A nationally recognized trauma surgeon and academic leader, Kartik Prabhakaran, M.D., M.H.S., FACS, currently serves as the medical director for trauma of the WMCHealth Network, section chief of trauma and acute care surgery, and interim chief medical officer for Westchester Medical Center. He joined the faculty of NYMC in 2014.
Dr. Prabhakaran has made extraordinary contributions to WMC and the field of trauma care. In addition to leading the only adult Level I Trauma Center between New York City and Albany, Dr. Prabhakaran has led the development of an institutional Network Trauma Consortium that has grown into an integrated system consistently achieving the highest standards of clinical excellence, academic rigor, and patient-centered innovation. Dr. Prabhakaran serves as Chair of the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma for the Greater New York region, and is a national reviewer for the American College of Surgeons’ Verification Review Committee.
In addition to his clinical leadership, Dr. Prabhakaran has served as program director for the largest Surgical Critical Care Fellowship in New York State at WMCHealth and has been a dedicated mentor to residents and medical students. He is the author of more than 90 peer-reviewed publications and book chapters, and has presented his work nationally and internationally, with research interests that include traumatic brain injury, geriatric trauma, and trauma outcomes.
Education
- Fellowship, Surgical Critical Care, Weill Cornell Medicine/Lincoln Medical Center
- Residency, General Surgery, Albert Einstein College of Medicine/Montefiore Medical Center
- M.D., University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
- M.H.S., Johns Hopkins University
Publications
- Kannichamy V, Prabhakaran K, Vetri R, et. al. "Intracranial Pressure Monitoring in Pediatric Traumatic Brain Injury Patients: A National Study." The Journal of surgical research, 321(), (2026) 624-631. doi: 10.1016/j.jss.2026.03.061
- Harikrishnan S, Mehta R, Prabhakaran K, et. al. "Timing of Tracheostomy in Critically Ill Geriatric Trauma Patients: A Nationwide Analysis." The Journal of surgical research, 322(), (2026) 1-9. doi: 10.1016/j.jss.2026.03.043
- Peisepar M, Prabhakaran K, Vetri R, et. al. "Robotic Versus Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy: Operative Time and Conversion in Urgent Cases." The Journal of surgical research, 321(), (2026) 587-593. doi: 10.1016/j.jss.2026.03.038
- Zangbar B, Mehta R, Kirsch J, et. al. "Diverting loop ileostomy with antegrade colonic lavage compared with colectomy in Clostridioides difficile colitis: A decade-long propensity score-matched analysis." The journal of trauma and acute care surgery, 100(3), (2026) 386-392. doi: 10.1097/TA.0000000000004840
- Rafieezadeh A, Prabhakaran K, Vetri R, et. al. "Decisions in Crisis: Amputation Timing and Short-Term Outcomes in Severe Blunt Lower Limb Trauma." The Journal of surgical research, 319(), (2026) 170-177. doi: 10.1016/j.jss.2026.01.016
- Rafieezadeh A, Prabhakaran K, Grant C, et. al. "Management of pediatric trauma: Non-operative approach for grade V splenic injuries." Journal of pediatric surgery, 61(4), (2026) 162918. doi: 10.1016/j.jpedsurg.2026.162918
- Ekelmans A, Rafieezadeh A, Prabhakaran K, et. al. "Trauma Outcomes in Patients With a History of Cerebrovascular Accident." The Journal of surgical research, 316(), (2025) 209-214. doi: 10.1016/j.jss.2025.10.029
