New Neurosurgeons Join Berkshire Health Systems

Print Story | Email Story
PITTSFIELD, Mass. - Berkshire Health Systems announces the appointments of
Leon I. Gilner, MD, FACS and Deepa Soni, MD, MPH, highly trained and experienced neurosurgeons, to the physician staff of Berkshire Medical Center and the BHS Neurosurgical physician practice.

Dr. Gilner, former Chief of Surgery at Victoria Regional Medical Center, Texas, has been named Division Chief of Neurosurgery at BMC. Dr. Gilner provides the full spectrum of neurosurgical, cranial and spinal procedures, specializing in minimally invasive treatment of degenerative disc disease and spinal stenosis.

Dr. Gilner is board certified by the American Board of Neurological Surgery and a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons. While in Texas, Dr. Gilner also served as Chief of the Medical Staff at Victoria Regional Medical Center and Victoria Warm Springs Rehabilitation Hospital. Previously, he was Chief of Neurosurgery at Valley Medical Center, Fresno, California and Director of the Neurosurgical Training Program at the Medical College of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. He has held numerous academic positions, including Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery at the Medical College of Pennsylvania, instructor in Neuroanatomy at both Upstate Medical College in Syracuse, NY and Albert Einstein College of Medicine in Bronx, NY, and Assistant Clinical Professor of Neurosurgery at the University of California, San Francisco.

Dr. Gilner received his medical degree from Upstate Medical College in Syracuse and was trained in Neurosurgery at the University of Miami Medical Center and the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx Municipal Hospital Center. He completed fellowship training in Neurotraumatology at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine.


Dr. Soni provides general neurosurgical services and specializes in the treatment of brain tumors, cerebrovascular disease, including carotid disease, and spinal disorders.

Dr. Soni received her medical degree from Howard University College of Medicine in Washington, DC. She completed her residency training at Harvard Medical School, Brigham and Women's Hospital/Children's Hospital in Boston, training under internationally renowned neurosurgeon Peter M. Black, MD, PhD, and was the second woman ever to complete the seven year neurosurgical residency training program, in its entirety at Harvard, Brigham and Women's and Children's Hospitals. Dr. Soni served as Chief Resident in the program from 2005 to 2006. She was fellowship trained in Skull Base and Cerebrovascular Neurosurgery at Macquarie Neurosurgery/Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia. Dr. Soni also earned a Master of Public Health from Harvard School of Public Health, and has an undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan.

For an appointment with Dr. Gilner or Dr. Soni, ask your physician for a referral or call their office at 413-447-2870.
If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

BVNA Nurses Raise Funds for Berkshire Bounty

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Massachusetts Nursing Association members of the Berkshire Visiting Nurses Association raised $650 to help with food insecurity in Berkshire County.
 
The nurses and health-care professionals of BVNA have given back to the community every holiday season for the last three years. The first year, they adopted a large family, raised money, bought, wrapped and delivered the gifts for the family. Last year, they sold raffle tickets and the money raised went to the charitable cause of the winner. 
 
This year, with food insecurity as a rising issue, they chose to give to Berkshire Bounty in Great Barrington.
 
They sold raffle tickets for a drawing to win one of two items: A lottery ticket tree or a gift certificate tree, each worth $100. They will be giving the organization the donation this month.
 
Berkshire Bounty seeks to improve food security in the county through food donations from retailers and local farms; supplemental purchases of healthy foods; distribution to food sites and home deliveries; and collaborating with partners to address emergencies and improve the food system. 
View Full Story

More Pittsfield Stories