Dr. Fernando G. Diaz, MD, PhD

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Get to know Neurosurgeon Dr. Fernando G. Diaz, who serves patients throughout the State of Michigan.

Dr. Diaz is a world-wide recognized neurosurgeon known for his treatment of vascular disease of the head and neck & brain aneurysms. He is one of only several neurosurgeons in Michigan skilled in radiosurgery using the advanced technology Gammaknife for the treatment of tumors and other abnormalities. 

Among his many roles, Dr. Diaz practices at Michigan Head & Spine Institute in Southfield, is Chairman of the Neurological Surgery Department at Beaumont Hospital, Royal Oak, as well as can be found on staff at Ascension Providence Hospital and Ascension St. John Hospital. He also serves as a Professor of Neurosurgery at Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine.

In regards to his educational background, Dr. Diaz graduated from the Central University of Mexico with a Bachelor of Science degree, and from the National University of Mexico School of Medicine with his medical degree. While undertaking his medical studies, he completed an externship at Worcester Memorial Hospital in Massachusetts. 

Following graduation from medical school, Dr. Diaz completed his internship at Regina General Hospital in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. He contributed one year as a family practitioner in a social service clinic in Naranjos, Veracruz, Mexico. He then began residency training, completing anesthesia requirements in Regina, Saskatchewan and two years of general surgery requirements at the University of Kansas in succession. During his general surgery rotation, he also graduated from the University of Kansas with a Master of Science degree in Anatomy. Dr. Diaz then moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota where he trained as a neurosurgery resident and graduated with a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Neurophysiology from the University of Minnesota. 

Thereafter, the doctor became board-certified in neurological surgery through the American Board of Neurological Surgery (ABNS). The broad aim of the ABNS is to encourage the study, improve the practice, elevate the standards, and advance the science of neurological surgery and thereby serve the cause of public health. He also completed a specialized concentration in spinal surgery certification with the ABSS. 

After completing his residency and PhD, Dr. Diaz joined the Department of Neurosurgery at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, Michigan, where he continued to pursue his academic career, and his interests in cerebrovascular neurosurgery. During nine years spent at Henry Ford Hospital, he actively researched cerebral revascularization, producing definitive models for therapeutic treatment of stroke and cerebral ischemia. Dr. Diaz was then recruited to become the Chairman of the Neuroscience Institute of SantaFe in Gainesville, Florida. This neurosurgical institute was developed as a satellite of Henry Ford Hospital, allowing Dr. Diaz to continue his microvascular research. 

During this time, he also furthered his interests in leadership and administration by completing a Master of Business Administration degree from Central Michigan University.

In 1986, Dr. Diaz enlisted in the US Air Force Reserves and returned to Michigan as the Professor and Chairman of Neurological Surgery at Wayne State University. He furthered his interest in medical malpractice by completing a Doctor of Jurisprudence degree at Wayne State University. 

In 2006, Dr. Diaz retired from the US Air Force with an honorable discharge. His military service included US Air Force, National Neurosurgical Consultant; Lackland Air Force Base, Operation Desert Storm, Wilford Hall Medical Center Neurosurgery; US Air Force, Lieutenant Colonel; and Wilford Hall Medical Center, IMA.

Active in numerous professional societies, Dr. Diaz is a member of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, the Congress of Neurological Surgeons, the Neurosurgical Society of America, the Federation of Latin American Neurosurgical Societies, the American Society of Law, Medicine and Ethics, and the World Federation of Neurosurgical Societies. 

In addition, he is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons and a Fellow of the American College of Spine Surgery. 

Neurosurgery is the medical specialty concerned with the prevention, diagnosis, surgical treatment, and rehabilitation of disorders which affect any portion of the nervous system including the brain, spinal cord, peripheral nerves, and extra-cranial cerebrovascular system. Neurosurgeons are doctors who diagnose and treat problems with the nervous system, often by performing surgery on the brain or spine. They treat strokes, tumors, certain types of birth defects, infections, and head or spinal cord injuries.

During his training and continuing presently, Dr. Diaz has undertaken numerous research studies and trials dedicated to neurovascular microsurgery. He has authored more than 287 papers in the peer-reviewed medical literature and more than 129 chapters to medical textbooks, contributing his expertise to spine doctors everywhere.

Listed among the best surgeons in the United States, he is recognized by his peers as one of Metro Detroit’s most respected neurological surgeons in Hour Detroit magazine’s annual “Top Docs” rankings. He is also a frequent speaker to audiences around the world on advanced neurosurgical procedures and treatments.

On a more personal note, Dr. Diaz is fluent in multiple languages, including English, Spanish, French, and Portuguese.

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