Our approach to Brain and Spine Care
We believe the best neurosurgical care starts with careful listening, clear thinking, and honest guidance.
Care proceeds best with a team approach and thrives with a planned system for care.
Our goal is to achieve the most benefit with the least risk. It is that simple.
Many patients improve with the right diagnosis, education, and non-surgical care. When surgery is indicated, we carefully plan care to be precise, purposeful, and tailored to each patient. Along the way, it is our responsibility to help you understand your condition, explore your options, and make the right decision for you.
Who we are…
Meet Dr. Sylvester
I am a board-certified neurosurgeon working in the St. Louis region. My path to a career in neurosurgery was non-conventional, which I think gives me a somewhat unique perspective (if you are interested, click here to learn more).
In short, I completed medical school at Eastern Virginia Medical School in 2014, neurosurgery residency at Washington University in St. Louis in 2021, and have been a member of St. Louis Minimally Invasive Spine Center (STL MISC) since 2021 providing brain and spine care to the Greater St. Louis region at St. Luke’s and Mercy South Hospital. My background—from foundry / warehouse work to military service to engineering to neurosurgery—has shaped how I approach patient care. I believe it has made me more methodical / structured, better able to tolerate pressure, more compassionate / empathetic for people who are struggling.
My practice includes care for both spine and brain conditions, with surgical emphasis on degenerative spine surgery, minimally invasive spine surgery, spinal deformity and complex revision / reconstruction surgery, and brain tumor / neurovascular surgery. To see a more comprehensive list of the conditions I treat, click here.
Meet Melanie
Melanie is a board-certified Adult-Gerontology Nurse Practitioner specializing in neurosurgery, with a focus on the evaluation and management of spine conditions including back and neck pain, disc herniations, and spinal stenosis, as well as brain conditions including intracranial hemorrhage, brain tumors, and aneurysms.
She earned her Adult-Gerontology Nurse Practitioner degree from Maryville University and is board-certified through the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP). Prior to becoming a nurse practitioner, she spent 11 years as a registered nurse, including 7 years in the surgical and neuro intensive care unit, where she developed a strong foundation in managing complex neurological and post-operative patients. She has been practicing as a neurosurgery nurse practitioner at Mercy South since March 2023 and we have worked together since April 2024.
Melanie is active in the hospital and clinic, independently evaluating new and post-operative patients, with us making and implementing plans as a team. She was raised in Oakville and is proud to serve the South County community where she continues to live with her family. Her greatest strengths in my opinion are her work ethic, attention to detail, and her compassionate / caring nature. In my opinion, she is the best nurse practitioner in the region 🙂
