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 Duke Appointments & Affiliations
Recent Scholarly Works
Academic engagement of medical students in global neurosurgery initiatives: A North American perspective
Journal article Journal of Clinical Neuroscience · December 1, 2026 Despite an explosion of global neurosurgery (GNS)–related articles in recent years, formal opportunities for medical students in GNS and literature documenting their academic impact are lacking. This study highlights the importance of these students in GNS ... Full text CiteAssessment of a Handheld Near-Infrared Light Device in Detecting Intracranial Hematomas in Mbarara, Uganda.
Journal article Neurosurgery · August 1, 2026 BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is one of the leading causes of mortality worldwide. Low- and middle-income countries have limited access to computed tomography scans (CT), which are essential in TBI care. The Infrascanner 2000™ is ... Full text Link to item CiteCharacterizing pediatric CNS tumors in Nigeria: A systematic review.
Journal article Neurooncol Pract · August 2026 BACKGROUND: Nigeria, the most populous country in Africa, has the highest incidence of central nervous system (CNS) tumors on the continent, yet faces limited access to neuro-oncology care, particularly for pediatric patients. Given the sparse literature o ... Full text Link to item CiteRecent Grants
Accelerating Neuroscientific Discovery through Brain Health Research in Rwanda
Inst. Training Prgm or CMEAdvisor · Awarded by Fogarty International Center · 2024 - 2029Epilepsy in Uganda: Clinical characterization and co-morbidities, their relation to stigma among adolescents and impact of a community-based intervention
ResearchCo Investigator · Awarded by Makerere University College of Health Sciences · 2021 - 2027NUVA.CIB0420: A prospective, multicenter study evaluating the safety and performance of interbody implants for the treatment of patients with degenerative conditions of the cervical spine
Clinical TrialPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by NuVasive, Inc. · 2021 - 2027View All Grants