Michael Lawton, MD

Michael T. Lawton, MD, is a world-renowned expert in the neurosurgical treatment of vascular abnormalities, including arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) of the brain and spine. He completed a fellowship in cerebrovascular and skull base surgery at Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix, followed by an endovascular surgery fellowship at the University of California, San Francisco. Dr. Lawton has performed more than 1,000 AVM surgeries, which included lesions in the brain stem and other highly delicate areas. Dr. Lawton is also passionate about neurovascular research. He established the Barrow Aneurysm and AVM Research Center, where he and other investigators study the formation, underlying genetics, and rupture of brain AVMs. His clinical research includes the anatomy of microsurgical approaches and clinical outcomes of microsurgery for AVMs. He serves as principal investigator for the Brain Vascular Malformation Consortium, a National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded multicenter group studying the genetics and clinical course of rare vascular diseases in the brain. Dr. Lawton has published more than 880 peer-reviewed articles, six single-author textbooks including "Seven AVMs: Tenets and Techniques for Resection," and more than 100 book chapters. He is a member of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, Congress of Neurological Surgeons, Society of Neurological Surgeons, American Academy of Neurological Surgery, and World Academy of Neurological Surgery.