Nicholas John Szerlip, MD

Dr. Nick Szerlip is originally from New York, just north of Manhattan, but lived many places around the country while growing up. He attended Columbia University for his undergraduate studies, where he obtained a bachelor’s degree in psychology. He then attended Tulane University School of Medicine in New Orleans, where he obtained his medical degree. After graduating medical school, Dr. Szerlip completed his residency training at the University of Maryland in Baltimore.

Dr. Szerlip obtained additional fellowship training during a fellowship at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), where he examined the origins of cancer cells and effective drug delivery to treat cancer, followed by a fellowship in neurosurgical oncology at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York.

The direction of his neurosurgical career has largely been shaped by the loss of his mother to metastatic cancer in the early part of his neurosurgery residency. Her legacy drives him to be a better physician, to search for a solution to spine cancer, and to train future neurosurgeons to approach their patients with the skill, compassion, and respect they deserve during a very difficult time.

Clinically, Dr. Szerlip treats disorders of the spine including arthritis, malalignment and specializes in surgical and radiation treatment of spine tumors. His goal at the University of Michigan is to continue to build a clinical and translational spine oncology program that will enable the clinic and the laboratory to work together as partners to rapidly advance care for spine cancer. This model will foster synergy among physicians and researchers, affording our patients access to the latest clinical trials and outstanding, compassionate care; it will also accelerate new therapies for future patients.

University of Michigan Health participates with most health insurance plans.

Dr. Szerlip has published over 50 peer-reviewed publications and been invited to give innumerable talks across the country on the treatment of spine cancer. His current research focuses on using new non invasive technologies to predict cancer progression. He also collaborates with research teams examining the bone microenvironment to develop methods of stopping cancer growth in bones.