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Associate Program Director Associate Professor Director of UNC Global Neurosurgery Program

Appointments:

New Patients/Referrals:  (919) 445-2410
Returns/Follow-up Appointments:  
Pediatric (984) 974-1401, Adult (984) 974-4210

Dr. Carolyn Quinsey is a board certified pediatric and adult neurosurgeon who specializes in minimally invasive surgery and endoscopy. Dr. Quinsey is fellowship trained in pediatric neurosurgery and operates on children and adults using innovative techniques which include endoscopic, endonasal, eyebrow craniotomy, and microscopic approaches. She is one of a very few specialists using flexible neuroendoscopy, the newest technology and technique to effectively remove tumors and treat hydrocephalus without a shunt. Dr. Quinsey is also a specialist in skull base and pituitary tumor surgery and performs endonasal tumor removal along with our ENT skull base team.

Dr. Quinsey is also devoted to training the next generation of neurosurgeons both in the United States and abroad. She is currently the associate program director of the UNC Department of Neurosurgery where she directs the skull base lab for residents. Medical students and residents are mentored by Dr. Quinsey in research and surgical training. She travels to Africa regularly and is currently developing a program to train neurosurgeons in Malawi. Dr. Quinsey’s international public health initiative is to provide ongoing education in subspecialty areas, and to help doctors in Africa find the resources and support they need to provide self-sustaining neurosurgical care.

Dr. Quinsey is a member of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons, the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, the Pediatric Section of the AANS/CNS, and the North American Skull Base Society. She has presented her research at several national and international meetings. She also completed a medical journalism rotation with ABC News and continues to be active in utilizing new ways to inform her patients about their health using media and online resources.


Titles

  • Associate Professor, Pediatric Neurosurgery
  • Associate Program Director
  • Director of UNC Global Neurosurgery Program

Conditions Treated

Hydrocephalus, cerebral cysts, arachnoid cysts, pineal cysts, brain tumors, pituitary tumors, vascular malformations (AVM, sinus pericranii, cavernous malformation), Moyamoya, pediatric epilepsy, chiari malformation, myelomeningocele, lipomyelomeningocele, cranialsynostosis, tethered cord, skull lesions – dermoid cysts, craniocervical instability, pediatric spine surgery

Specialties

  • Flexible endoscopy for treatment of cerebral/arachnoid cysts and hydrocephalus
  • Endonasal endoscopic treatment of pituitary and sellar region tumors
  • Pediatric tumors
  • Pediatric vascular disorders
  • Pediatric congenital disorders

Academic Interests

  • Sellar and parasellar lesions
  • Skull base surgery
  • Minimally invasive surgery
  • International and Global Neurosurgery
  • Graduate Medical Education

Education and Training

  • Fellowship – Pediatric Neurosurgery – Oregon Health Science University
  • Residency – Neurological Surgery – University of North Carolina
  • M.D. Medicine – Medical College of Wisconsin
  • B.S. Mathematics – University of Wisconsin Madison

Board Certifications

Neurological Surgery – Board Certified
Pediatric Neurological Surgery – Board Certified

Recent Publications

For recent publications, visit Dr. Carolyn Quinsey’s PubMed listing.

UNC Videos and Articles

Baby’s Hydrocephalus Relieved by Specialized Surgery

Fetal Surgery for Spina Bifida at UNC

Adults with Tethered Cord Syndrome Find Relief Through Surgery

NC Children’s Hospital has a sweet new car

Social Media

Twitter: @QuinseyCarolyn

Facebook: www.facebook.com/DrCarolynQuinsey