The field of neurosurgery lost one of its brightest rising leaders with the unexpected passing of Dr. Sanjeet S. Grewal on February 7, 2026. At just 38 years old, he had already built a career defined by technical mastery, academic productivity, mentorship and an unwavering devotion to patients.
Born in Ludhiana, India, and raised in Queens, New York, and later Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Dr. Grewal’s life was marked early by energy, curiosity and determination that would later characterize his surgical career. His academic path reflected precocity and discipline. He entered a highly competitive combined undergraduate and medical pathway through Xavier University and the University of Cincinnati, earning his Bachelor of Science in Biology before completing his medical degree. He then matched at his first-choice program, the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida, where he became one of the earliest residents in a newly established neurosurgery residency. As part of that inaugural cohort, he helped shape the culture of the program. He subsequently pursued fellowship training in surgical epilepsy at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, followed by stereotactic and functional neurosurgery training at Mayo Clinic in Florida.
Dr. Grewal joined the faculty at Mayo Clinic in Florida during the height of the COVID pandemic, immediately assuming substantial clinical and academic responsibilities. Board certified in 2023, he rose rapidly to leadership roles, serving as Director of Epilepsy and Movement Disorders and as Associate Program Director of the neurosurgery residency. Even early in his faculty career, he was widely regarded as being on an accelerated path toward full professorship.
His clinical focus encompassed epilepsy and movement disorders, where he brought meticulous technique and thoughtful judgment to complex surgical cases. His research portfolio was expansive and forward-looking. As a principal investigator and collaborator on multiple national clinical trials, he advanced deep brain stimulation for stroke recovery, stem cell–based therapies for Parkinson’s disease and the application of artificial intelligence to identify seizure patterns and neurophysiologic signatures. He authored more than 100 peer-reviewed publications and contributed extensively to neurosurgical textbooks. In 2025, he began formal graduate study in artificial intelligence in health care, reflecting his conviction that the future of neurosurgery would be shaped by data science and technological integration.
Education was central to his professional identity. As Associate Program Director, he held residents to high standards while offering unwavering support. Trainees describe an attending who was exacting in the operating room yet generous with his time outside it—someone who answered late-night questions, advocated for junior colleagues and insisted that technical excellence must be paired with compassion. He directed advanced courses, lectured nationally and internationally and remained active in organized neurosurgery, including the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, the Congress of Neurological Surgeons, the American Society for Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery and the North American Neuromodulation Society. His service included participation in guideline development, advocacy efforts and national scientific program committees.
Dr. Grewal was deeply devoted to his wife, Angela, whom he met as a teenager at Xavier University. Together they created a home filled with energy and warmth, raising three young children – Neal, Aria and Ryan – who were the center of his world.
Neurosurgery advances through the work of dedicated individuals, but it is sustained by character. Dr. Sanjeet S. Grewal embodied both. His legacy endures in the patients he treated, the trainees he shaped, the research he propelled forward and the family who carries his light. His passing leaves a profound void in functional neurosurgery, in academic medicine and in the lives of all who called him colleague or friend.
Dario J. Englot, MD, PhD
Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Dario J. Englot, MD, PhD
Dario J. Englot, MD, PhD, is a Vice Chair and Associate Professor of Neurological Surgery, Neurology, Radiology, Electrical Engineering and Biomedical Engineering at Vanderbilt University. He is also Director of Functional Neurosurgery and Surgical Director of Epilepsy at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, and director of a CAST-accredited fellowship in Functional Neurosurgery. He received his MD and PhD degrees from Yale University and completed neurosurgical residency at the University of California, San Francisco, and his functional neurosurgery fellowship at Vanderbilt University. Dr. Englot leads an active translational research laboratory integrating human neuroimaging and electrophysiology techniques to study brain networks in neurological diseases and normal brain states. He serves on the board of the American Society for Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery and he is chair of the Surgical Therapies Commission in the International League Against Epilepsy.
