Biography
Daniel Vollhaber, M.D., specializes in neurosurgery, treating a wide range of conditions from trauma to tumors to common spinal disorders. He is fellowship trained in endovascular neurosurgery, offering minimally invasive procedures for conditions such as stroke and aneurysm. He sees outpatients at MyMichigan Neurosurgery in Midland and performs surgeries and procedures at MyMichigan Medical Center Midland.
Philosophy of Care
Dr. Vollhaber cites several reasons he chose neurosurgery: “The intricacy and mystery of operating on the brain drew me into the field since the first day I stepped into an operating room,” he said. “I love neuroanatomy, and I enjoy the technical challenge of everything I do. Whether it is guiding a catheter to remove a clot, delicately occluding an aneurysm, or removing a tumor, I strive for excellence.”
“The relationship between a patient and surgeon is unique. You need to quickly establish trust with someone who may be making life altering decisions. I hope to build that trust through honesty and authenticity and by empowering patients in their medical decision making. Surgery is a team sport, and a team can only perform when everyone buys into the program.”
“I have the privilege of practicing in a field where I can help preserve a patient’s independence, abilities, or in some cases their lives. That is the most satisfying part of my work, by far.”
“Since I’m trained in both open surgical and endovascular procedures, I have an expanded tool kit to better personalize the treatment to the patient’s specific situation. My goal is to provide high quality total neurosurgical care to the community.”
“There has been a large shift in treatment of ischemic strokes (blood clot to the brain). We can now extend the treatment window to 24 hours and still improve outcomes. Multiple studies have shown the benefit of thrombectomy in patients with large volumes of stroke, so it’s important to get to a specialist quickly, regardless of the time elapsed since injury.”
Dr. Vollhaber grew up in Minnesota. He and his wife, Kathryn, have a 3-year-old son.
Special Interests and Procedures
- Cerebral aneurysms (endovascular and open)
- Strokes
- Carotid artery stenosis
- Brain Arteriovenous Malformations (AVMs)
- Dural Arteriovenous Fistulas (dAVF) of the brain and spine
- Middle meningeal artery embolization for chronic SDH
- Craniotomy for brain tumors
- Traumatic injuries of the brain and spine
- Degenerative spine disease (ACDF, lumbar and thoracic fusions, decompressive laminectomies, microdiscectomies)
- General Neurosurgery
