Michael graduated Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery from the University of Queensland and completed specialist neurosurgery training in Queensland finishing at the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital. Michael is a Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons and completed a post-fellowship year at Toronto Western Hospital, University of Toronto, Canada, followed by St Vincent's Hospital and the Austin Hospital, Melbourne, Australia, in functional neurosurgery. Michael is currently a staff specialist neurosurgeon and the supervisor of neurosurgery training at the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital, and a clinical senior lecturer at the University of Queensland. Michael graduated with a neuroscience masters from the Queensland Brain Institute, has published in peer-reviewed journals, presented at neurosurgery conferences and has received neurosurgery grants/awards from NSA, RACS, RBWH and WSSFN.