
Faculty & Staff Directory

Robert Spetzler, MD, is a world-renowned neurosurgeon who specializes in cerebrovascular disease and skull base tumors. He has been involved in pioneering the technique of hypothermia and cardiac arrest for the treatment of difficult brain lesions. He has been honored many times by professional societies, including the American College of Surgeons and the Congress of Neurological Surgeons. In 1994, Dr. Spetzler was chosen to be the Honored Guest of Congress of Neurological Surgeons. At age 49, he was the youngest recipient of this prestigious honor.
Dr. Spetzler was born in Stierhoefstetten, Germany, and moved to the United States at the age of 11. He received his B.S. from Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois, and his doctorate of medicine from Northwestern Medical School in Chicago. His postgraduate training was completed at Wesley Memorial Hospital–Northwestern in Chicago. He completed a residency in neurosurgery at the University of California – San Francisco. He received board certification in September 1979 from the American Board of Neurological Surgery.
In 1983 Dr. Spetzler left his position as associate professor of neurosurgery at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine in Cleveland to assume a position as chair of the Department of Neurosurgery at Barrow Neurological Institute at Dignity Health St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center in Phoenix. He served as president and CEO of Barrow from 1986 to 2017. He is also emeritus chair of neurosurgery at the Phoenix campus of The University of Arizona College of Medicine.
Dr. Spetzler has published more than 300 articles and 180 book chapters in the neuroscience literature. He has co-edited a number of neurosurgical textbooks, including the Color Atlas of Microneurosurgery.
Dr. Spetzler is no longer seeing patients. Please call (602) 406-3181 to request an appointment with current Barrow President and CEO Dr. Michael Lawton.
- Residency, UCSF, Neurosurgery, 1972-1977
- Internship, Northwestern University, Wesley Memorial Hospital, 1971-1972
- MD, Northwestern University School of Medicine, 1971
- BS, Knox College, 1967
- Illinois Valley Community College, 1963-1964
- American Academy of Neurological Surgery
- American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS)
- AANS/CNS Cerebrovascular Section
- American College of Surgeons
- Arizona Medical Association
- Congress of Neurological Surgeons (CNS)
- German Society of Neurological Surgery
- North American Skull Base Society (NASBS)
- Society of Neurological Surgeons
- World Academy of Neurological Surgery (WANS)
- World Federation of Neurosurgical Societies (WFNS)
- Recipient, Founder’s Laurel, CNS, 2010
- William B. Scoville Award, WFNS, 2009
- Health Care Leadership Award, Arizona Business Magazine, 2009
- Honored Guest, 4th International Skull Base Congress, 2004
- Honored Guest, American Academy of Achievement Class of 2000, AZ Golden Plate Award, 2000
- Outstanding Alumni, American Association of Community Colleges, 1997
- Honored Guest, Congress of Neurological Surgeons, 1994
- Honorary Degree, Doctor of Science, Knox College, 1994
- First Prize, American College of Surgeons, Resident Essay Contest, 1983
- First Prize, American College of Surgeons, Resident Essay Contest, 1982
- First Prize, American College of Surgeons, Resident Essay Contest, 1981
- First Prize, Research, Seventh International CNS, Therapeutic Barbiturate Induced Coma for Focal Cerebral Ischemia: Relation of Response to Timing of Therapy and Duration of Occlusion, 1981
- Annual Resident Award, 27th Annual Meeting, Congress of Neurological Surgery, 1977
- Honors in Biology, Knox College, cum laude, 1967
- Scholarship to Free University of Berlin, 1965-1966
Microsurgical Treatment of Cerebral Aneurysms
Date: 03/2022
Authors: Caleb Rutledge, Jacob F. Baranoski, Joshua S. Catapano, Michael T. Lawton, Robert F. Spetzler
Effects of Preoperative Embolization on Spetzler-Martin Grade I and II Arteriovenous Malformations: A Propensity-Adjusted Analysis
Date: 01/2022
Authors: Joshua S. Catapano, Visish M. Srinivasan, Kavelin Rumalla, Stefan W. Koester, Anna R. Kimata, Kevin L. Ma, Mohamed A. Labib, Jacob F. Baranoski, Tyler S. Cole, Caleb Rutledge, Andrew F. Ducruet, Felipe C. Albuquerque, Robert F. Spetzler, Michael T. Lawton
Nancy Davis Reagan, First Lady with a neurosurgical legacy
Date: 08/2021
Authors: Lena Mary Houlihan, Ann J. Staudinger Knoll, Jubran H. Jubran, Dara S. Farhadi, Dimitri Benner, Joseph M. Zabramski, J M. Zabramski, Michael T. Lawton, Robert F. Spetzler, R F. Spetzler, Robert F Spetzler, Mark C. Preul, Mark C Preul
Intermediate-grade brain arteriovenous malformations and the boundary of operability using the supplemented Spetzler-Martin grading system
Date: 06/2021
Authors: Joshua S. Catapano, Fabio A. Frisoli, Candice L. Nguyen, Mohamed A. Labib, Mohamed Labib, Tyler S. Cole, Jacob F. Baranoski, Helen Kim, Robert F. Spetzler, R F. Spetzler, Robert F Spetzler, Michael T. Lawton
Spetzler-Martin Grade III Arteriovenous Malformations: A Multicenter Propensity-Adjusted Analysis of the Effects of Preoperative Embolization
Date: 05/2021
Authors: Joshua S. Catapano, Fabio A. Frisoli, Candice L. Nguyen, D. Andrew Wilkinson, Neil Majmundar, Tyler S. Cole, Jacob F. Baranoski, Alexander C. Whiting, Helen Kim, Andrew F. Ducruet, Felipe C. Albuquerque, Edson X. Albuquerque, Daniel L. Cooke, Robert F. Spetzler, R F. Spetzler, Robert F Spetzler, Michael T. Lawton
- English
- German


