Dr. Kushnerik is Clinical Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology at Weill Cornell Medical College. He is nationally and internationally recognized Interventional Pain Management Specialist. In 2001, Dr. Kushnerik established Pain Management Center at the New York Presbyterian Lower Manhattan Hospital where he served as a Division Chief in the Departments of Anesthesiology, Medicine and Surgery.

Dr. Kushnerik completed his Interventional Pain Management Fellowship in 2001 at Columbia Medical School, Columbia Presbyterian Hospital and at Cornell Medical School, New York Hospital. He completed his Anesthesiology Residency in 2000 at Columbia Medical School, Columbia Presbyterian Hospital and his Internship in Internal Medicine in 1997 at Long Island Jewish Medical Center, Mount Sinai School of Medicine. Dr. Kushnerik received his Medical Doctor Degree with Distinction in Research in 1996 from Stony Brook School of Medicine. As a medical student, he conducted research in the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery under Dr.Thomas Bilfinger in collaboration with Dr. George B. Stefano at Old Westbury Neuroscience Research Institute. He published numerous research papers in various scientific journals including International Journal of Cardiology, International Journal of Immunopharmacology and Advances in Neuroimmunology Journal. As a Pain Management Fellow, he published, “Multimodal Approaches to Improve Surgical Outcome” in the prestigious medical journal called Techniques in Regional Anesthesia and Pain Management.

As an Interventional Pain Management Specialist, Dr. Kushnerik is recognized for his expertise in minimally invasive treatment modalities for spinal stenosis and herniated discs. He is one of the first physicians in New York City to do MILD (Minimally Invasive Lumbar Decompression) Surgery to treat patients with spinal stenosis. He is also one of the first physicians in New York City who started doing endoscopic spine surgery; endoscopic discectomy to treat patients with herniated discs and endoscopic rhizotomy to treat patients that have failed conventional radiofrequency ablation to treat facet mediated back pain. Being at the forefront of his field, always looking for new treatments and ways to improve outcome, in 2001 Dr. Kushnerik developed new technique to implant intrathecal infusion pumps. This new approach cuts down surgical time by half, decreases incidence of infection, and increases patient satisfaction. Dr. Kushnerik is also recognized as an expert in the implantation of Spinal Cord Stimulators. He is one of the first physicians who started using Spinal Cord Stimulators to treat vulvodynia and intractable, chronic pelvic pain. In 2008, he published paper in the Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, titled, “Spinal Cord Stimulation for the treatment of a Woman with Vulvovaginal Burning and Deep Pelvic Pain”.

Dr. Kushnerik received numerous peer validated awards including “America’s Top Anesthesiologists”, specializing in Pain Management. Commissioner of the New York City Police Department, Raymond Kelly, awarded Dr. Kushnerik Honorary Police Surgeon Degree in recognition of the work he did during 9/11 and the work he continues to do today.

In 2015, Dr. Kushnerik established State of the Art Multi-Disciplinary Pain Management Center Downtown Manhattan near Wall Street and the first, State of the Art, Pain Management, Surgery Center in New York City located in DUMBO, Downtown Brooklyn.