Assistant Professor Muhammad Abd-El-Barr, MD, PhD, has been named chief of the Neurosurgery Degenerative Spine and Spine Trauma Section at the VA Hospital.
Abd-El-Barr joined Duke Neurosurgery in September 2017 following a spine surgery fellowship at Brigham and Women’s Hospital/Harvard Medical School. He received his MD and PhD from Baylor College of Medicine and completed neurosurgery residency at Brigham and Women’s Hospital/Boston Children’s Hospital/Harvard Medical School.
“I plan on delivering the best care to the veterans of North Carolina,” says Abd-El-Barr. “I’m also embarking on important clinical trials for patients of the VA, including the possibility of stem cells to treat spinal cord injury, using aberrant bladder reflexes to treat motor weakness in spinal cord injury, and figuring out when decompressive surgery is most appropriate for patients with spinal stenosis.”
Abd-El-Barr says he was drawn to medicine and neurosurgery for the unique ability to incorporate the latest in technology and neuroscience for the benefit of patients. In addition to his clinical practice, he will be working with Duke Bioengineers and Neurobiologists on important basic and translational questions surrounding spinal cord injuries.