Ali A. Baaj Fund
Fund Purpose: To provide grants to international medical students and trainees seeking research, training and educational opportunities in neurosurgery in the U.S.
Ali A. Baaj, MD, FAANS, is Professor of Neurological Surgery at the University of Arizona, College of Medicine in Phoenix, and Chief of Spine Surgery at Banner Health, Arizona’s largest health system. He is a fellowship-trained, board-certified, academic neurosurgeon specializing in complex spine surgery.
He has written over 150 peer-reviewed manuscripts, book chapters, abstracts, and has co-edited 4 textbooks on spine surgery, including the Handbook of Spine Surgery (now in its 3rd edition). He has delivered over 100 invited national and international presentations and has participated in dozens of spine courses worldwide either as chair or faculty. He is an active member of the national neurosurgical and spine societies and is also heavily involved in the international AO Spine and SRS organizations.
Dr. Baaj obtained his BA as well as MD from Boston University. He completed a general surgery internship at Johns Hopkins and then trained in neurological surgery at the University of South Florida in Tampa, FL. Subsequently, he completed a complex oncology and deformity spine fellowship back at Johns Hopkins. Dr. Baaj has held faculty positions and practiced at the University of Arizona and Weill Cornell Medicine. He is the founder of the Virtual Global Spine Conference, a weekly global teleconference spine program launched during the COVID pandemic.
Over the last 10+ years, Dr. Baaj has developed significant clinical and academic collaborations globally. He has mentored research and clinical fellows from around the world and is especially passionate about providing opportunities for international students to pursue neurosurgical training and education in the U.S.
To view a list of all donors to this fund, click here.
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