He is accomplished in both minimally invasive spinal surgery and open complex spine surgery. Before joining the faculty at Weill Cornell, Dr. Baaj served as the director of the Spinal Neurosurgery Program at the University of Arizona at Tucson, where he led the clinical program and founded the multidisciplinary spine conference and spinal research fellowship program. Dr. Baaj was the neurosurgery faculty recipient of the Humanism in Medicine award in both 2013 and 2014 while at the University of Arizona. His commitment to and excellence in training and education has earned him faculty positions in several national and international spine training workshops and conferences.