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Michael Martin Haglund

Duke Surgery Distinguished Professor of Neurosurgery in the School of Medicine
Neurosurgery
Box 3807 Med Ctr, Durham, NC 27710
4508 Hosp South - Blue Zone, Durham, NC 27710

Overview


My clinical areas of expertise include spinal surgery, especially cervical spine surgery where I have performed almost 8,300 cervical spine procedures and recently was ranked the top cervical spine surgeon in the country by MPIRICA (an analytical company that reviews surgical outcomes).  I believe the whole patient is important and we emphasize time with the patient and careful discussions regarding possible surgery. Our excellent results are due to a great team of physicians, nurses, CRNAs, and anesthesiologists.  I also believe in the spiritual side in taking care of my patients. As a design surgeon we are developing better ways to treat cervical spine disease through innovative approaches to the cervical spine.

Through my Masters in Academic Medicine degree, I developed the Surgical Autonomy Program which is now used in 7 Neurosurgery Programs across the country and is an innovative way to teach, assess, and provide feedback to residents in the intraoperative environment.  Over the last twelve years we have developed the first ever Division of Global Neurosurgery and Neurology (launched in 2014), where I serve as the Division Chief and the Division boasts over 100 members including faculty, graduate and medical students, undergraduate students and an outstanding staff of researchers, most located in the Duke Global Health Institute.  The Division has published over 120 manuscripts between 2014 and 2023.  We have primarily worked in building capacity, teaching, and collaborative research projects in Uganda.  In 2019 I was invited to join the faculty at the Duke-Singapore Global Health Institute and we are working with the Singapore Neuroscience Department to develop outreach and increase capacity in Jaffna, Sri Lanka.

Current Appointments & Affiliations


Duke Surgery Distinguished Professor of Neurosurgery in the School of Medicine · 2012 - Present Neurosurgery, Neurosurgery
Professor of Neurosurgery · 2008 - Present Neurosurgery, Neurosurgery
Professor of Neurobiology · 2008 - Present Neurobiology, Basic Science Departments
Research Professor of Global Health · 2011 - Present Duke Global Health Institute, University Institutes and Centers
Professor in Orthopaedic Surgery · 2017 - Present Orthopaedic Surgery, Clinical Science Departments

In the News


Published October 15, 2019
Surviving Pediatric Cancer Shouldn't Depend on Where You Live
Published September 27, 2017
Triangle's Top Doctors
Published April 25, 2017
DGHI Professors Middle School Leadership Initiative Includes Trip to Uganda

View All News

Recent Publications


Cervical spine schwannomas in a young female from a low resource setting: a case report

Journal Article Journal of Medical Case Reports · December 1, 2025 Background: Schwannomas are benign, slow-growing tumors, primarily affecting the cervical and lumbar spine. When large, they may extend over multiple vertebral levels, posing surgical challenges. Spinal schwannomas are commonly encapsulated and extramedull ... Full text Cite

The Surgical Coaching Program: Developing a One-on-One Technical Curriculum for Junior Neurosurgical Residents.

Journal Article J Surg Educ · November 2025 OBJECTIVE: Evolving constraints on resident operative autonomy require development of efficient resident training curricula outside the operating room (OR). We introduce a one-on-one technical curriculum for junior neurosurgical residents (Surgical Coachin ... Full text Link to item Cite

Overview of pediatric hydrocephalus in Nigeria: A systematic review.

Journal Article Childs Nerv Syst · September 29, 2025 Hydrocephalus, a prevalent pediatric neurological condition, results from abnormal cerebrospinal fluid accumulation within the brain's ventricular system. Its causes are broadly classified as congenital or acquired. Early surgical intervention is pivotal f ... Full text Link to item Cite
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Recent Grants


Building Brain Health Research Capacity in Rwanda: Neurocognition and Neurobehavior Across the Lifespan

Inst. Training Prgm or CMEAdvisor · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2024 - 2029

Building and implementing a TBI prognostic model featuring real-time analysis of brain CT images

ResearchCo Investigator · Awarded by National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke · 2022 - 2027

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Education, Training & Certifications


University of Southern California · 2016 M.Med.Sc.
University of Washington · 1988 Ph.D.
University of Washington · 1987 M.D.