
Dr. Ben Zussman, Wellstar North Fulton Hospital (North Fulton Business Radio, Episode 423)
Dr. Ben Zussman, Neurosurgeon at Wellstar North Fulton Hospital, joined host John Ray to share the exciting news that Wellstar North Fulton now offers comprehensive stroke and aneurysm treatments for stroke victims, the first and only facility in the North Fulton region to provide such care. Dr. Zussman discussed what is involved in these procedures, which allow minimally invasive physical removal of a clot and immediate restoration of blood flow to the brain. He also discussed why these treatments are so time-critical for stroke victims, and why Wellstar North Fulton’s capabilities are so important for our region, given our location in the “The Stroke Belt.” North Fulton Business Radio is broadcast from the North Fulton studio of Business RadioX® inside Renasant Bank in Alpharetta.
Wellstar North Fulton Hospital
Equipped with the latest technology and medical expertise, Wellstar North Fulton Hospital is committed to delivering quality, personalized care, tailored to you. From their convenient Roswell location, Wellstar North Fulton Hospital offers the most advanced stroke care and leading therapies, specializing in complicated and complex cases. Count on their dedicated neuro team, state-of-the-art imaging technologies, and neuro-trained intensive care unit (ICU), to treat all types of strokes, including ischemic strokes, intracerebral hemorrhages, and subarachnoid hemorrhages.
Wellstar North Fulton’s team of neurosurgeons, neurocritical care physicians, and neuroradiologists perform thrombectomies, aneurysm treatments and cerebral bypass procedures. In addition, our dedicated hybrid neurovascular suite is equipped with innovative bi-plane technology. This allows neurosurgeons to view highly detailed images of brain vessels, so our experts can customize treatments in real-time. That means you don’t have to go far for expert stroke treatment.
From diagnostic testing to life-saving emergency care to physical rehabilitation, Wellstar North Fulton Hospital provides comprehensive stroke care so you can get back to life, faster.
Dr. Ben Zussman, Neurosurgeon, Wellstar North Fulton Hospital

Ben Zussman, MD is a cerebrovascular and spine neurosurgeon with the Wellstar Medical Group. His research on the treatment of cerebrovascular disease has resulted in novel surgical techniques and improvements in patient safety and satisfaction. Dr. Zussman is passionate about providing safe, high-quality patient care.
His two areas of specific expertise within neurosurgery are cerebrovascular neurosurgery and spine surgery.
He treats the entire spectrum of blood vessel problems in the head, neck, and spinal cord. Sometimes he approaches the blood vessels from the outside with microsurgery. For example, he performs clipping of intracranial aneurysms, carotid endarterectomies, and microvascular decompressions. Other times they treat the vessels from within using endovascular techniques. For example, Dr. Zussman performs coiling of intracranial aneurysms, carotid artery stenting, and embolization of vascular malformations. A significant portion of his cerebrovascular practice involves emergency care, including acute stroke interventions and brain hemorrhages. His training in both microsurgery and endovascular surgery enables him to tailor the surgical strategy for each individual patient.
He also treats spinal disorders in the neck, trunk, and low back. When they operate on the spine they care for the spinal cord and nerves, and also for the bones and discs that make up our skeleton. For example, he performs laminectomies and foraminotomies, and also fusions, discectomies, and arthroplasties.
Finally, he treats many general neurosurgical pathologies as well, including brain and spine tumors, subdural hematomas, hydrocephalus, and carpal tunnel syndrome.
Questions and Topics Discussed in this Episode
- Why is it so important for the local community to have access to the highest level of neuro care nearby?
- What are we building at Wellstar and why is it special and exciting?
- How can I work to prevent a stroke in the first place?
North Fulton Business Radio is hosted by John Ray, and broadcast and produced from the North Fulton studio of Business RadioX® inside Renasant Bank in Alpharetta. You can find the full archive of shows by following this link. The show is available on all the major podcast apps, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google, Amazon, iHeart Radio, Stitcher, TuneIn, and others.

Renasant Bank has humble roots, starting in 1904 as a $100,000 bank in a Lee County, Mississippi, bakery. Since then, Renasant has grown to become one of the Southeast’s strongest financial institutions with over $13 billion in assets and more than 190 banking, lending, wealth management and financial services offices in Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia and Florida. All of Renasant’s success stems from each of their banker’s commitment to investing in their communities as a way of better understanding the people they serve. At Renasant Bank, they understand you because they work and live alongside you every day.
Special thanks to A&S Culinary Concepts for their support of this edition of North Fulton Business Radio. A&S Culinary Concepts, based in Johns Creek, is an award-winning culinary studio, celebrated for corporate catering, corporate team building, Big Green Egg Boot Camps, and private group events. They also provide oven-ready, cooked from scratch meals to go they call “Let Us Cook for You.” To see their menus and events, go to their website or call 678-336-9196.









Kenny Hodges is the President and CEO of Assurance Financial. After working with Wells Fargo for seven years out of college, he founded Assurance Financial in 2001 and has grown the company to over 20 branch offices supported by two operations centers. He is a licensed mortgage banker through the National Mortgage Licensing System Registry and has 27 years of mortgage lending experience. Kenny earned a B.S. in Entrepreneurship Management from Louisiana Tech University where he was elected to serve as the Student Government Association President. He is an active member of the Mortgage Bankers Association and the Louisiana Mortgage Lenders Association where he is a past Board President. He is a member of Young Presidents Organization (YPO) Louisiana and is a past Chapter Chair. Kenny currently serves on the Louisiana Tech University College of Business Dean’s Advisory Board. Kenny is married with three children and resides in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Clavis entered the mortgage business in 1989 and has held numerous positions in mortgage origination and sales production before moving exclusively into sales leadership in 2014. He joined Assurance Financial in 2018 as the Eastern Regional Sales Manager. His experience in retail mortgage production provides great guidance and support to branch leaders and loan production personnel. Clavis is also very active in both state and national Mortgage Banker’s Associations advocating on issues to support the industry. He is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and currently resides in Glen Allen, VA with his wife. He has four children and one grandchild, and enjoys fishing on the Chesapeake Bay or playing tennis and golf in his spare time.
Chris’ passion for helping his wonderful clients find their home comes from his family house. Filled with 2 energetic boys, 2 cats, and a dog, it’s everything he ever wanted. It’s a gift that he will never take for granted. Using his experience as a marketer and associate broker, his purpose is to help you find your happy.
Damian Cook is a Branch Manager and Loan Officer in the Atlanta Branch of Assurance Financial. Recognized for outstanding service, Damian has helped more than 775 clients become homeowners. Over 95% of borrowers who participated in a survey gave Assurance Financial the highest satisfaction rating. 100% of those rated Damian Cook’s attention to detail and customer service excellence as their primary reasons for the high satisfaction rating.
Michael & Roxie joined the Atlanta Board of Realtors in July of 1995. Roxie immediately began helping buyers and sellers with their real estate needs, earning “Rookie of the Year” while Michael finalized the sale of his family business.















Sean Glaze is an expert at helping leaders create exceptional team cultures. His programs inspire your people to laugh together so they can have more success working together.



















