Dr. Y. Michael Li, M.D., Ph.D.

Dr. Yan Michael Li is an award-winning fellowship-trained spine and tumor neurosurgeon who specializes in the treatment of complex spine diseases and brain & spine tumor. Dr. Li has strong clinical interest in simple and complex spine surgery, minimally invasive spinal surgery, and computer-assisted spinal navigation and robotic surgery. Dr. Li’s clinical focus includes all aspects of spinal surgery such as including herniated disk disease with nerve compression, degenerative spine stenosis, complex spine tumor, trauma and deformity diseases. Dr. Li provides the latest and most efficient treatment options for each patient with back pain, including minimally invasive herniated disk surgery through less than one inch incision, minimally invasive lateral or posterior spinal fusion surgery, artificial disc implants that allow for more mobility.

He has a reputation as an expert in complex spinal surgery, with more than 50 percent of his referrals originating from other surgeons who relied on him for revision surgeries or complex spine cases that were outside their realm of expertise. In order to achieve the very best in patient outcomes, Dr. Li’s practice emphasizes an interdisciplinary approach to disease processes and he works very closely with other specialists such as pain specialists, neurologists and physical therapists.

Dr. Li treats patients with brain and spine tumor, including gliomas, meningioma, metastatic disease, skull base lesions. He employs advanced awake mapping, imaging techniques, intraoperative navigation and microsurgery to ensure maximal tumor removal and achieve the safest possible surgical outcomes. Dr. Li has advanced training in some of the most leading-edge technologies available, allowing him to provide the latest, most efficient options for each patient. These technologies include minimally invasive and endoscopic surgery for spine, brain and skull base tumors, advanced laser surgery for brain and metastatic spine tumor, primary spine tumor en bloc resection, stereotactic radiosurgery. Furthermore, Dr. Li works with a multi-disciplinary team to ensure that the best possible treatment strategies are offered to his patients and individualized treatments for brain and spine tumors based on personal genomic profiling.

Dr. Li received his medical degree from Peking Union Medical College and his PhD from University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. He then completed neurosurgical residency and enfolded complex spine fellowship at State University of New York, fellowships at Dana Farber Cancer Center Boston Children Hospital and Brigham and Women’s Hospital Harvard Medical School, as well as a Neurosurgical Oncology fellowship at University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center focusing complex brain and spine tumor surgery.

Dr. Li has authored 76 scholarly articles in peer-reviewed journals and book chapters such as Nature Medicine, Cancer Cell, Journal of Neurosurgery, Neurosurgery, Spine, Journal of Spine, Clinical Spine Surgery, JAMA Oncology, Cancer Research, Journal of Neuro-Oncology, Global Spine Journal, World Neurosurgery, Clinical Neuroscience et al. He has received Bittner Award on Brain Tumor Research from American Association of Neurological Surgeons and awards from the Department of Defense Cancer Research Program, and his patent of nanoparticle gene therapy has been adopted in NCI Clinical Trial.

He is currently performing research focused on maximal safe resection of brain and spine tumor, surgical outcome study for complex brain and spine surgery, cancer specific brain and spine tumor targeted therapy and local delivery.