On July 1, 2024, Duke Neurosurgery welcomes two new faculty members and spine surgeons.
Kristen Jones, MD, FAANS, an internationally recognized spinal deformity neurosurgeon, has been named associate professor in the departments of Neurosurgery and Orthopedic Surgery at Duke University. She specializes in complex spine surgery, including scoliosis and spinal deformity of all types in all areas of the spine, in both adult and pediatric patients.
Dr. Jones comes to Duke from the University of Minnesota School of Medicine, where she served as team neurosurgeon for the University of Minnesota Golden Gopher athletic teams, was chair of the Spine Quality and Safety Committee for the ten hospitals in the MHealth/Fairview health care system and fellowship co-director for the University of Minnesota Complex Spine Fellowship.
She serves as chair of Research and Awards for the AANS/CNS Section on Disorders of the Spine and Peripheral Nerves, member of the AO Spine Knowledge Forum for Deformity, member of the Nominating Committee for the Scoliosis Research Society, and Annual Meeting Chair of the 32nd Annual International Meeting on Advanced Spine Techniques (IMAST) in Glasgow, Scotland.
Her clinical research focuses on improving safety and reducing complications in complex spine surgery, particularly related to spinopelvic fixation. She has authored ten book chapters and numerous peer-reviewed publications. She is a board-certified fellow of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, and a member of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons and the Scoliosis Research Society.
Dr. Jones completed her undergraduate education at the University of Notre Dame, her medical degree from Tulane University School of Medicine, and neurosurgery residency training at the University of Pittsburgh and the University of Minnesota. She completed an orthopedic complex spine fellowship at the University of Minnesota under renowned surgeon Dr. David Polly. Outside of the hospital, she enjoys competing with her horses in national jumping competitions and volunteering with a therapeutic horseback-riding organization that assists children and adults who are victims of violence, as well as individuals with scoliosis and cerebral palsy.
David Huie, MD, MS, has joined the Duke Neurosurgery faculty in the Spine Division.
Dr. Huie completed his neurosurgical training at Duke, where he developed a clinical interest in the management of spine disorders, with a particular interest in endoscopic spine surgery. This technique is one of the newest within spine surgery and allows surgeons to minimize damage to surrounding tissues, thereby reducing post-operative pain and shortening recovery time.
His research interests center on the study of patient outcomes after spine surgery in general and after endoscopic surgery in particular.
Before moving to North Carolina for his neurosurgical training at Duke, Dr. Huie completed a bachelor’s degree in molecular biology at Princeton University, and an MD/MS degree at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, where he received the Theodore Castele Medical Scholarship. While at Duke, he was inducted into Alpha Omega Alpha medical honor society and was awarded the William J. von Liebig Summer Research Fellowship.
Dr. Huie enjoys playing tennis, cooking, and spending time with his wife and daughter.