Margaret O. Johnson, MD, MPH

My Locations

Duke Cancer Center

20 Duke Medicine Cir

Durham, NC 27710

Get Directions

Duke Cancer Center Brain Tumor Clinic

20 Duke Medicine Cir
Clinic 3-1

Durham, NC 27710-2000

Office: 919-668-6688 Get Directions

About Me

Learn More About Me

I am an adult neurologist with further specialization in neuro-oncology. I treat adult patients with central nervous system (CNS) tumors of the brain and spine. My focus is combining compassionate patient-centered care with cutting-edge research. I want my patients to not only live longer, but also live better. I encourage my patients to be open and honest with me about their symptoms so I can find ways to help them feel better while undergoing treatment. What I love most about my job is seeing the courage and strength exhibited by my patients and their families.

Current Appointments and Affiliations

Associate Professor of Neurosurgery, Neurosurgery 2025
Associate Professor in Neurology, Neurology, General & Community Neurology 2025
Member of the Duke Cancer Institute, Duke Cancer Institute 2018

Languages

English

Areas of Expertise

Brain Tumor
Spine Cancer

Training

Board Certifications

American Board of Internal Med, Hospice & Palliative Medicine

American Board of Psychiatry/Neurology, Neurology

Residency

Neurology, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, 2011-2015

Education

MD, Tulane University School of Medicine (Louisiana), 2011

MPH, The George Washington University School of Public Health, 2010

Fellowship

Palliative Medicine, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, 2015-2016

Neuro-oncology, Duke University School of Medicine, 2016-2017

Clinical Focus and Research

My Research Interests

My area of research includes studying and developing treatments for brain tumors. I am especially interested in identifying and optimizing treatment regimens in rare brain tumor sub-types. I am also interested in how supportive care measures effect survival and quality-of-life in brain tumor patients.

Publications and Grants

Broom, Alex, Leah Williams Veazey, Katherine Kenny, Imogen Harper, Michelle Peterie, Alexander Page, Nicole Cort, et al. “The Enduring Effects of COVID for Cancer Care: Learning from Real-Life Clinical Practice.” Clin Cancer Res 29, no. 9 (May 1, 2023): 1670–77. https://doi.org/10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-23-0151.
McCray, Edwin, Romaric Waguia, Rafael de la Garza Ramos, Meghan J. Price, Theresa Williamson, Tara Dalton, Daniel M. Sciubba, et al. “Racial disparities in inpatient clinical presentation, treatment, and outcomes in brain metastasis.” Neurooncol Pract 10, no. 1 (February 2023): 62–70. https://doi.org/10.1093/nop/npac061.
Crooms, Rita C., Margaret O. Johnson, Heather Leeper, Ambereen Mehta, Michelle McWhirter, and Akanksha Sharma. “Easing the Journey-an Updated Review of Palliative Care for the Patient with High-Grade Glioma.” Curr Oncol Rep 24, no. 4 (April 2022): 501–15. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11912-022-01210-6.

Harrison, Rebecca A., Nazanin K. Majd, Margaret O. Johnson, Diana L. Urbauer, Vinay Puduvalli, and Mustafa Khasraw. “Characterization of industry relationships in oncology.” In Cancer, 129:2848–55, 2023. https://doi.org/10.1002/cncr.34852.
Affronti, Mary Lou, Mallika Patel, Erin Severance, Charles Loughlin, Claire Bradbury, James E. I. I. Herndon, Kendra Boyd, et al. “QOL-08. PHASE II RANDOMIZED STUDY TO EVALUATE EFFICACY AND SATISFACTION OF ROLAPITANT PLUS ONDANSETRON VS. ONDANSETRON MONOTHERAPY IN PREVENTING NAUSEA/VOMITING FOR GLIOMAS RECEIVING RADIATION/ TEMOZOLOMIDE.” In NEURO-ONCOLOGY, 24:vii242–vii242, 2022. https://doi.org/10.1093/neuroonc/noac209.935.
Johnson, Margaret, Jennifer Durling, Casey B. Brown, Mustafa Khasraw, Zoey Petitt, Nicole Cort, Eric S. Lipp, et al. “NCOG-43. A RETROSPECTIVE ANALYSIS OF THE IMPACT OF THE COVID-19 INFECTION ON NEURO-ONCOLOGY CARE AND PATIENT OUTCOMES: A TWO-SITE STUDY.” In NEURO-ONCOLOGY, 24:vii206–7, 2022. https://doi.org/10.1093/neuonc/noac209.935.

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

4.86 out of 5

283 ratings, 38 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

Duke requires faculty members to report certain relationships outside of their employment in order to ensure potential conflicts can be addressed. This faculty member has reported no outside activities that relate to their Duke responsibilities.