Newsweek Ranks Barrow No. 15 Globally, No. 10 Nationally for Neurosurgery
For the fifth consecutive year, Barrow Neurological Institute is ranked among the World’s Best Specialized Hospitals for Neurosurgery by Newsweek.
Since launching this global ranking with its 2022 list, the media company has consistently positioned Barrow—based in Phoenix, Arizona—as the No. 1 facility in the Southwestern United States. For the past four years, Barrow has held the No. 10 spot nationally. Of all 125 hospitals ranked in the neurosurgery subspecialty, Barrow sits at No. 15 in the world.
The 2026 rankings culminate the results of a worldwide survey of medical professionals, conducted in partnership with the global research firm Statista, as well as a review of accreditation data and certifications.
The Barrow Difference
“The Barrow reputation is evolving from being a world-class neurological institute that delivers specialized, personalized care to patients at the highest level, to one that is on the absolute cutting edge of high technology and futuristic medicine,” said Barrow President and CEO Michael T. Lawton, MD. “We are earning that reputation from our partnership with Neuralink, from being the site for the first-ever robotically implanted brain-computer interface device, and from the seven patients in total implanted here—the most such patients treated globally. And this is but one example among countless other advances happening at Barrow.”
Barrow is home to 11 state-of-the-art, neurosurgery-dedicated operating rooms and two advanced neuroendovascular suites. It is the largest neuroscience center in the nation, featuring the 430,000-square-foot Robert F. Spetzler Neuroscience Tower and the 122,000-square-foot Neuroplex. Each year, Barrow treats more than 73,000 patients and performs more than 6,000 surgeries of the brain, spine, head, and neck.
Because of the Institute’s high volume of patients and world-renowned reputation, Barrow neurosurgeons have experience with even the rarest and most challenging neurosurgical conditions. In fact, patients travel across the globe to undergo neurosurgery at Barrow, often beginning with the Institute’s online Second Opinion Program.
Additionally, Barrow has long served as a destination for neurosurgery education. Doximity, an online networking service for medical professionals, currently ranks the Institute as having the No. 1 neurosurgery residency program based on reputation.
“I couldn’t be more proud of all the dedicated neurosurgeons, neurologists, and clinicians that make inclusion in the top 10 specialized hospitals for neurosurgery in the U.S. a reality,” Dr. Lawton said.