UNC Health earned a place on the 2025 Healthgrades America’s 100 Best Hospitals for Spine Surgery list for superior clinical outcomes in back and neck surgeries and spinal fusion procedures. Healthgrades is the #1 site Americans use when searching for a doctor or hospital. The site aims to help patients...

On October 9, 2024 Deborah marked the one-year anniversary of the near fatal car accident that could have left her paralyzed. Because her injuries were so severe, including a brain bleed and damage to her neck, Deborah had to be airlifted to UNC Hospital in Chapel Hill where she woke...

Scott had a surgery in October of 2023 to remove a clog in his stomach. The procedure was done through a small incision in his left arm where the surgeon accessed Scott’s radial artery to put a stent in one of the arteries that supplies his intestines. The surgery was...

Neurosurgical oncologist Dr. Dominique Higgins was invited to participate as a moderator for a session of the Christopher Davidson Forum for Brain Tumor Research hosted by Washington University in St. Louis. The conference consisted of keynote speakers considered to be leaders in the field of brain tumor treatment. The forum...

“Part of this subspecialty that I enjoy is the rapidly evolving advancements in minimally invasive treatment for patients, which is why I have a large interest in focused ultrasound.” – Dr. Nicole Silva UNC Neurosurgery residents are strongly encouraged to develop clinical, translational or basic science research interests during their...

Focused ultrasound treatment at UNC Health allowed Frank, a patient diagnosed with essential tremor, to play guitar for his wife for the first time ever. Frank noticed what he described as “nerves” in his hands in his 20’s. As it progressively got worse, he could no longer play the guitar....

Kristi Hildebrand, PNP-AC, pediatric nurse practitioner in the Department of Neurosurgery at UNC Health, has been selected as the Advanced Practice Provider Supervisor for Children’s Surgery. Kristi has worked as a pediatric nurse practitioner with UNC Health’s pediatric neurosurgery team since 2016. She has a passion for working with this...

“No one prepared me to get better from the pain that I had for eight years.” Hilary worked as a paramedic, loved to run, and spent most of her time up on her feet. But after she rolled her ankle on the job, her life changed forever. Since her injury,...

UNC Health has become the first hospital in the state of North Carolina to offer Omniscient Neurotechnology’s Quicktome, an FDA-cleared precision brain mapping platform designed to visualize a patient’s unique brain networks prior to life-changing surgery. The first surgery was performed by neurosurgical oncologist Dr. Dominique Higgins. Dr. Higgins’s clinical...

“Dad, after you go to the doctor, will you be able to play with me more?” For two years, Arnulfo experienced a gradual decrease in his eye sight, specifically his peripheral vision. He thought that the vision change was due to aging. But Arnulfo continued to struggle with his worsening...