Hadar, Eldad, M.D.

Eldad Hadar, M.D., joined the UAB Department of Neurosurgery in 2026 and became the first neurosurgeon in the department to practice full time at UAB St. Vincent’s Birmingham. In this role, he is helping expand access to advanced neurosurgical care and strengthen UAB’s presence within the Birmingham community and surrounding region.

Hadar earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and his medical degree from the University of Minnesota. He completed his general surgery training at the University of Pennsylvania before pursuing neurosurgical residency training at the University of Wisconsin. Following residency, he completed fellowship training in epilepsy surgery and functional neurosurgery at the Cleveland Clinic.

Prior to joining UAB, Hadar spent nearly 25 years at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Here, he helped establish UNC Health’s deep brain stimulation (DBS) program for movement disorders and epilepsy surgery program, leading both initiatives for more than two decades. He also maintained a busy general neurosurgery practice and was the first physician at UNC to perform laser interstitial thermal therapy (LITT). He has extensive experience in the surgical treatment of epilepsy, movement disorders and a broad range of cranial and spinal conditions.

Throughout his career, Dr. Hadar has been committed to advancing patient care, fostering multidisciplinary collaboration and educating future neurosurgeons. During his tenure at UNC, he served as neurosurgery residency program director for 16 years, overseeing the growth of the residency program and expansion of clinical training opportunities. He also served for more than a decade on the UNC Hospitals Professional Liability Committee, including five years as chair.

Hadar’s dedication to medical education has been recognized with 14 Teacher of the Year awards, including 10 from the UNC Department of Neurosurgery and four from the UNC Department of Anesthesiology.

Outside of medicine, Hadar enjoys traveling and outdoor activities, including running, cycling and skiing. He and his wife, Janet, have two grown sons who are pursuing graduate business degrees.

Education

Medical School
University of Minnesota

Residency, General Surgery
University of Pennsylvania

Residency, Neurosurgery
University of Wisconsin

Fellowship
Cleveland Clinic