Royal Oaks, MI— Prominently featured in The Inner Circle, Fernando Diaz is acknowledged as a Top Pinnacle Healthcare Provider for his contributions to the field of Neurosurgery.
Dr. Diaz pursued higher education at the Central University of Mexico where he graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree. He then attended the National University of Mexico School of Medicine where he earned a medical degree and completed an externship at Worcester Memorial Hospital in Massachusetts. He finished an internship at Regina General Hospital in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada and contributed one year as a family practitioner in a social service clinic in Naranjos, Veracruz, Mexico prior to residency training. The doctor then completed anesthesia requirements in Regina, Saskatchewan and two years of general surgery requirements at the University of Kansas. Dr. Diaz also graduated from the University of Kansas with a Master of Science degree in Anatomy; 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. Board-certified in neurological surgery through the American Board of Neurological Surgery (ABNS), he explained that the broad aim of the ABNS is to encourage the study; improve the practice; elevate the standards and advance the science of neurological surgery. He also completed a specialized concentration in spinal surgery certification with the ABNS.
The doctor explained that neurosurgery is the medical specialty concerned with the prevention, diagnosis, surgical treatment, and rehabilitation of disorders that affect any portion of the nervous system including the brain; spinal cord; peripheral nerves; and extra-cranial cerebrovascular system. Dr. Diaz noted that neurosurgeons are doctors who diagnose and treat problems with the nervous system, often by performing surgery on the brain or spine and can treat strokes; tumors; certain types of birth defects; infections; and head or spinal cord injuries.
Equipped with an exceptional education and vast experiences, Dr. Diaz continued to practice and train at the Department of Neurosurgery at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, Michigan where he focused on cerebrovascular neurosurgery for the next eight years. He actively researched cerebral revascularization, producing definitive models for the therapeutic treatment of stroke and cerebral ischemia before being recruited to become the Chairman of the Neuroscience Institute of Santa Fe in Gainesville, Florida, a neurosurgical institute that was developed as a satellite of Henry Ford Hospital. In this post, Dr. Diaz was able to continue his microvascular research and also expand his skills in leadership and administration by completing a Master of Business Administration degree from Central Michigan University.
The doctor currently practices at Michigan Head & Spine Institute in Southfield and is known internationally as a highly skilled neurosurgeon for his treatment of vascular disease of the head, neck, and brain aneurysms. He asserts that he is one of few neurosurgeons in Michigan trained in radiosurgery using advanced technology Gammaknife for the treatment of tumors and other abnormalities and has developed the largest robotic surgical program where he performs minimally invasive robotic spinal surgery. Dr. Diaz is also the Chairman of the Neurological Surgery Department at Beaumont Hospital, Royal Oak; is on staff at Ascension Providence Hospital and Ascension St. John Hospital; and served as a Professor of Neurosurgery at Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine.
An extraordinary professional and patriot, Dr. Diaz enlisted in the US Air Force Reserves in 1990 and returned to Michigan as the Professor and Chairman of Neurological Surgery at Wayne State University where he studied medical malpractice and completed a Doctor of Jurisprudence degree. Prior to retirement and an honorable discharge in 1996, he served as a US Air Force National Neurosurgical Consultant; at Lackland Air Force Base, Operation Desert Storm, Wilford Hall Medical Center Neurosurgery; and Wilford Hall Medical Center, IMA achieving the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.
Continuing his dedication to excellence and education, 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. He is also a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons and a Fellow of the American College of Spine Surgery.
A recognized leader in the field, Dr. Diaz has completed and continues to work on many research studies and trials dedicated to neurovascular microsurgery. He has authored more than 287 papers in peer-reviewed medical literature and more than 129 chapters to medical textbooks. A testament to his exceptional skills, Dr. Diaz is noted among the best surgeons in the United States; is fluent in multiple languages, including English, Spanish, French, and Portuguese; is recognized by his peers as one of Metro Detroit’s most respected neurological surgeons in Hour Detroit Magazine’s annual Top Docs rankings; and is a frequent speaker to audiences around the world on advanced neurosurgical procedures and treatments.
When reflecting on his illustrious career, Dr. Diaz gives much credit to his mentors, Lwyle French, MD; Shelly Shou, MD; and James Ausman, MD. He would like to dedicate this honor in loving memory of his father, Fernando C. Diaz, MD.
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