Rick Abbott MD
Rick Abbott, MD, is an attending physician, Department of Neurosurgery, The Children’s Hospital at Montefiore (CHAM) and a professor of Neurosurgery, Albert Einstein College of Medicine.
Dr. Abbott, who previously practiced at Beth Israel Medical Center, has a long-standing interest in tumors of the central and peripheral nervous systems and has been involved in the development of techniques used in their surgical management. Many of the intraoperative neurophysiological procedures currently used to both map the location of critical structures of the nervous system and to monitor their integrity during tumor resection have been developed through his collaboration with neurophysiologists from other leading institutions. Many of these specialists have joined Dr. Abbott at CHAM and continue to work closely with him in the development of even more sophisticated techniques for guarding the nervous system during an operation.
A team approach in the treatment of brain tumors
At CHAM, Dr Abbott is part of a very talented team of pediatric oncology specialists dedicated to treating children with tumors of the central and peripheral nervous system. This eight-person pediatric oncology team in collaboration with neurosurgeons, general surgeons, pediatricians, and radiation oncologists, meets on a weekly basis at a Tumor Board to discuss the management of individual children with brain and spinal cord tumors. According to Dr. Abbott this team provides unparalleled support for his pediatric patients diagnosed with nervous system tumors.
Advancing care through novel programs & surgical innovations
Dr. Abbott has spent a great deal of his time at CHAM developing a service in “Functional Neurosurgery” which enables him to deliver novel treatments to children and adults with injured nervous systems to improve function. He also works closely with the physicians of the Comprehensive Epilepsy Center at CHAM, where he is involved in programs designed to surgically treat children with epilepsy. In addition he is involved in the surgical treatment of spasticity due to cerebral palsy or other injuries, and birth injury to the brachial plexus. He has developed a program for minimally invasive neurosurgery using small endoscopes to perform surgery within the brain and is currently using this technology at CHAM to treat cases of hydrocephalus, arachnoid cysts and small brain tumors. Dr. Abbott is particularly interested in the application of computer technology in the operating room and is currently exploring its utility in guiding surgery within the brain.
Treatment centered around the family
Dr. Abbott recognizes the emotional impact that a diagnosis of a nervous system disease can have on both the child and their family and is committed to CHAM’s philosophy of family-centered care. He knows that a parent’s foremost desire is to understand their child’s condition and to develop a care plan to successfully manage the disease. He strives to be available to families who wish to discuss their child’s condition and is dedicated to providing the support needed for them to regain their equilibrium.
