Antonio Bernardo

Antonio Bernardo is an Italian-American neurosurgeon and academic physician. He is a professor of Neurological Surgery and the Director of the Neurosurgical Innovations and Training Center for Skull Base and Microneurosurgery in the Department of Neurological Surgery at Weill Cornell Medical College. He has gained significant notoriety for his expertise in skull base and cerebrovascular surgery, and has published extensively on minimally invasive neurosurgery. and completed residency training in neurosurgery at The Western General Hospital in Edinburgh, Scotland,

Following residency he trained in skull base and cerebrovascular surgery at the University of California, Irvine from 1997 to 1999 and subsequently completed fellowship training in Skull Base Surgery at the Barrow Neurological Institute, under the mentorship of Robert Spetzler.

Professional career Following his time at the University of California, Irvine, Bernardo moved to Peru in 1999 and joined the Foundation for International Education in Neurological Surgery (FIENS) as part of an effort to establish skull base surgery programs in hospitals throughout the country.

In 2000, Bernardo joined the neurosurgery faculty of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, where he was also the co-director of their Microneurosurgery Skull Base Laboratory.

In 2011, Bernardo founded the Weill Cornell Neurosurgical Innovations and Training Center, a research and training facility for neurosurgeons, where he and his longstanding collaborator, fellow neurosurgeon Dr. Alexander I. Evins, direct a fellowship training program in skull base and microneurosurgery. As of 2025, the program has trained over 200 neurosurgeons from 57 countries and is regarded as one of the premier international training programs in skull base neurosurgery.

The research laboratory, under the direction of Bernardo and Evins, works on the development of new operative techniques in neurosurgery as well as the integration of neurosurgery with novel technologies. Bernardo's current areas of research include minimally invasive neurosurgery, surgical simulation and planning, surgical robotics, flexible endoscopy, flexible surgical instrumentation, white matter navigation, 3D printing, virtual and augmented reality, and the development of novel operative techniques in microneurosurgery.

Bernardo currently practices neurosurgery in multiple countries where he exclusively operates on complex skull base and cerebrovascular surgical cases.

Humanitarian work Bernardo has been a vocal proponent for the advancement of neurosurgical education in developing countries and has provided educational opportunities for surgeons from around the world through courses and his fellowship program. Since 1999, he has regularly volunteered his time for surgery and to teach surgeons in a number of developing countries in Latin America. 1999, Excellence in Clinical Teaching Award from the 2000, Excellence in Clinical Teaching Award from the Hospital Rebagliati 2001, Lou Grubb Fellowship in Skull Base Anatomy, Barrow Neurological Institute 2002, Annual Clinical Excellence Award from Medtronic 2002, Best Scientific Paper, Annual Meeting of the Caribbean Association of Neurological Surgeons 2003, Honored Guest at the Annual Meeting of the Colombian Association of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, and Maxillo-Facial Surgery 2004, Award for Excellence in Surgery and Teaching from the University of Guadalajara, Mexico 2004, Honored guest at the Annual Meeting of the Colombian Association of Neurological Surgeons 2006, Gold Medal from the Venezuelan Congress of Neurological Surgeons for his contribution to the development of Neurosurgery in Venezuela 2008, Gold medal from the Latin American Federation of Neurological Surgeons for his contribution to the development of Neurosurgery in Latin America 2015, Friendship Award from the Gruppo Esponenti Italiani 2015, Honorary Member of the Italian Association of Neurological Surgeons 2016, Grand Award of Merit, American Society of the Italian Legions of Merit 2017, Cavaliere of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic

Selected publications Books Bernardo A, Evins AI, Complex Surgical Approaches to the Skull Base: A Dissection Manual, New York, NY: NTG Press; 2024. Bernardo A, Evins AI, Skull Base Surgery: A Contemporary Guide to Operative Techniques, New York, NY: Thieme. 2026.

Book chapters Bernardo A, Stieg PE, Orbitocranial Zygomatic Approach for Upper Basilar Artery Aneurysms, Chapter 11 in: Mcdonald RL, Neurosurgical Operative Atlas: Vascular Neurosurgery, 2nd ed., New York, NY: Thieme Verlagsgruppe, 2009. Bernardo A, Stieg PE, Translabyrinthine and Transcochlear Petrosal Approaches, Chapter 12 in: Cappabianca P, Califano L, Iaconetta G, (eds.) Cranial, Craniofacial and Skull Base Surgery, Milan, Italy: Springer-Verlag Mailand; 2010. Bernardo A, Evins AI, Neurosurgical Anatomy and Approaches to Simulation in Neurosurgical Training, in: Alaraj A, ed. Comprehensive Healthcare Simulation: Neurosurgery Edition, New York, NY: Springer; 2018. Bernardo A, Anatomy and Histology of Intracranial AVMs, in: Steig PE, Khalessi A, Apuzzo MLJ eds. Intracranial Arteriovenous Malformations: Essentials for Patients and Practitioners, New York, NY: Elsevier; 2023.

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