Duke Health Referring Physicians

My Locations

Duke Cancer Center Brain Tumor Clinic
20 Duke Medicine Cir
Clinic 3-1
Durham, NC 27710-2000
Duke Children's Health Center Neurosurgery Clinic
2301 Erwin Rd
Third floor
Durham, NC 27710-4699
Duke Primary Care Pediatrics at Cary
100 Duke Health Cary Pl
Suite 210
Cary, NC 27519-6759
Duke University Hospital
2301 Erwin Rd
Durham, NC 27710

About Me

Learn More About Me

I am a neurosurgeon and care for children and young adults. I focus on minimally invasive approaches to improve the quality of life of my patients. Your patient experience is very important to me, and I will strive to provide the best possible care for you and your family. I will always go the extra mile to try to improve your care. I care for conditions that affect the brain and spine, including tumors, epilepsy, Chiari malformations, hydrocephalus, craniosynostosis, vascular conditions such as AVMs and Moya Moya disease, and complex tethered cords. I learn so much from my patients and really look forward to getting to know all of them. I strive to bring the best collaborative team to the table to achieve the best possible outcome. I am delighted to provide the most innovative, holistic, and compassionate neurosurgical care at Duke Health. I am also a professor and Chair of the Department of Neurosurgery.

Current Appointments and Affiliations
Languages
English

Areas of Expertise

Training

Board Certifications
American Board of Neurological Surgery, Focused Practice Pediatric Neurological Surgery
American Board of Neurological Surgery, Neurological Surgery
Residency
Neurosurgery, University of Washington, 1995-2001
Education
MD, Stanford University (California), 1994
Fellowship
Pediatric Neurosurgery, University of Washington/Seattle Children's Hospital, 2001-2002

Clinical Focus and Research

My Research Interests

I direct a translational blood-brain barrier laboratory which focuses on improving the delivery of therapy to treat brain tumors. I collaborate with scientists within the Preston Robert Tisch Brain Tumor Center to make discoveries which will improve the quality of life and survival of children and young adults with brain tumors. I also lead a team focusing on advanced imaging techniques in epilepsy and Chiari malformations which will transform our ability to diagnose and treat these conditions. Due to my passion of decreasing the risk of concussion, which stems from my prior military experience, I collaborate closely with bioengineering on a novel helmet technology.

Publications and Grants

Ratings and Reviews

The Patient Rating score is an average of all responses to care provider related questions on our nationally-recognized Press Ganey Patient Satisfaction Survey. Learn more about our survey process. Responses are measured on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the best score.

Overall Provider Rating
4.94 out of 5
128 ratings, 12 reviews

Patient Reviews

Patient comments are gathered from our Press Ganey Patient Survey and displayed in their entirety.
Patients are de-identified for confidentiality and patient privacy

Insurance

Duke Health contracts with most major health insurance carriers and transplant networks, including the ones listed below. Before scheduling your appointment, we strongly recommend you contact your insurance company to verify that the Duke Health location or provider you plan to visit is included in your network. Your insurance company will also be able to inform you of any co-payments, co–insurances, or deductibles that will be your responsibility. If you proceed in scheduling an appointment and your health insurance benefits do not participate with Duke, your out of pocket liability may be higher. We will contact you regarding your coverage and patient liability. If you are uninsured, learn more about our financial assistance policy.

