Dr. Robert F. Spetzler
| Specialty: Neurosurgery Subspecialties: Cerebrovascular neurosurgery, skull base neurosurgery, neurovascular surgery Board Certification: American Board of Neurological Surgeons Residencies and Fellowships: Medical School: Northwestern University Medical School Chicago IL Internship: General Surgery-Northwestern University, Wesley Memorial Hospital Residency: University of California San Francisco School of Medicine, San Francisco, CA Positions: Director, Barrow Neurological Institute J.N. Harber Chair of Neurological Surgery at BNI Chairman and President, Barrow Neurosurgical Associates Professor of Surgery, Section of Neurosurgery, University of Arizona College of Medicine, Tucson, AZ |
 Appointment Articles: Brain Surgery Made Easy Patients, Residents, Colleagues, Touched by Dr. Spetzler The 103rd Cardiac Standstill The 5000th aneurysm What I Did for my Summer Vacation Then and Now Celebrating 40 Years of Achievement 20 Years of Achievement A Miracle Realized A Child, a Bizarre Tumor, and a Perilous Operation Renee DeSalvo Amanda Anderson Kasey Gray Tumor detected by 'miracle' Alabama Toddler Recovering After Undergoing Lifesaving Brain Surgery In Phoenix |
By the early 1980’s, Dr. John Green, who had devoted 20 years of his life building Barrow Neurological Institute into a nationally known institute, began his search for a successor. He chose Robert F. Spetzler from Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, who, in 1983, assumed the J.N. Harber Chair of Neurological Surgery at BNI. Two years later, Dr. Spetzler became Director of the Institute. Under his leadership, the BNI has grown from a regional center to an internationally recognized center of excellence, attracting healthcare professionals and patient referrals from around the world. The center is also home to a highly sought and diverse residency program. Dr. Spetzler was born in Stierhoefstetten, Germany, and moved to the United States at the age of 11. He attended college and medical school in Illinois, and trained as a resident under Charles B. Wilson at the University of California at San Francisco, where he developed an interest in neurovascular surgery. Some of Dr. Spetzler’s noted accomplishments are:
Never one to sit around, Dr. Spetzler spends his free time with his family, mountain biking with the residents or leading his colleagues in a rim-to-rim crossing of the Grand Canyon. He plays the piano and is an enthusiastic swimmer, tennis player, skier and scuba diver. |
