Atlanta is home to one of the Southeast’s most sophisticated neurosurgical communities, anchored by the academic programs at Emory University Hospital and Grady Memorial Hospital and complemented by a robust community and private practice neurosurgical presence across major health systems including Piedmont, Northside, and Wellstar. The city’s trauma infrastructure, centered at Grady’s Level I Trauma Center, handles the most severe brain and spinal cord injuries in the region, while Emory’s academic neurosurgery program draws patients with brain tumors, complex spinal deformities, and rare neurological conditions from across the Southeast and beyond. Atlanta’s position as a regional medical hub means patients with conditions requiring subspecialty neurosurgical expertise in areas like pituitary surgery, cerebrovascular surgery, and spinal oncology can access that expertise locally rather than traveling to distant academic centers. Emory University Hospital Midtown has received the America’s 50 Best Hospitals Award in multiple recent years, reflecting the caliber of care available within the Atlanta market.
When selecting a neurosurgeon in Atlanta, board certification through the American Board of Neurological Surgery is the required baseline credential. Subspecialty fellowship training matters significantly for specific conditions: a cerebrovascular surgeon for aneurysms and AVMs, a spine-focused neurosurgeon for disc herniation and spinal stenosis, and a skull-base or tumor surgeon for brain tumors each bring additional years of specialized training beyond the seven-year neurosurgery residency. Ask about case volume for your specific procedure, since outcomes for complex neurosurgical procedures including brain tumor resection and spinal fusion correlate strongly with surgeon and center volume. Red flags include neurosurgeons who recommend surgery at the first visit without reviewing adequate imaging, practices that cannot arrange urgent evaluation for acute neurological symptoms like progressive weakness, and centers that do not have dedicated neurointensive care unit capabilities for post-operative monitoring of complex cases.
Top Neurosurgeon Companies in Atlanta
1. Emory Department of Neurological Surgery
Address: 1365-B Clifton Road NE, Suite 2200, Atlanta, GA 30322
Phone: (404) 778-5770
Website: https://www.emoryhealthcare.org/services/neuro
Hours: Monday–Friday 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Awards & Recognition: Emory University Hospital Midtown received America’s 50 Best Hospitals Award (2023, 2024, 2025); Emory University Hospital received America’s 250 Best Hospitals Award
Services:
- Brain tumor surgery including glioblastoma, glioma, meningioma, pituitary tumor, and acoustic neuroma
- Spinal tumor surgery and spine reconstruction
- Minimally invasive and endoscopic spine surgery
- Spinal cord disorder surgery
- Cerebrovascular surgery (aneurysm, AVM)
- Peripheral nerve surgery
- Carpal tunnel release
- Compression fracture treatment
- Microdiscectomy and spinal fusion
- Radiculopathy management
- Proton therapy coordination for brain tumors
- Clinical trials access
- Second opinion consultation
About: Emory’s Department of Neurological Surgery uses a multidisciplinary subspecialty model where each neurosurgeon focuses on a particular condition or procedure type and collaborates with complementary specialists, ensuring patients with complex cases receive coordinated care from multiple expert perspectives simultaneously. Notable faculty include Dr. Daniel Refai, who specializes in complex spine tumor surgery and reconstruction and trained at the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine, and Dr. Edjah Nduom, Director of Spinal Oncology at Emory, alongside spine surgeons pioneering ultra-minimally invasive and endoscopic approaches. Emory Brain Health Center, reachable at the same number, extends the neurosurgical program’s reach into stroke care across five Emory Stroke Center locations, epilepsy, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, and neurorehabilitation. The practice’s academic environment means neurosurgical residents and fellows trained here go on to lead programs across the country, reflecting the institution’s standing in neurosurgical education.
2. Piedmont Physicians Neurosurgery Atlanta
Address: 2001 Peachtree Road NE, Atlanta, GA 30309
Website: https://www.piedmont.org/services/neurosciences/brain-spine-tumor-program
Awards & Recognition: Piedmont Hospital received the Cranial Neurosurgery Excellence Award
Services:
- Brain and spine tumor surgery
- Comprehensive brain tumor care
- Minimally invasive spine surgery
- Lumbar spinal stenosis treatment
- Normal pressure hydrocephalus management
- Cervical disc disease and spondylosis surgery
- Tumor board multidisciplinary evaluation
- Access to clinical trials
- Patient financial support services
- Social work and support group resources
About: Piedmont Physicians Neurosurgery Atlanta operates within the Piedmont Hospital system, which has earned the Cranial Neurosurgery Excellence Award, reflecting recognized clinical performance in brain surgery outcomes across the Piedmont system. The program provides comprehensive brain and spine tumor care including interdisciplinary tumor board evaluation where neurosurgical, oncology, radiation, and other specialists review complex cases together before recommending treatment. Dr. Gary R. Gropper, who served as Chairman of the Department of Neuroscience at Piedmont Hospital from 2002 to 2005, has specialized expertise in lumbar spinal stenosis, normal pressure hydrocephalus, cervical disc disease, and spondylosis, with current availability for new patients including telehealth appointments. Piedmont’s neurosurgery practice benefits from the hospital system’s broader neuroscience infrastructure, which supports patient care from initial evaluation through surgery and neurorehabilitation.
