Steven Cook

I have a clinical practice within Neurosurgery specializing in spinal disorders and brain tumors. I am interested in clinical outcomes and the teaching of residents in clinical knowledge and decision making. I have an interest in leadership development, especially in the surgical realm and am involved with the Feagin Leadership Program at Duke

Office Hours

Duke Regional Clinic

         Wednesdays 8:30 AM - 5:30 PM
         Fridays 8:00 AM - 12: 00 PM

Alamance Regional - Kernodle Clinic

          Tuesdays 8:00 AM - 4: 00 PM

Current Duke Appointments & Affiliations

Associate Professor of Neurosurgery · 2024 - Present Neurosurgery, Neurosurgery

Recent News Items

Published February 21, 2022

The Athletic

The comebacker and the comeback: How a Rays minor leaguer kept going after a terrifying injury

Published August 26, 2021

ESPN

Durham Bulls pitcher Tyler Zombro's remarkable recovery after being hit by a line drive

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Recent Scholarly Works

The Scarlet Letter of the Unmatched Neurosurgery Reapplicant: Trends, Opinions, and Guidance from a Nationwide Survey.

Journal article J Am Coll Surg · June 1, 2026 BACKGROUND: Increasing interest in neurosurgery residency has led to a growing number of unmatched applicants, who often struggle to find appropriate guidance for their next steps. The authors examined trends, opinions, and options available to unmatched n ... Full text Link to item Cite

Reassessing the Leadership Principles of the Duke Healthcare Leadership Model for Use in Undergraduate and Graduate Medical Education.

Journal article J Healthc Leadersh · 2026 Intentional leadership development core curriculum continues to be absent in both undergraduate and graduate medical education - as opposed to elective courses and voluntary experiences. To help address this gap, a leadership model was developed from 2014 ... Full text Link to item 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

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Recent Grants

Feagin Program - Verical

Inst. Training Prgm or CMEPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by Vericel Corporation · 2026 - 2027

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Education

University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, School of Medicine · 2011 M.D.

United States Naval Academy · 2000 B.S.

North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics · 1996 C.