Dr. Derek Southwell

I am an academic adult and pediatric neuro-oncologist who helps lead The Preston Robert Tisch Brain Tumor Center at Duke. I am the author of more than 500 peer-reviewed articles, reviews, and book chapters, and I have presented extensively at both international and national meetings. I am a committed educator who is a member of the executive and super-executive committees of the Duke University School of Medicine, which are responsible for the recruitment, screening and selection of medical students. I have reviewed grants for the National Institutes of Health for over 15 years, in a spectrum of different study sections. I am the senior editor of CNS Oncology and a reviewer for over 25 academic journals. I serve on the advisory board of a number of organizations, including Voices Against Brain Cancer, the Tug McGraw Foundation, Pinnacle Care, the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation, the National Children’s Cancer Society, and the American Brain Tumor Association. Dr. Friedman is highly rated in 18 conditions, according to our data. His top areas of expertise are Glioma, Astrocytoma, Glioblastoma, and Brain Tumor.

What we specialize in at The Preston Robert Tisch Brain Tumor Center is compassionate care – we take care of our patients. It’s complete care. The patients don’t have to go out and find a radiologist. We have the radiation oncologist, the chemotherapy, the surgery, the radiology, we have all kinds of nursing people as well as help getting physical therapy and getting in-the-home assistance. Patients also can expect cutting-edge care because we run such a terrific science program here. I really like working with the patients. No question about it. It’s not that I’m doing some trivial procedure six times a day. When someone comes in with a brain tumor, there’s usually some bonding, and instead of running away from that, I really enjoy it. Dr. Friedman is highly rated in 44 conditions, according to our data. His top areas of expertise are Glioma, Astrocytoma, Glioblastoma, Awake Craniotomy, and Laminectomy.

I am a neurosurgeon and care for children and young adults. I focus on minimally invasive approaches to improve the quality of life of my patients. Your patient experience is very important to me, and I will strive to provide the best possible care for you and your family. I will always go the extra mile to try to improve your care. I care for conditions that affect the brain and spine, including tumors, epilepsy, Chiari malformations, hydrocephalus, craniosynostosis, vascular conditions such as AVMs and Moya Moya disease, and complex tethered cords. I learn so much from my patients and really look forward to getting to know all of them. I strive to bring the best collaborative team to the table to achieve the best possible outcome. I am delighted to provide the most innovative, holistic, and compassionate neurosurgical care at Duke Health. I am also a professor and Chair of the Department of Neurosurgery. Dr. Grant is highly rated in 29 conditions, according to our data. His top areas of expertise are Chiari Malformation Type 2, Medulloblastoma, Syringomyelia, Posterior Fossa Decompression, and Osteotomy.