Anthony L. Asher, MD, FAANS, FACS
Subspecialties
- Spine Surgery
- Peripheral Nerve Surgery
- Neuro-Oncology
- Cerebrovascular Surgery
Special Interests
- Brain Tumors
- Micro & Endoscopic Spine Surgery
- Skull Base Tumors
- Stereotactic & Functional Neurosurgeon
- Stereotactic Radiosurgery
- Trigeminal Neuralgia
Board Certified
- American Board of Neurological Surgery
Biography
As a board-certified neurosurgeon at Carolina NeuroSurgery & Spine Associates, Dr. Asher has been serving patients in the Charlotte region for over 27 years. He continues to provide clinical expertise and patient care focused on neuro-oncology, skull-base surgery, stereotactic surgery, trigeminal neuralgia and minimally invasive spine surgery.
He is the president-elect of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS), an international educational, scientific and advocacy association focused on advancing the specialty of neurological surgery. He has been recognized as one of the nation’s Top Doctors for Cancer Care and has extensive experience developing and conducting phase 1-4 cooperative clinical cancer research programs. Since 2003, Dr. Asher has been recognized annually as one of the Best Doctors in America.
From an early age, Dr. Asher had been interested in biological science and started participating in medical research as an undergraduate student. He always felt medicine would be the most rewarding career choice, and it never occurred to him to pursue another calling.
Asher completed his neurosurgery residency training at the University of Michigan and was awarded one of the original Howard Hughes Medical Institute-National Institutes of Health (NIH) Research Scholarships. He amplified his basic and translational research training as a fellow in the surgery branch of the National Cancer Institute (NCI), NIH.
He holds adjunct clinical professorships in neurosurgery at Wake Forest University School of Medicine, the Mayo Clinic, the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, Carolinas Medical Center, and Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. He is additionally a professor of orthopedic surgery in the Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Musculoskeletal Institute.
Asher is passionate about improving surgical quality outcomes and has developed and directed several unprecedented national cooperative clinical databases in neurosurgery and related fields including the Quality and Outcomes Database (QOD), the American Spine Registry (ASR) and ABNS POST, the latter serving as the primary clinical data resource supporting the process of ABNS primary board certification.
Dr. Asher is recognized internationally for his development of advanced treatment paradigms, clinical research, educational programs, care innovation, and organizational leadership. His primary current scientific and healthcare administrative efforts include promoting the wide adoption of cooperative databases and related information technologies to involve clinicians, scientists and other stakeholders in novel evidence development, quality improvement, and value-based efforts across all practice settings. He has dedicated most of his career to advancing the science of neurosurgical care. He states:
“Given the prevalence and massive societal impact of neurosurgical disorders, such as stroke, tumors and degenerative spine disease, along with dramatic recent breakthroughs in associated care, neuroscience research and therapies represent some of our most potent methods to positively impact the health and well-being of individuals, as well as unique patient populations”
Outside of work, Dr. Asher enjoys spending time outdoors. He has a diverse range of activities from hiking, biking, and skiing to golf and tennis. Dr. Asher enjoys reading, writing essays, and spending time with family and his close friends.
Education
Fellowship - National Cancer Institute
Specialty: Surgical Oncology
Residency & Internship - University of Michigan
Specialty: Neurological Surgery
Medical School - Wayne State University School of Medicine
Howard Hughes Medical Institute - NIH Research Scholar
Affiliations & Memberships
- President and Enterprise Service Line Leader, Atrium Health Neurosciences Institute
- President-Elect (Term starting May 2023), American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS)
- Congress of Neurological Surgeons (CNS) Past-President
- American Board of Neurological Surgery (ABNS) Past Director; Past Vice Chair
- American College of Surgeons (ACS) Fellow; Past Chair, Central Nervous System Organ Site Committee, ACS Oncology Group
- Society of Neurological Surgeons (SNS) Elected Member
- American Academy of Neurological Surgery (AAcNS) Elected Member
- ANS/CNS Sections on Tumor and Spine (Past Executive Committee Member)
- American Medical Association (Member, National Quality Registry Council)
- Southern Neurological Society
- North Carolina Medical Society
Reviews
Media
Back Talk Doc: Episode 10 - Understanding the Science of Practice in Neurosurgery & Medicine
The ability for spine surgeons across North America to share data about patient outcomes took a giant leap forward with the recent creation of the American Spine Registry (ASR). Anthony Asher, MD, FAANS, FACS, a neurosurgeon at Carolina Neurosurgery & Spine Associates is Co-Chairman of the ASR.
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