History of Barrow Neurological Institute

Charles Barrow, a coal magnate, donates a electroencephalography (EEG) machine to St. Joseph’s Hospital and the Sisters of Mercy.

Charles Barrow, a coal magnate, made an initial donation of $500,000 to found Barrow Neurological Institute after Dr. John Green extended the life of his wife, Julia, who had a malignant brain tumor. He made the donation in the name of his father, William H. Barrow.

Construction begins on the state-of-the-art Barrow Neurological Institute building. The building now houses the Heart and Lung Tower of St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center. The photo above was taken at the new building’s dedication in 1962.

Sept. 23, 1962: Barrow opened its doors to patients with one neurosurgical operating room and 52 beds. It was one of only three neuroscience institutes in the entire country. It had five divisions: neurology, neurosurgery, neuroradiology, neurobiology, and neuropathology.

In 1972 Barrow and St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center were designated as Arizona’s first Level 1 Trauma Center.

Barrow Installs 1st CT Scanner in Phoenix

The center has continued to expand ever since.

In 1986, Dr. Spetzler would succeed Dr. John Green as Director of Barrow Neurological Institute.

Dr. Robert Spetzler and Dr. Joseph Zabramski refine this radical procedure, which involves inducing hypothermia, stopping the heart, and removing blood from the patient, allows neurosurgeons to treat previously inoperable lesions in the brain.

Dr. Robert Spetzler established the BNI Quarterly, the official journal of Barrow.

Dr. John Green Retires as director of Barrow and is succeeded by Dr. Robert Spetzler.

Barrow celebrates its 25th anniversary by sponsoring the America’s Brain Trust event. The forum consisted of President Gerald Ford, Vice President Walter Mondale, and Henry Kissinger.

Pope John Paul II Visits Barrow and St. Joseph’s. Barrow was the only hospital visited by the Pope on his tour of the United States.

First Lady Nancy Reagan dedicates the Dr. Loyal and Edith Davis Neurological Research Laboratory. Nancy Reagan’s father, Dr. Loyal Davis, was one of the first neurosurgeons at Barrow.

Dr. Volker Sonntag Successfully Treats “Internal Decapitation.” Barrow and Dr. Volker Sonntag make international headlines with the successful reattachment of the skull of a boy whose skull was severed from his spine.

Dr. Curtis Dickman Pioneers Thoracoscopic Spinal Surgery. Dr. Dickman devises a method of operating on the spine using endoscopic tools through small incisions in the chest.

The first annual Celebrity Fight Night is held. The star-studded event has raised funds for the Muhammad Ali Parkinson Center at Barrow since its inception.

The Muhammad Ali Parkinson Center at Barrow Neurological Institute is founded.

A $40-million Neuroscience Research Center, now known as the Marian H. Rochelle Neuroscience Research Center, opens on the Barrow Campus.

Barrow researchers, led by Dr. Joseph Zabramski and Dr. Eric Johnson, identify the gene that causes the inherited form of cerebral cavernous malformations.