Dr. Haid received his undergraduate degree in 1978 from the University of Notre Dame with majors in philosophy and theology, and a minor in classical literature. He was honored with awards as a member of the Notre Dame Rugby team. He received his MD at West Virginia University in 1982 with membership in Alpha Omega Alpha. He completed his neurosurgical residency in 1988 at West Virginia University. A Fellowship with Dr. Joseph Maroon in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania was performed in 1986. In 1988-89 he was Clinical Instructor at the University of Florida, where he also completed a one year Fellowship in Spine Surgery. He served in the United States Air Force at Wilford Hall Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas from 1989-93. He joined the faculty at Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia in 1993 as Associate Professor, and was promoted to Professor in 2001. During that time, he was Director of the Spinal Fellowship Program. In 2003, he was a founding partner of Atlanta Brain and Spine Care, a Spinal Research Foundation Regional Center of Excellence. He is Medical Director of the Piedmont Spine Center and Neuroscience Service Line, Piedmont Hospital, Atlanta, Georgia.
A renowned educator, Dr. Haid has been visiting professor at 30 universities worldwide. He has been a Course Director more than 60 times, lectured at over 170 Spinal Courses, and presented over 400 papers. As a widely published author, Dr. Haid has contributed over 130 scientific articles to peer-reviewed journals, is presently editing his tenth textbook, and has written more than 85 chapters on the treatment of spinal disorders.
Dr. Haid has been honored as the Richard C. Schneider Lecturer for the American Association of Neurological Surgeons; the Charles Drake Lecturer for the University of Virginia; and the Canadian Neurosurgical Society (CNSS) Penfield Lecturer for the Canadian Congress of Neurological Sciences.
Dr. Haid has served on the Editorial and Review Boards of several leading journals, including Journal of Neurosurgery, Journal of Neurosurgery-Spine, Neurosurgery, Spine, The Spine Journal, Journal of Spinal Disorders, Neuro-Orthopaedics, Spinal Surgery, Surgical Neurology, Contemporary Neurosurgery, and Clinical Neurosurgery. Dr. Haid is a member of the SpineUniverse Editorial Board and serves on the SpineUniverse Editorial Committee.
His research interests include spinal reconstruction techniques, with a number of patents and implants concerning such techniques as cervical lateral mass plating, anterior cervical plating, posterior and transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion techniques, and cervical arthroplasty.
He has been listed in the "Best Doctors of America" since 1994, and Consumers Research of America lists him as a "Top Surgeon". Dr. Haid is also an active member and leader within several professional neurosurgical and spinal societies, including the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, the Congress of Neurological Surgeons, the North American Spine Society, the Neurosurgical Society of America, and the Cervical Spine Research Society. He is a former Chairman of the Joint Section on Disorders of the Spine and Peripheral Nerve, and was honored with the Meritorious Service Award at the AANS / CNS Joint Spine Section.
He has also served on the Board of Directors of the Think First Foundation, as well as the Foundation for International Education in Neurological Surgery (FIENS), and the International Meeting of Advanced Spine Techniques (Scoliosis Research Society). Learn more at Dr. Haid's personal website.
Dr. Haid and his wife, Betsy, have the blessing of six children: Meghan, Katie, Holly, Anna, Sam and Holly Anne; two sons-in-law, Walter and Adam, and two grandsons, Will and Ben. The family shares their passion for outdoor activities, most notably in the mountains of Montana.