Semmes Murphey physicians named to Memphis Magazine’s Top Doctors list for 2025

Semmes Murphey Clinic is excited to announce that 15 of our physicians have been named to Memphis Magazine’s Top Doctors List for 2025. This prestigious recognition is based on information from Castle Connolly’s list of Top Doctors in America, which represents the top 7% of physicians in the country. Honorees are selected by a physician-led research team that thoroughly reviews peer nominations, professional achievements and excellence in patient care.

“It’s an honor to have 15 of our Semmes Murphey physicians recognized as top doctors by Memphis Magazine and Castle Connolly,” said John Lewis, chief executive officer of Semmes Murphey Clinic. “Receiving this recognition is a testament of our team’s dedication to providing excellent care for patients in our Memphis community and beyond and to advancing the fields of neurology and neurosurgery through their research, academia and practice.”

The Semmes Murphey honorees for this year’s Top Doctors issue are below. You can read Memphis Magazine’s full 2025 Top Doctors issue here and on newsstands this month.

Dr. Kenan Arnautovic, who joined Semmes Murphey Clinic in 2003, serves as a professor at the Department of Neurosurgery of the University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis. Dr. Arnautovic has been published extensively in neurosurgery peer-reviewed journals and has authored three front cover articles of the prestigious Journal of Neurosurgery.

Dr. Adam S. Arthur has been the director of cerebrovascular and endovascular neurosurgery for Semmes Murphey Clinic and the UTHSC Department of Neurosurgery since 2009. He was one of the earliest neurosurgeons in the country to develop a practice in both open cerebrovascular surgery and endovascular neurosurgery. This practice now includes six other attending physicians and is one of the most sought-after fellowships in cerebrovascular neurosurgery in the world.

Dr. Kevin Foley is the chairman of Semmes Murphey Clinic and a professor in the Department of Neurosurgery and Orthopaedic Surgery & Biomedical Engineering at UTHSC. He is also director of the spine fellowship program for UT’s Department of Neurosurgery, and chairman of the board and medical director for the Medical Education & Research Institute.

Dr. Daniel A. Hoit is the surgery center director and a neurosurgeon at Semmes Murphey with a special interest in vascular and endovascular neurosurgery. He specializes in the treatment of cerebral aneurysm, arteriovenous malformations, carotid endarterectomy, carotid occlusive disease and carotid stenting, and he maintains a general neurosurgical practice with a focus on vascular disorders.

Dr. Michael LaBagnara is a board-certified neurosurgeon who treats a wide variety of scoliosis cases in both children and adults. Dr. LaBagnara specializes in neurological surgery, with a focus on spinal deformity, scoliosis and spinal surgery.

Dr. L. Madison Michael is a neurosurgeon with extensive experience in neurosurgery with special interests in skull base surgery, brain tumors, microvascular compression syndromes and endoscopic surgery.

Dr. Kyle A. Smith is a board-certified neurosurgeon and treats a variety of neurosurgical conditions. He has contributed to extensive clinical research, publishing over 40 articles on spine surgery, brain tumors and patient care quality improvement.

Dr. Jeffrey M. Sorenson joined Semmes Murphey Clinic after completing a neurosurgical residency at the University of Tennessee. Dr. Sorenson is also the medical director of the Gamma Knife Center. His research interests are molecular and genetic analyses of brain tumors such as meningiomas and gliomas, as well as other neurosurgical conditions.

Dr. Tulio E. Bertorini is a neurologist specializing in neuromuscular disease. He serves as the director of the Memphis Muscular Dystrophy Association Clinic and the Mid-South MDA/ALS Clinic. He is also the chief of neurology at Methodist University Hospital, codirector of its Neurology Training Program and codirector of UTHSC’s neurophysiology fellowship program.

Dr. Lucas Elijovich joined Semmes Murphey Clinic in 2010 and is an associate professor in the departments of neurology and neurosurgery at the University of Tennessee Health Sciences Center. Dr. Elijovich also serves as the director of neurocritical and neurointerventional surgery for Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital in the Neurosciences Institute and is director of the Le Bonheur Vascular Anomalies Center.

Dr. Nitin Goyal is a board-certified endovascular neurologist with more than 100 peer-reviewed academic papers in national and international journals in the field of vascular and interventional neurology. He currently serves as assistant professor of neurology and neurosurgery at the University of Tennessee Health Sciences Center.

Dr. Violiza Inoa is a board-certified neurologist specializing in vascular neurology and neurointervention. She serves as an associate professor of neurology and neurosurgery at the University of Tennessee Health Sciences Center, and as the chair of the Women in Neurointervention Committee for the Society of Neurointerventional Surgery (SNIS). She was a key figure in Mission Thrombectomy 2020+, a global health campaign aimed at accelerating access to stroke thrombectomy worldwide and leads international efforts to enhance training and knowledge of stroke treatments. As an associate editor for the Journal of Neurointerventional Surgery, Dr. Inoa also actively contributes to the academic community.

Dr. Paul Klimo Jr.’s clinical area of expertise is pediatric neurosurgery, with a particular focus on brain tumors, vascular disorders, endoscopy and concussions. He currently serves as the chief of pediatric neurosurgery at Le Bonheur and participated in drafting the recently passed Tennessee Medical Association sponsored sports-concussion bill.

Dr. Vishad Kumar is a board-certified neurologist at Semmes Murphey Clinic and serves as a clinical assistant professor at UTHSC in Memphis. Dr. Kumar specializes in the treatment of general neurology, DBS programming, Botox administration for migraines, spasticity and dystonia, treatment of dementia, multiple sclerosis and Parkinson's disease.

Dr. Stephen David Morris specializes in neuroradiology and interventional neuroradiology. Dr. Morris treats patients with brain aneurysms and has over 25 years of experience in the medical field.