Neal Kassell

Neal Kassell, MD, is a professor of neurosurgery at the University of Virginia and the founder and chairman of the Focused Ultrasound Foundation (FUSF), a nonprofit dedicated to accelerating the development of focused ultrasound as a non-invasive therapeutic technology. He previously served as vice chair of the UVA Department of Neurosurgery and has been a speaker at the Milken Institute Global Conference. Kassell was introduced to Jeffrey Epstein through Melanie Walker, a neuroscientist and former Gates Foundation executive who served as one of Epstein's key connectors to the scientific community. In an email dated September 2018, Walker wrote to both men: "Neither of you requires introduction." She noted that the intermediary who originally connected them had mentioned "Donald Trump introduced us" 28 years prior.

Walker facilitated a meeting between Kassell and Epstein at Epstein's 9 East 71st Street residence in New York on September 25, 2018 ; well after Epstein's 2008 conviction for soliciting prostitution from a minor. The meeting logistics were coordinated by Lesley Groff, Epstein's longtime executive assistant, who described her role in an email as: "I coordinate Jeffrey's...life!" Prior to the meeting, Avanti Godbole of the Focused Ultrasound Foundation sent Kassell's professional biosketch to Epstein, providing background on Kassell's academic credentials and the Foundation's work.

Following the September 2018 meeting, Kassell sent a thank-you email to Epstein stating he "Enjoyed our meeting. Thanks for taking the time." This post-conviction engagement is notable because it occurred after Epstein's sexual offense history was widely known. Kassell's name appeared in a April 2017 iMessage group described as a "secret society" in Epstein's communications. The group included prominent scientists Ed Boyden (MIT), Geoff Ling (DARPA), and Joi Ito (MIT Media Lab), suggesting Kassell was part of Epstein's inner circle of scientific advisors.

In September 2017, the Focused Ultrasound Foundation's $10 million fundraising pitch was forwarded to Epstein, indicating an attempt to secure financial support from him. In January 2019, correspondence shows discussions about a joint neurosurgery professorship funding request involving Epstein, suggesting deepening financial ties. Documents also reveal plans for a dinner at Kassell's estate in Charlottesville, Virginia, with Epstein and Ted Wechsler (Berkshire Hathaway investment manager). Author John Grisham, a Charlottesville resident, was invited but did not attend. When the topic of naming a professorship arose, Epstein responded: "Good idea but nothing should ever be named after me" ; an apparent acknowledgment that his public association would be problematic.

The relationship between Kassell and Epstein is significant because it demonstrates the continuation of Epstein's strategy of cultivating ties with prominent scientists and academics even after his 2008 conviction. Kassell's connections ; through the Focused Ultrasound Foundation, UVA, and scientific networks ; provided Epstein access to legitimate scientific credibility. A total of 85 documents and 15 emails in the database reference Kassell, spanning meeting arrangements, fundraising correspondence, and the "secret society" communications. Borge Brende (then-president of the World Economic Forum) and Martin Nowak (Harvard evolutionary biologist) also appear in overlapping correspondence. No criminal allegations exist against Kassell.

The primary concern documented in the EFTA files is the sustained post-conviction professional and potentially financial relationship with a registered sex offender.