Clinical Expertise and Special Interests
Michelle is a nurse practitioner who has been providing care for patients with neurosurgical needs since 2008. She’s developed a passion for spinal cord impairments, and ensures each patient has an understanding of their diagnosis and treatment plan. As a Fond du Lac native, she enjoys giving back to her community by offering both compassionate and expert neurosurgical care.
Our providers work collaboratively in a care team model. Learn more about Dr. Bhattacharjee!
Educational Foundation
Master of Science in Nursing: Concordia University Wisconsin
Bachelor of Science in Nursing: University of Wisconsin-Madison
Certifications
ANCC-Family Nurse Practitioner
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Michelle Ziegelbauer's background and training?
Michelle Ziegelbauer is an Advanced Practice Nurse Practitioner (APNP) in the Neurosurgery specialty at Neuroscience Group, seeing patients at the Fond du Lac location. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and her Master of Science in Nursing from Concordia University Wisconsin. She holds national board certification as a Family Nurse Practitioner through the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC). Michelle has been providing care for patients with neurosurgical needs since 2008, giving her more than 15 years of experience in this specialty — among the longest tenures in the neurosurgery APNP group at NG. She works as part of the neurosurgical care team alongside Dr. Sumon Bhattacharjee, a board-certified neurosurgeon and Fellow of the American College of Surgeons with five fellowship training experiences in scoliosis and spinal deformity.
Is Michelle Ziegelbauer board-certified or licensed as a nurse practitioner?
Yes. Michelle holds national board certification as a Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) through the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), which requires passing a national board examination and maintaining ongoing continuing education and recertification. She is licensed as an Advanced Practice Nurse Practitioner in Wisconsin and practices in the Neurosurgery specialty at Neuroscience Group's Fond du Lac location.
What does Michelle Ziegelbauer do at Neuroscience Group?
Michelle is a neurosurgery APNP at Neuroscience Group, providing neurosurgical care to patients in the Fond du Lac area. As a Fond du Lac native, she has dedicated her career to bringing high-quality neurosurgical care directly to the community she grew up in and knows personally. She works alongside Dr. Bhattacharjee as part of Neuroscience Group's collaborative neurosurgical care team, supporting patient evaluation, diagnosis education, and treatment planning. With more than 15 years of neurosurgical nursing practice experience, she brings a depth of clinical familiarity with complex spinal and neurosurgical conditions that is difficult to replicate for patients in the Fond du Lac area, who would otherwise need to travel to Neenah or beyond for this level of specialty care.
What is the difference between seeing Michelle Ziegelbauer and a physician at Neuroscience Group?
As an Advanced Practice Nurse Practitioner, Michelle works collaboratively with and under the oversight of Dr. Bhattacharjee. She is ANCC board-certified and trained to evaluate and manage patients across the neurosurgical scope, with a particular interest in spinal cord impairments developed over 15-plus years in the specialty. Surgical procedures are performed by the neurosurgeons, and complex surgical decisions are made collaboratively. For patients in the Fond du Lac area, Michelle provides accessible, experienced, and community-rooted neurosurgical care with the full support of Neuroscience Group's neurosurgical team, including the scoliosis and spinal deformity expertise of Dr. Bhattacharjee, without requiring them to travel to the main Neenah clinic for every appointment.
What conditions does Michelle Ziegelbauer help manage?
Michelle helps manage conditions across the full scope of Neuroscience Group's neurosurgical program at the Fond du Lac location, with a developed passion for spinal cord impairments that has grown through her 15-plus years of neurosurgical practice. This includes brain and spine conditions managed by the neurosurgical team, with particular depth in spinal conditions given her experience and her partnership with Dr. Bhattacharjee, whose subspecialty in scoliosis and complex spinal deformity is one of the most specific in the practice. She ensures each patient has a clear understanding of their diagnosis and treatment plan throughout their care.
What is Michelle's approach to patient care?
Michelle is a Fond du Lac native who has built her career around serving the community she loves. For her, that means taking the time to genuinely get to know each patient, listening carefully to their concerns, and providing exceptional care that reflects both her clinical expertise and her personal commitment to the people in her community. She ensures each patient leaves with a real understanding of their diagnosis and what their treatment involves — not a vague reassurance but a clear, personalized explanation. Her more than 15 years in neurosurgical care means she has seen the full range of what patients with complex spinal and neurosurgical conditions face, and she brings that depth of experience to every visit.
“As a Fond du Lac native, it’s important to me to get to know each patient, listen to their concerns and provide exceptional care for the community I love.”