Dr. Laura E. Donovan, MD

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Get to know Neurologist Dr. Laura E. Donovan, who serves patients in New York, New York.

Dr. Donovan is a highly-trained neurologist within the Division of Neuro-Oncology at Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center in New York City, New York. 

Specializing in neurology, cancer, and oncology, her areas of clinical expertise include: acoustic neuroma, anaplastic astrocytoma, astrocytoma, brain cancer, brain metastases, brain tumor, carcinomatous meningitis, chordoma, choroid plexus carcinoma, ependymoma, glioblastoma, hemangioblastoma, leptomeningeal metastases, lumbar pain, medulloblastoma, meningioma, metastatic cancer, neurofibromatosis, oligodendroglioma, spinal cord tumor, and spinal tumors.

Standing at the forefront of brain tumor research, the Division of Neuro-Oncology at Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center provides comprehensive, state-of-the-art diagnosis and treatment of patients with brain and spinal tumors. This integrated division draws on the expertise of world-class institutions at NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center (CUIMC) and Weill Cornell Medical Center.

Pertaining to her academic studies, Dr. Donovan completed her undergraduate work at Providence College and earned her medical degree from Emory University School of Medicine. Following an internship in internal medicine at Brown University/Rhode Island Hospital, she completed her neurology training at NYP/Columbia University. She served as Chief Resident of the Department of Neurology at Columbia University from 2016-2017. She then completed her fellowship training in neuro-oncology at Columbia University Irving Medical Center and Weill Cornell Medical Center.

Paving her way to excellence, the doctor is board-certified in neurology by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology (ABPN). The ABPN is a not-for-profit corporation dedicated to serving the professions of psychiatry and neurology.  

Alongside her clinical role, Dr. Donovan serves as an Assistant Professor of Neurology at CUIMC in the Division of Neuro-Oncology. Her research interests include improving care delivery and identifying interventions to improve quality of life in patients with primary and metastatic brain tumors.

Neurology is a branch of medicine dealing with disorders of the nervous system. Neurologists are licensed medical specialists who diagnose and treat disorders that affect the brain, spinal cord, nerves, and muscles of patients. They examine a patient’s mental and physical status, conduct medical tests and scans, and evaluate the results to diagnose and treat the patient.

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