training medical students, residents and fellows. He is an executive council member of the Pennsylvania Academy of Otolaryngology.
  • Dr. Ashutosh Kumar, a pediatric neurologist. Kumar serves as director of the pediatric neuromuscular program. He is a lead physician in the Pediatric Muscular Dystrophy Association Care Center at Hershey Medical Center, where he cares for children with a wide range of neuromuscular disorders. He also is an assistant professor of pediatrics and neurology and has been recognized as a top educator in his department.
  • Dr. Gayatra Mainali, clinical director of the Division of Pediatric Neurology. Mainali also serves as assistant professor of pediatrics and neurology. Mainali works to reduce barriers to care for her patients with complex health problems, through initiatives such as developing new scheduling protocols to reduce the waiting period for appointments.
  • Dr. Sean B. O’Donnell, a hematologist/oncologist with Penn State Health’s Cancer Care Partnership at Mount Nittany Medical Center. O'Donnell has taken a lead role in the development of clinical trials. He is a dedicated physician advocate within organized medicine as a member of the society and the Pennsylvania Society of Oncology & Hematology (PSOH). He is co-chair of the legislative committee for PSOH.
  • Dr. Dennis J. Warfield Jr., an anesthesiologist with the Regional Anesthesia and Acute Pain Management team at the Hershey Medical Center. Warfield is also a clinical instructor for residents and fellows. He has introduced anesthesia processes that have led to a reduction in opiate use during the perioperative period. He was elected to serve as an alternate delegate of the American Society of Anesthesiologists.
  • Dr. Brad Zacharia, a neurosurgeon, also serves as director of brain tumor and skull base surgery at Hershey Medical Center and co-director of neuro-oncology at Penn State Cancer Institute. Zacharia has introduced cutting-edge treatments for benign and malignant tumors of the brain, spine and skull base to his community. He is actively involved with several regional and national neurosurgical societies. He is also an educator and mentor for residents, fellows, and students.
Last Updated April 29, 2020

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