MUSC Health Neurosurgery at Hollings Cancer Center

Dr. William Vandergrift is an associate professor in the Department of Neurosurgery at MUSC. He trained at the Medical University of South Carolina for neurosurgical residency and at the John Wayne Cancer Institute in Santa Monica, California, for fellowship in minimally invasive brain surgery. His medical school training was completed at the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta. He has a mechanical engineering degree from the Georgia Institute of Technology.Dr. Vandergrift takes care of patients with brain and spine disorders. He has a special interest in brain tumors and skull base surgery for tumors including pituitary tumors, acoustic neuromas, meningiomas and gliomas. He also works with the epilepsy team to perform surgery for intractable epilepsy including laser ablations, open resections and vagal nerve stimulators.

Dr. Alicia M. Zukas joined MUSC in 2021 as a faculty physician and Assistant Professor in the Department of Neurosurgery. Her career spans research, education, and clinical practice. Her clinical research interests are primary brain tumors, including glioblastoma, spinal cord tumors, and brain metastases. Dr. Zukas graduated from Bryn Mawr College and completed medical school and residency at Virginia Commonwealth University, where she served as chief resident. She completed her neuro-oncology fellowship at the University of Virginia. She has served as an attending physician, clerkship director, and fellowship director. Dr. Zukas is a renowned teacher in the neurosciences and has earned numerous teaching and patient care awards, including the Arnold P. Gold Foundation Humanism in Medicine award. Her other interests include learning about neurotoxicology and making educational videos. She also enjoys writing and performing rock music. She is a member of the AΩA medical honor society.

Dr. Abhay Varma is faculty in neurosurgery at the Medical University of South Carolina. He completed his residency in India and fellowships in brain tumor surgery and spine surgery at the University of Pittsburgh, the University of Toronto, and the Cleveland Clinic. He specializes in managing adult brain tumors, hydrocephalus, Chiari malformation, adult spinal and spine tumors, and peripheral nerve disorders, including children with brachial plexus injuries (neonatal brachial plexopathy). His surgical practice offers microsurgery and endoscopic surgery. He also offers brain mapping and awake craniotomies for patients with brain tumors in eloquent areas, like the motor strip, the speech areas, and perisylvian tumors. Dr. Varma accepts new patients in downtown Charleston, Mount Pleasant, and Murrells Inlet.

Dr. Sean Pennetti, M.D., joined the MUSC faculty in 2025 as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Neurosurgery. He is board-certified in neurology by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, with a clinical focus on neuro-oncology. Dr. Pennetti grew up in Media, Pennsylvania, and earned his Bachelor of Science in Biology from Penn State University in 2010. He then completed a Master of Science in Pharmacology at Tulane University in New Orleans in 2012. He received his Doctor of Medicine (MD) from The Frank H. Netter School of Medicine at Quinnipiac University in Connecticut. Afterward, he completed his residency in neurology at Swedish Medical Center in Denver, CO, where he served as Chief Resident. Dr. Pennetti completed his Fellowship in Neuro-Oncology at Yale University in 2025.