3. Grady Health Neurosurgery
Address: 80 Jesse Hill Jr. Drive SE, Atlanta, GA 30303
Phone: (404) 616-1000
Website: https://www.gradyhealth.org/services/neurosciences
Services:
- Emergency and trauma neurosurgery
- Brain and spinal cord injury management
- Spine surgery
- Brain tumor evaluation and treatment
- Cerebrovascular emergency care
- Neurosurgical intensive care
- Complex fracture management involving spine and skull
About: Grady Memorial Hospital’s neurosurgery program operates within Grady’s Level I Trauma Center, which handles the highest-acuity neurological emergencies in the Atlanta region including severe traumatic brain injuries, acute spinal cord injuries, ruptured aneurysms, and hemorrhagic strokes requiring emergency surgical intervention. As Georgia’s largest public hospital and a designated Level I Trauma Center, Grady’s neurosurgical team has unmatched emergency case volume for traumatic neurosurgical conditions, with the high-volume exposure that translates to demonstrated competency in the most urgent and complex presentations. Grady is staffed by physicians affiliated with Emory University School of Medicine, connecting the public hospital’s high-volume trauma environment with Emory’s academic training infrastructure. The hospital’s neuroscience capabilities extend through organized neurology and neuroradiology programs that work alongside neurosurgery for comprehensive brain and spine care.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: When do I need to see a neurosurgeon in Atlanta rather than a neurologist or spine specialist?
A: A neurosurgeon’s role is specifically surgical intervention on the brain, spine, and nerves. You need a neurosurgeon evaluation when imaging shows a structural problem that may require surgery, such as a herniated disc compressing a nerve causing weakness or bowel or bladder symptoms, a brain or spinal tumor requiring resection or biopsy, a cerebral aneurysm or AVM that may need surgical or endovascular treatment, or a compressed spinal cord from stenosis or trauma. A neurologist manages neurological conditions medically without surgery and is the appropriate first specialist for headaches, seizures, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, neuropathy, and similar conditions. Many neurological conditions begin with a neurology evaluation that determines whether surgical assessment is warranted, so the referral pathway often runs through neurology first.
Q: What does neurosurgery cost in Atlanta?
A: Neurosurgical costs depend dramatically on procedure type and complexity. A microdiscectomy for a lumbar disc herniation typically costs $15,000 to $40,000 in combined facility and surgeon fees before insurance, with most commercially insured patients reaching their out-of-pocket maximum for the year from a single procedure. Spinal fusion surgery can range from $40,000 to over $100,000 depending on the number of levels and approach. Brain tumor surgery costs vary from $50,000 to over $200,000 depending on complexity, surgical approach, and required intraoperative technology like intraoperative MRI. All major insurance plans including Medicare cover medically necessary neurosurgery, and Emory and Grady both have financial counseling resources to assist patients in understanding their coverage and exploring assistance programs.
Q: How do I get a second opinion for neurosurgery in Atlanta?
A: Getting a second neurosurgical opinion is appropriate and expected for any condition where surgery is recommended, particularly for spinal fusion, brain tumor resection, or cerebrovascular interventions. Emory’s Department of Neurological Surgery explicitly offers second opinion consultations at 404-778-5770, and the academic environment ensures that second opinion evaluations involve faculty-level physicians with subspecialty expertise. Bring all imaging on CD or via electronic transfer, your surgical recommendation from the first surgeon in writing, and any relevant lab work or prior procedure reports. Atlanta’s large neurosurgical community, including academic and private practice programs, gives you access to meaningfully different perspectives before committing to an operation that will often have permanent implications.
Conclusion
Atlanta’s neurosurgical capabilities span the full spectrum from emergency trauma neurosurgery at Grady’s Level I Trauma Center to highly subspecialized elective brain tumor and complex spine procedures at Emory’s nationally recognized Department of Neurological Surgery. Piedmont Physicians Neurosurgery provides hospital-based cranial neurosurgery with recognized excellence in brain surgery outcomes and a multidisciplinary tumor board approach at Piedmont Hospital. All three programs offer distinct strengths in patient population, subspecialty depth, and institutional resources. Contact each program directly to discuss your specific neurological condition, review imaging findings, and determine which surgeon and program is best positioned to address your neurosurgical needs.