Ali A. Baaj, MD

Ali A. Baaj, MD

4.8 
142 ratings  Read Reviews
Northwestern Medicine logoNorthwestern Medical Group

Primary Specialty

Spine Surgery

Secondary Specialty

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Education

Medical Education:
MD, Boston University School of Medicine - 2004
Internship:
Johns Hopkins University - 2005
Residency:
University of South Florida Morsani - 2011
Fellowships:
Johns Hopkins University - 2012

Languages Spoken

  • Arabic

Board Certifications

  • American Board of Neurological Surgery - Neurological Surgery (Certified)

Faculty Profile

Professor, Feinberg School of Medicine

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Practice Groups and Affiliations

Medical Group:
Northwestern Medical Group
Alignment Category:
Northwestern Medicine Physician Network
On Medical Staff At:
Catherine Gratz Griffin Lake Forest Hospital
Grayslake Ambulatory Surgery Center
Northwestern Memorial Hospital

Ratings and Reviews

At Northwestern Medicine, our patient’s feedback is important to us. While different care providers have their own unique strengths, we strive to be as transparent as possible with our quality of care.

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Overall Rating

4.8
4.8 

142 Ratings

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Reviews from Patients

60 Reviews

Reviews from Patients

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60 Reviews

February 26, 2026

5.0

Very knowledgeable

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February 22, 2026

5.0

Great Staff !!! Polite , explains everything.

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February 16, 2026

5.0

Dr. Baaj was great with the entire process of walking me through different treatment options. When I ultimately decided to go through with surgery, he, along with his team (fellow, APN, etc) thoroughly explained what to expect pre operatively post operatively, and what the recovery process/timeline would look like.

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February 09, 2026

5.0

Dr. Baaj and his PA Krystyna are fantastic. They fit me in to an early surgery date than originally planned. They answered all of my questions and made me feel extremely comfortable. I would recommend them to anyone!

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February 09, 2026

4.0

After seeing him in his office I felt very hopeful I will be getting some relief. I am using the tens unit daily 3 times a day and waiting for my orders for MRIS to be forwarded so I can move forward and get this done. Thank you.

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February 06, 2026

5.0

Very good and caring.

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February 04, 2026

5.0

Dr Baaj is outstanding. Extremely capable with an excellent bed side matter to patiently discuss things and answer questions

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February 04, 2026

5.0

Very personal and patient in his explanation of the surgery

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January 20, 2026

5.0

When I met Dr. Baaj I immediately felt comfortable. I have already recommended him to a friend of mine. He truly cares about his patients.

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January 18, 2026

5.0

I had emergency 2nd surgery. He was not the doc that performed the 1st surgery. He was very reassuring and took his time either me.

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January 15, 2026

5.0

See above, but Dr Baaj also has wonderful bedside manners and I felt confident speaking to him.

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January 14, 2026

5.0

So kind, so smart. Such a good listener. And we're talking about one of the country's pre- eminent spine surgeons here!

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January 13, 2026

5.0

The surgery was successful. Dr. Baaj is engaging, took time to answer questions and explain.

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January 11, 2026

5.0

He listened

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January 08, 2026

5.0

His ability to articulate the issues and make them clear. He puts his patients at ease and does it all with a smile.

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December 22, 2025

5.0

He is a caring, reassuring professional. He is right to the point and listens intently to his patient and family. Such a great surgeon and doctor. Thank you for bringing him to Illinois!

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December 15, 2025

5.0

good communication

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December 15, 2025

5.0

Dr. Baaj is obviously highly knowledgeable, and he is an excellent communicator who is very receptive to patient questions.

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December 10, 2025

5.0

Best Dr ever. Explains everything.

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November 12, 2025

5.0

Very personable, Highly qualified . Very respectful. Not at all arrogant.

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November 11, 2025

5.0

Dr Baaj was very knowledgeable and personable.

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November 10, 2025

5.0

Thoughtful, calming, I'll save the 10 for post surgery.

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November 06, 2025

5.0

Knowledgeable, collaborative, and accessible. The three A's of a good clinician: affability, availability, and ability!

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November 05, 2025

5.0

Very professional and put me at ease with my concerns. Extremely knowledgeable and genuinely nice doctor.

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November 05, 2025

5.0

Explains options and reasons. Personable

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November 05, 2025

5.0

Without sounding too dramatic but he saved my life and is a literal angel!!! I recently had to have an emergency microdisectomy, and I can't thank Dr. Baaj and his team enough for the PHENOMENAL care I received. From the very first consultation pre surgery, recovery, and post op follow up, he was professional, knowledgeable, and compassionate. He took the time to explain everything clearly, answered all of my questions, and put me completely at ease. His passion for what he does and overall kindness gave me the complete confidence that I was in amazing hands. There are truly no words to describe how beyond grateful I am. Dr. Baaj and his team are literally PHENOMENAL!!!!!

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November 05, 2025

5.0

He was very interested in me and my case.

