About · Edvin Telemi, MD

Care for the human spine, done precisely.

I became a surgeon to do one thing exceptionally well: care for the human spine, with honesty, modern technique, and the time every patient deserves.

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  • Fellowship-trained neurosurgeon
  • Complex & minimally invasive spine surgery
  • Second opinions welcome
  • Macomb County
Edvin Telemi, MD, Fellowship-trained neurosurgeon, Shelby Township, Michigan

Edvin Telemi, MD

Fellowship-trained neurosurgeon

A note to you

Before anything else, I want you to feel unrushed, heard, and certain about your decision. Spine surgery is complex, and the right choice is rarely the fastest one. I'll walk you through every option in plain language, and I'll always encourage a second opinion, because confidence should come from understanding, not pressure.

Edvin Telemi, MD
How I practice

A new era of spine surgery

Spine surgery is changing faster than at any point in its history. New techniques and new technology now let an advanced spine surgeon solve problems that once demanded a large open operation with far less surgery: smaller corridors, muscle left intact, and, where it fits the anatomy, reconstruction that preserves motion instead of eliminating it.

The planning has changed just as much. Advanced computational modeling and ongoing research let us measure alignment, understand how a construct will load, and design a reconstruction targeted to one spine rather than a standard one. That is the practice I am building: current technique, the best available technology, and data-driven, personalized surgical management.

Image-guided navigation in the operating room: a tracked instrument held over the surgical field while a navigation camera and monitor follow its position.
Intraoperative navigation: instrument position tracked against your own anatomy, in real time.
Two surgeons reviewing a spine model with measurement overlays on a planning display.
Preoperative modeling: alignment and segment measurements worked out before the first incision.

And it still starts with a conversation

None of that means much until I know who you are. I want to hear your story and what you are actually trying to get back to, whether that is a full shift on your feet, a night of uninterrupted sleep, or picking up a grandchild. I spend the time to educate you on what your imaging shows, what each option would and would not fix, and what it would ask of you. Then we decide the best path forward together.

Motion-preserving reconstruction

Techniques that stabilize the spine while protecting natural movement, rather than fusing it by default.

Artificial disc replacement

Cervical and lumbar disc arthroplasty for appropriate candidates, relieving nerve pressure while keeping the segment mobile.

Minimally invasive & endoscopic

Smaller incisions, less muscle disruption, and faster recovery for the conditions that allow it.

Complex & revision spine

Deformity, instability, and reoperative cases that call for advanced reconstruction and careful planning.

Spinal cord & spine tumors

The full range of spinal tumor surgery: intradural tumors both intramedullary and extramedullary, and metastatic disease requiring decompression and stabilization.

Training & credentials

Where the training comes from

The pedigree behind the practice, kept clear, not a wall of text.

  1. Fellowship

    Complex & Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery

    UCLA Health, Los Angeles

    Advanced training in motion-preserving reconstruction, artificial disc replacement, and minimally invasive technique.

  2. Residency

    Neurological Surgery

    Henry Ford Hospital, Detroit

    Seven years of neurosurgical training. Consultant of the Year, twice. Medical Student Teaching Award.

  3. Medical school

    Doctor of Medicine

    University of Arizona College of Medicine, Tucson

    Alpha Omega Alpha honor society.

  4. Undergraduate

    B.S. Evolutionary & Ecological Biology, B.S. Astronomy & Astrophysics

    University of California, Los Angeles

Publications

Peer-reviewed research

Selected work on surgical outcomes and minimally invasive technique, published in the neurosurgical literature.

Full list on PubMed →
Affiliations & involvement

Beyond the operating room

  • Michigan Spine Surgery Improvement Collaborative

    Contributing surgeon-investigator in the statewide registry that tracks real spine surgery outcomes across Michigan. Roughly sixteen of the publications below draw on that data.

  • Peer-reviewed research

    Twenty-seven indexed publications in the neurosurgical literature on surgical outcomes, risk, and minimally invasive technique. Three are listed above; the full list is on PubMed.

  • Teaching

    Resident and medical-student teaching through a seven-year neurosurgical residency, recognized with the Medical Student Teaching Award and Consultant of the Year, twice.

Consultations are available in English, Persian, Armenian.

Professional profile on LinkedIn.

Professional memberships

Professional memberships

Training

Edvin Telemi, MD is a member of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, Congress of Neurological Surgeons, North American Spine Society, AO Spine and Michigan Association of Neurological Surgeons.

Standing offer · A different kind of confidence

Get a second opinion.

Spine surgery is complex, and the right choice is rarely the fastest one. If you've been told you need surgery, bring your imaging and reports for a direct, unhurried read, and which approach fits, before you decide anything. Confidence should come from understanding, not pressure.

Start a second-opinion reviewHow second opinions work
For patients

Request an appointment.

Send a short request and the office will call you back to schedule. Bring any imaging you already have, from anywhere. If you would rather talk it through first, the phone is often the faster route.

Request an appointment

Prefer to call? (586) 803-1220