Physicians

Dr. Prakash Sampath currently serves as the Chief of Neurosurgery at the Roger Williams Medical Center (a major affiliate of the Boston University School of Medicine) in Providence, RI, a position he has held since 2005. He is an Associate Professor of Neurosurgery at the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University and also serves as the Director of the Neuro-Oncology Immunotherapy Program at Brown and Rhode Island Hospital. He is a board certified neurosurgeon (ABNS 2004) and a Fellow of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons. He also co-directs the Roger Williams Brain Tumor Laboratory.

Dr. Sampath earned his Bachelor’s degree in Biomedical Engineering from the Johns Hopkins University in 1987. He subsequently attended Medical School at the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York City and received his MD degree in 1992. Dr. Sampath next returned to the Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions in Baltimore, MD where he completed a Halstead Internship in General Surgery, followed by his neurosurgery residency. Johns Hopkins Hospital has one of the most renowned, oldest and busiest Neurosurgery services in the world performing over 3000 operations a year, including 600 brain tumors.

After completing his residency, Dr. Sampath completed a Fellowship in Neurosurgical Oncology under the mentorship of Dr. Henry Brem. He then remained on the faculty of Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. In 1999, he relocated to Rhode Island to become Assistant Professor of Clinical Neurosciences at Brown Medical School and Director of Neurosurgical Oncology at Rhode Island Hospital. During this period he received numerous awards including Distinguished Teacher Award for teaching residents and medical students.

He also created a neurosurgical oncology registry with Dr. Lloyd Alderson that tracked the incidence and geography of brain tumors in the state of Rhode Island.

In 2005 Dr Sampath assumed his current role as Chief of Neurosurgery at Roger Williams Medical Center and he founded the Rhode Island Neurosurgical Institute. His clinical practice encompasses all aspects of clinical neurosurgery with a focus on Neuro-Oncology and complex spinal disorders. He performs surgery at Roger Williams Medical Center and Rhode Island Hospital.

In addition to his clinical and administrative duties, Dr. Sampath has an active research effort devoted to novel treatments against malignant brain tumor. His research, in collaboration with Dr. Sadhak Sengupta, involves targeting and synthesizing “designer” or chimeric T cells against tumors and he has published numerous seminal peer-reviewed papers in this field and developed several patents. His research is dedicated to true “bench to bedside” strategies and has lead to Phase 1 and 2 clinical trials. He continues to collaborate with other investigators at Harvard, Johns Hopkins and SUNY-Syracuse in the exciting evolving field of Brain Tumor Immunotherapy. In all, he has published over 70 peer-reviewed articles in all areas of neurosurgery and has given dozens of lectures both nationally and internationally.

In 2008 Dr Sampath was a founding member of the Rhode Island Brain and Spine Tumor Foundation (RIBTSF). This charitable (503C) organization is focused on increasing awareness of brain and spine tumors in our state and provides support groups for survivors and families, educational forums, patient navigation strategies, and more resources for clinicians and patients. The RIBTSF continues to thrive and expand 10 years after its inception and hosts frequent fund raising, educational and awareness events.