Evan Zeldin, MD

Dr. Evan Zeldin is a physiatrist at the UC Gardner Neuroscience Institute specializing in neurotrauma rehabilitation. His practice centers on acquired and traumatic brain injury — including TBI and stroke — and extends across the broader spectrum of neurotrauma and neurologic rehabilitation, including spinal cord injury, cancer-related neurological and functional impairment, and peripheral nerve injuries.

Dr. Zeldin understands that neurotrauma is rarely just physical. A sudden stroke, a traumatic brain injury, a new diagnosis — these are events that reshape a person's sense of self, their relationships, and their vision of the future. His approach to care holds all of that in view. He works to understand not just what his patients have lost functionally, but what recovery means to them personally, and builds treatment plans around that understanding.

Care with Dr. Zeldin is individualized by design. He works with patients at some of their most acute and vulnerable moments, and rather than applying a standard protocol, he develops plans tailored to each patient's specific deficits, goals, and circumstances — then stays actively involved as those plans unfold. Neurotrauma recovery rarely happens in a straight line, and Dr. Zeldin works closely alongside neurology, neurosurgery, physical and occupational therapy, speech therapy, and neuropsychology to ensure that every dimension of a patient's recovery is addressed. He follows patients closely through their rehabilitation course, tracking progress, adjusting as needed, and maintaining consistent communication with patients, families, and referring providers. He is accessible and responsive through MyChart, because he believes that staying connected between visits is part of delivering good care, not an add-on to it.

Beyond his clinical work, Dr. Zeldin serves as Physician Champion and Team Leader for the UC Health TBI Learning Health System — one of only a few such programs in the country — working to advance how neurotrauma care is delivered and studied at a systems level. He also serves as Associate Residency Program Director, shaping the training of the next generation of physiatrists. His commitment to the field extends nationally, where he holds leadership positions within the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (AAPM&R), the American Association of Neuromuscular & Electrodiagnostic Medicine (AANEM), and the Association of Academic Physiatrists (AAP).