Elissa G. Yozawitz

Elissa G. Yozawitz, MD, is Director of Neonatal Neurology at Children’s Hospital at Montefiore Einstein and Professor of Neurology and Pediatrics at our Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Dr. Yozawitz focuses on the neurological management of children, from the neonatal period through adolescence, particularly those with difficult-to-treat seizures. She also specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy, stroke and seizures in the newborn. Dr. Yozawitz’s expertise includes electroencephalography (EEG) and state-of-the-art treatments.

After obtaining a Bachelor of Arts in psychology and in health and society from the University of Rochester in 2001, Dr. Yozawitz earned a Doctor of Medicine from the State University of New York Upstate Medical University in 2005. She completed a pediatric residency at Schneider Children's Hospital in 2007, followed by a residency in pediatric neurology at Montefiore Einstein in 2010. Dr. Yozawitz remained at Montefiore Einstein to complete a fellowship in clinical neurophysiology in 2011.

Dr. Yozawitz's research focuses on improving the identification and efficacy of treating early-life epilepsies, including infantile spasms. Her research also explores EEG changes during anesthesia. Dr. Yozawitz participated in multicenter studies, functioned as site principal investigator and co-investigator for multiple research projects, presented her research findings at national and international scientific meetings, published in numerous peer-reviewed journals and authored several book chapters. She served as a reviewer for medical journals including Epilepsia, Epileptic Disorders, Neurology and the New England Journal of Medicine, among others. For several years, Dr. Yozawitz participated in the work of international committees tasked to revise nosology and treatment guidelines for neonatal and childhood epilepsy.

Dr. Yozawitz is board certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology in Epilepsy and Neurology, with special certification in Child Neurology. She is a member of the American Academy of Neurology, the American Epilepsy Society and the Child Neurology Society. Dr. Yozawitz repeatedly has been named in Castle Connolly’s “Regional Top Doctor,” “Top Doctors: New York Metro Area” and “Exceptional Women in Medicine.” She additionally has been listed in New York Magazine’s “Top Doctors” for multiple years.