  • Aetna
    • Aetna Choice POS, Aetna Choice POS II
    • Aetna Medicare Assure Plan (HMO D-SNP)
    • Aetna/CVS Health
    • Aetna Elect Choice HMO, Aetna Open Access Elect Choice
    • Aetna Health Network Only, Aetna Health Network Option
    • Aetna HMO
    • Aetna Limited Benefit Insurance PPO
    • Aetna Managed Choice POS
    • Aetna Medicare Value Plan (HMO)
    • Aetna Medicare Essential Plan (PPO)
    • Aetna Medicare Eagle Plan (PPO)
    • Aetna Open Access HMO, Open Access Aetna Select, Aetna Open Access Select, Aetna Open Access Managed Choice
    • Aetna Open Choice PPO
    • Aetna PCP Coordinated POS Plan
    • Aetna Quality Point of Service (QPOS)
    • Aetna Select HMO
    • Aetna Traditional Choice
    • Aetna Voluntary Indemnity Group Plan
    • Aetna Whole Health – Duke WakeMed WKCC
  • Ambetter
    • Ambetter of North Carolina
  • Blue Cross Blue Shield of NC
    • Blue Advantage
    • Blue Medicare (HMO, PPO)*
    • Blue Options (123, PPO, HSA)
    • Blue Select
    • NC State Employees Health Plan
    • *Duke HomeCare and Hospice does not participate in the plan.
  • CIGNA
    • Cigna Behavioral Health (*Limited eligibility)
    • Cigna Choice Plus
    • Cigna Connect Individual Family Plan
    • Cigna Open Access
    • Cigna Open Access Plus
    • *Please call Cigna Behavioral Heath to see if the provider is participating in your plan.
  • Duke Group Plans
    • Duke Basic
    • Duke Select
  • Experience Health
    • Experience Health Medicare Advantage (HMO) Plan
  • First Health
  • Gateway Health Alliance
  • Halifax Physician-Hospital Organization
    • Halifax Physician-Hospital Organization plans*
    • *This plan is only accepted at Duke University Hospital, Duke Regional Hospital, Duke Raleigh Hospital, and Duke HomeCare & Hospice.
  • Healthgram
  • Humana
    • Humana Choice (PPO)
    • Humana Choice - Medicare Advantage (PPO)
    • Humana ChoiceCare - Medicare Advantage (PPO)
    • Humana Gold Choice - Medicare Advantage (PFFS)
    • Humana Gold Plus - Medicare Advantage (HMO)
    • Humana Medicare Advantage Group Plan - NC State Retirees
  • MedCost
  • Medicare
    • First Medicare Direct
    • Medicare Part A
    • Medicare Part B
  • MultiPlan / Private Healthcare Systems
  • NC Medicaid
    • WellCare of North Carolina
    • UnitedHealthcare Community Plan
    • NC Medicaid Direct
    • Healthy Blue
    • Carolina Complete Health
    • AmeriHealth Caritas North Carolina
  • OneNet PPO
  • Optima Health
    • FAMIS*
    • Optima Family Care (Medicaid HMO in VA)*
    • Optima Individual & Family (On & Off Exchange Plans)
    • Optima Plus (PPO)
    • Optima Vantage (HMO)
    • *Duke Primary Care, Duke University Hospital, Duke Regional Hospital, and Duke Raleigh Hospital are not participating with this plan.
  • TRICARE
    • TRICARE Prime
    • TRICARE Prime Remote
    • TRICARE Select
  • United Healthcare
    • AARP Medicare Advantage Plan 2 (HMO-POS)
    • AARP Medicare Complete (HMO, PPO)*
    • AARP Medicare Complete Essential (HMO)*
    • All Savers Alternate Funding
    • All Savers Fully Insured
    • United Healthcare (HMO, PPO, POS)
    • United Healthcare Charter/Charter Balance/Charter Plus
    • United Healthcare Choice/Choice Plus
    • United Healthcare Core/Core Essential
    • United Healthcare Navigate/Navigate Plus/Navigate Balanced
    • United Healthcare Option PPO
    • United Healthcare Passport Connect Choice/Choice Plus
    • United Healthcare Passport Connect Options PPO
    • United Healthcare Select/Select Plus
    • United Healthcare Shared Services - Harvard Pilgrim/UHC Options PPO Network
    • United Medical Resources (UMR)
    • *Duke HomeCare and Hospice and mental health providers do not participate with the plan.

External Relationships

This faculty member (or a member of their immediate family) has reported outside activities with the companies or institutions listed below. This information has been reported to the health system leadership and, when appropriate, management plans are in place to address potential conflicts of interest.

  • Aesculap
  • Medtronic
  • NeuroOne
  • Savior Brain