Patients, research, and working with residents to be the focus of the Department's newest faculty member
Originally from Albert Lea, MN, Logan Helland (pictured at left), MD, is excited about joining the Department of Neurosurgery as an assistant professor and assistant residency program director. “I wanted to be in academic medicine and both my wife and I wanted to stay in the Midwest,” he said. “The U of M was a huge draw.”
Dr. Helland earned his MD at Creighton University School of Medicine in Omaha, NE, and a BS in chemistry at Creighton University, also in Omaha. He won several scholarships while at Creighton. Dr. Helland completed his residency in neurological surgery at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in Iowa City, and a fellowship in complex and reconstructive spine surgery at Loyola University Medical Center in Chicago, IL.
Variety of patients
He will see a variety of neurosurgery patients at first and will have an added focus on patients with conditions such as scoliosis or who need complex spine revisions or spine surgery. Dr. Helland will begin seeing patients at Ridges Hospital in Burnsville, MN, the week of August 16, 2021; and will eventually have patient and call responsibilities at University of Minnesota Medical Center in Minneapolis and Southdale Hospital in Edina, MN.
He feels well prepared to begin working with his patients. “I believe I can take care of whatever comes my way, thanks to the wide variety of cases that I’ve already experienced,” said Dr. Helland. “When my co-resident and I were chiefs, we had the highest patient satisfaction rates in neurosurgery ever recorded at our hospital. I will emphasize building good relationships with my patients here in Minnesota, as well.”
Continue doing research
In addition to patient care, Dr. Helland plans to continue doing research, starting with tracking clinical outcomes. “I’m helping to build a Big 10 spine network for research and collaboration with several other universities, such as Iowa, Ohio State, and Northwestern,” he said. “The emphasis will be on working together, trying to create a larger number of patients from which to pull data about outcomes.”
He will also help teach residents and in his role as an assistant residency program director, Dr. Helland will be responsible for helping to develop a residency rotation at Southdale.
When he and his wife, Jaime, and their two daughters have some spare time, they like to watch movies, go on walks with their dog, and do things with their extended family. As a big sports fan, Dr. Helland looks forward to taking the family to Minnesota sporting events.
