Steven J. Schneider

Dr. Steven J. Schneider is Chief of the Division of Pediatric Neurosurgery at Cohen Children’s Medical Center (CCMC). He earned his medical degree and completed his neurosurgery residency at Baylor College of Medicine, followed by a fellowship in Pediatric Neurosurgery at New York University under Dr. Fred Epstein—one of the most influential pioneers in the field.

Clinically, Dr. Schneider specializes in pediatric brain and spinal cord tumors, pituitary tumors, hydrocephalus, spasticity, spinal dysraphism, arachnoid cysts, and traumatic brain injury. While his practice is primarily pediatric, he maintains a selective adult practice focused on congenital and complex neurosurgical disorders. He was an early pioneer of endoscopic neurosurgery in the United States, performing the first endoscopic third ventriculostomy, the first endoscopic colloid cyst resection, and the first endoscopic transsphenoidal tumor removal in the tri-state area. He also helped establish the earliest pediatric epilepsy surgery program on Long Island.

After fellowship, Dr. Schneider joined Long Island Neurosurgical Associates (LINA) in 1989, becoming the first fellowship-trained pediatric neurosurgeon on Long Island and helping establish the region’s foundational pediatric neurosurgery services. He co-founded the Neurosurgical Residency Program at Long Island Jewish Medical Center and served as one of its residency directors during the program’s transition to the Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell.

Board certified by both the American Board of Neurological Surgery and the American Board of Pediatric Neurological Surgery, Dr. Schneider is an Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery and Pediatrics at the Zucker School of Medicine. He remains an active educator, lecturer, and contributor to national and international organizations, including the American Society of Pediatric Neurosurgery, the International Society for Pediatric Neurosurgery, and the AANS/CNS Joint Section on Pediatric Neurosurgery.

Dr. Schneider is actively involved in academic and translational research. He is an Investigator at the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research and serves as Director of Pediatric Neurosurgery Research and Pediatric Brain Tumor Laboratory, Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research. His current projects include defining the immune microenvironment of pediatric brain tumors such as medulloblastoma and DIPG, developing novel immunotherapy strategies, and advancing liquid biopsy techniques by isolating circulating tumor cells from blood and cerebrospinal fluid. His scholarly work includes numerous peer-reviewed publications, book chapters, and national and international presentations, and he serves as an ad hoc reviewer for multiple scientific journals.

Dr. Schneider is married and has six children; his eldest son is a practicing neurosurgeon in the Midwest. Outside of medicine, he is an avid hockey enthusiast and has served as a consultant to several regional professional sports teams, including the New York Rangers, New York Islanders, and the New Jersey Devils. He is also a certified scuba divemaster and truly amateur golfer.