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Melissa Maria Erickson

Associate Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery
Orthopaedic Surgery
Box 3077, Durham, NC 27710
Dept. of Orthopaedic Surgery, Box 3077, Durham, NC 27710
Office hours 8:00 AM-5:00 PM  

Overview


I am a spine surgeon who provides surgical management of cervical, thoracic  and lumbar spine conditions, including cervical myelopathy, herniated discs, deformity, stenosis, tumor and trauma.  I provide both minimally invasive procedures as well as traditional surgical techniques.

Current Appointments & Affiliations


Associate Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery · 2022 - Present Orthopaedic Surgery, Clinical Science Departments
Associate Professor in Neurosurgery · 2022 - Present Neurosurgery, Neurosurgery

In the News


Published March 27, 2024
Addressing Health Disparities with the Schweitzer Fellowship Program
Published April 13, 2020
Duke Creates Open-Source Protective Respirator

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Recent Publications


Performance of ChatGPT versus spine surgeons as an emergency department spine call consultant

Journal Article North American Spine Society Journal · March 1, 2026 Background Large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT are increasingly being recognized as credible tools for use across diverse healthcare settings. While artificial intelligence (AI) use has previously been evaluated in emergency medicine, its use in subs ... Full text Cite

Integrating Surgical Education and Patient Care: The Impact of a Student-Led Spine Patient Navigator Program.

Journal Article J Surg Educ · December 19, 2025 OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the impact of the Spine Patient Navigator Program (SPNP) on medical student leadership, teaching, and clinical skills, undergraduate student development, and the perioperative experience of spine surgery patients. METHODS: A structur ... Full text Link to item Cite

From interest to advancement: confronting structural inequities facing women in spine surgery.

Journal Article Spine J · October 2025 Women remain significantly underrepresented in spine surgery. Despite growing diversity among medical school matriculants, spine surgery continues to lag behind other specialties in recruiting, retaining, and promoting women across all stages of training a ... Full text Link to item Cite
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Recent Grants


Community-Based Approach to Identifying and Addressing Barriers to Care for Patients Undergoing Spine Surgery

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by The J. Robert Gladden Orthopaedic Society · 2023 - 2025

Exercise-induced recovery of intervertebral disc health

ResearchCollaborator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2020 - 2022

Fresh Tissue Lab Agreement

Inst. Training Prgm or CMEPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by Globus Medical, Inc · 2018 - 2018

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Education, Training & Certifications


Rush University · 2006 M.D.

External Links


Orthopaedic Surgery