Pediatric brain & spine care · Aventura, FloridaCall 754-300-0817
Promise Pediatric Neurosurgery

Protective care.Expert precision.Companionship through uncertainty.

Safe, precise pediatric neurosurgical care—with plain language, patience, and steady human warmth.

Inside Promise · the botanical hallway

Insurance

Please call 754-300-0817 to confirm your specific plan before your visit.

  • Aetna
    Aetna
  • Curative
    Curative
  • Cigna Healthcare
    Cigna Healthcare
  • TRICARE
    TRICARE Select · Humana Military
  • UnitedHealthcare
    UnitedHealthcare
  • Florida Agency for Health Care Administration seal
    Florida Medicaid
  • Medicare
    Medicare
  • Florida Blue
    BCBS Florida
  • Humana
    Humana
  • Claritev
    Claritev / MultiPlan
  • Oscar
    Oscar

Safety · Clarity · Compassion · Excellence · Respect · Courage

Safety leads every decision. Families are partners, never bystanders.

Steadiness over cheerfulness. Honesty with grounded hope.

A familiar face before your visit.

Meet Dr. Stacey and see how a simple model can help explain anatomy.

Dr. Stacey in his blue pediatric suit and colorful tie.
Dr. Stacey Podkovik
Dr. Stacey in a blue suit showing a skull model to a child.
Making anatomy easier to understand
Dr. Stacey in his yellow suit and blue shirt.
Your pediatric neurosurgeon
If surgery is recommended

Room for every question.

You deserve to understand why an operation is being considered, what the alternatives are, and what recovery may involve. Dr. Stacey will talk through the plan with your family.

Talk with our team
A calmer visit

One clear step at a time.

Choose a step to see what your family can expect at a visit.

01

Tell us what you’ve been told.

We begin with your child’s story, symptoms, timeline, prior care, and the questions your family most wants answered.

The people behind the promise

Clinical focus. Thoughtful systems.

Specialized pediatric neurosurgical judgment and physician-led practice management work together to make every step clearer for families.

Dr. Stacey Podkovik in his yellow pediatric suit.Pediatric neurosurgical lead

Dr. Stacey E. Podkovik

Gentle · steady · precise

Dr. Stacey E. Podkovik leads pediatric neurosurgical care with careful clinical judgment, plain-language explanations, and attention to the child and family. He reviews the story and imaging together, explains reasonable options, and makes the next step clear.

Read the biography
Dr. Laura Purdy in a coral-orange blousePhysician-led practice management

Dr. Laura Purdy, MD, MBA

Dr. Laura Purdy, MD, MBA, supports the practice through physician-led management, care coordination, and reliable systems. Dr. Stacey Podkovik leads neurosurgical evaluation and treatment.

Read the biography
Ask Dr. Stacey

Real questions. Dr. Stacey answers.

Choose a question. Dr. Stacey explains his answer in plain language, with room for the questions your family brings.

Iris floating beside Question Cove
Start with your question

Does seeing a neurosurgeon mean my child will need surgery?

A referral begins with conversation, imaging review, and matching symptoms to findings. Monitoring or non-operative care may be appropriate; surgery is not assumed.

Explore related care ↗

Press play to hear Dr. Stacey’s answer.

These recordings provide general education and do not diagnose, treat, or replace an individual medical evaluation. New or rapidly worsening neurologic symptoms may require emergency care.

Questions families ask first

Clear answers make room to breathe.

No. Many visits are for imaging review, monitoring, follow-up, second opinions, or deciding whether surgery is needed at all.

Outside imaging and reports are often central to consultation. Call the office for current instructions on how to make scans and records available.

Bring scan access or discs when available, imaging reports, referral notes, prior surgery records, a medication list, and your family’s most important questions.

A first or prolonged seizure, loss of consciousness, sudden weakness, severe trauma, rapidly worsening neurologic symptoms, or concern for a shunt emergency should not wait for an office visit.

Our team will contact you to discuss your child’s visit, confirm the details, and explain which records to gather. The form requests a call; it does not reserve an appointment time.

Call 754-300-0817 before your visit so we can discuss your specific plan and any referral or authorization requirements. Your insurer can explain your benefits and expected costs.

Some symptoms should not wait.

Call 911 or seek emergency care for a first or prolonged seizure, loss of consciousness, sudden weakness, severe trauma, rapidly worsening neurologic symptoms, repeated vomiting with marked sleepiness, or a possible shunt emergency. Promise provides scheduled outpatient consultation and follow-up, not emergency care.

This site provides general educational information and does not replace a medical evaluation. Calling the office or using this site does not establish a physician-patient relationship. Iris helps with practice information and visit preparation. AI answers, when available, do not replace medical advice. Please leave personal and medical details out of the chat.