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November 05, 2025

5.0

Nice and professional. He explained me and my husband all the details about the procedure, recovery and answered all our questions

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October 24, 2025

5.0

I was very nervous and he put me at ease right away. I'm in so much pain that I did have trouble understanding at times, but felt that Dr. Baaj was very confident & comfortable with what needed to be done.

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October 23, 2025

5.0

Very knowledgeable and easy to talk to

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October 19, 2025

5.0

Perfect bedside manner. Very thorough.

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October 16, 2025

5.0

Found Dr Baaj Very kind and extremely empathetic and explained in layman's terms easy to understand Found him to be honest and not aggressive or arrogant but very humble.

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October 15, 2025

5.0

Knowledgeable, informative, collaborative, personable.

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October 08, 2025

5.0

Dr. Baaj was perfect right from the beginning. He clearly explained the options of treatment and the need for surgery even though he is conservative about the option. I appreciated his reassuring and encouraging talk and manner just before surgery. The procedure was done perfectly and I am recovering well without issues. Dr. Baaj was most friendly and pleasant- mannered before and during the surgery, as well as during the post-op follow up.

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October 07, 2025

5.0

I love the way he explained me and my family about the situation, the procedure, recovery and next steps

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October 07, 2025

5.0

Easy to talk to and communicated with me well

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October 05, 2025

5.0

Because he is one of the best doctors that I saw in my life, may God bless him always, he finds my lumbar problem that I had for years and then he finished it with the pain that I feels every day for many years, and I just said thank you so much Dr.Ali Baaj

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September 23, 2025

5.0

Dr Ali Baaj is the best!! I came all the way from Oregon after having spine surgery with him in Arizona. He was so incredible I followed him to Northwestern. I will forever be grateful to Dr Baaj for this life changing surgery.

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September 18, 2025

5.0

Knowledgeable, caring, thoughtful, just the best!

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September 14, 2025

5.0

It was a pleasure ineracting with Dr. Baaj. He listened patiently and explained why surgery was the right treatment.

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September 10, 2025

5.0

He is genuinely a great doctor.

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August 24, 2025

5.0

Very nice

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August 20, 2025

5.0

Explained everything, took time to talk to me and answer questions

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August 13, 2025

5.0

Very personalbl. Very straightforward. Will use him for my surgery

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August 12, 2025

5.0

I am so likely to find this doctor give him big credit from since I met him to the end of the surgery till this moment he been checking on me amazing Dr I'm so like I done my surgery under his hands He is so professional honesty with all his job. Thank you so much and God bless you.

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August 11, 2025

5.0

Straight forward, friendly yet professional demeanor. Excellent credentials.

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August 10, 2025

5.0

Bedside manner

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August 03, 2025

5.0

When talking to Doctor Ali you feel like talking to a good friend. He explained my cervical issues and surgery options in a way that show his care for the patient.

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July 30, 2025

5.0

Informative , great personality ,

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July 24, 2025

5.0

Dr Baaj was incredibly kind and knowledgeable. I cannot imagine a more successful, informative, or productive consult.

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July 23, 2025

5.0

Saw multiple orthos and neuros. He was the best fit for me.

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July 23, 2025

5.0

I really believe he will get me back to enjoying life

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July 23, 2025

5.0

Came to Dr Baaj for the first time to get a second opinion and very pleased with his explanations and treatment plan going forward. He has a very pleasant way about him and you feel very at ease. Looking forward to working with him on my issue in the coming months.

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July 18, 2025

5.0

I felt comfortable with him. He explained everything to me. All doctors should take some lessons from Dr. Baaj.

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July 07, 2025

5.0

See above, and I'm very pleased with the results of the surgery.

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July 03, 2025

5.0

He was very good at his explanations

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June 25, 2025

5.0

The doctor was very knowledgeable and personable. I experienced a higher quality of care than what I was previously receiving.

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June 23, 2025

5.0

He's great. Listens. Approachable. Spends time to explain issues

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June 11, 2025

5.0

Dr. Baaj was so kind and listened to all that I had to say. He also explained his perspective so clearly. He answered all of my questions and was so helpful in finding solutions. I was terribly impressed with Dr. Baaj. I felt that I could not be placed in better hands.

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June 11, 2025

5.0

He was very honest and confident.

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Disclosures

External Professional Relationships

Pharmaceutical, device, and biotechnology companies frequently collaborate with basic scientists and physicians within an academic medical center to help advance science and improve patient care. These relationships are important in achieving scientific breakthroughs and in establishing the effectiveness and safety of promising new therapies. In order to assure objectivity in clinical research and patient care, the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine (Feinberg), Northwestern Memorial HealthCare, Children's Hospital of Chicago Medical Center, and the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab have adopted integrity policies that require research and clinical faculty (in full-time, part-time, and unpaid/voluntary categories) to report compensated and uncompensated external industry relationships. Patients are encouraged to discuss these disclosures with their physician as well as to inquire as to how these relationships are overseen by Feinberg. To learn more about our Disclosure and Professional Integrity Policy, and the conflict of interest policies of our joint affiliate survey partners, please go to our Office for Regulatory Affairs Policies page.

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