Robert Spetzler, MD, is a world-renowned neurosurgeon who specializes in cerebrovascular disease and skull base tumors. He has been involved in pioneering the technique of hypothermia and cardiac arrest for the treatment of difficult brain lesions. He has been honored many times by professional societies, including the American College of Surgeons and the Congress of Neurological Surgeons. In 1994, Dr. Spetzler was chosen to be the Honored Guest of Congress of Neurological Surgeons. At age 49, he was the youngest recipient of this prestigious honor.
Dr. Spetzler was born in Stierhoefstetten, Germany, and moved to the United States at the age of 11. He received his B.S. from Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois, and his doctorate of medicine from Northwestern Medical School in Chicago. His postgraduate training was completed at Wesley Memorial Hospital–Northwestern in Chicago. He completed a residency in neurosurgery at the University of California – San Francisco. He received board certification in September 1979 from the American Board of Neurological Surgery.
In 1983 Dr. Spetzler left his position as associate professor of neurosurgery at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine in Cleveland to assume a position as chair of the Department of Neurosurgery at Barrow Neurological Institute at Dignity Health St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center in Phoenix. He served as president and CEO of Barrow from 1986 to 2017. He is also emeritus chair of neurosurgery at the Phoenix campus of The University of Arizona College of Medicine.
Dr. Spetzler has published more than 300 articles and 180 book chapters in the neuroscience literature. He has co-edited a number of neurosurgical textbooks, including the Color Atlas of Microneurosurgery.
Dr. Spetzler is no longer seeing patients. Please call (602) 406-3181 to request an appointment with current Barrow President and CEO Dr. Michael Lawton.

- Residency, UCSF, Neurosurgery, 1972-1977
- Internship, Northwestern University, Wesley Memorial Hospital, 1971-1972
- MD, Northwestern University School of Medicine, 1971
- BS, Knox College, 1967
- Illinois Valley Community College, 1963-1964
- American Academy of Neurological Surgery
- American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS)
- AANS/CNS Cerebrovascular Section
- American College of Surgeons
- Arizona Medical Association
- Congress of Neurological Surgeons (CNS)
- German Society of Neurological Surgery
- North American Skull Base Society (NASBS)
- Society of Neurological Surgeons
- World Academy of Neurological Surgery (WANS)
- World Federation of Neurosurgical Societies (WFNS)
- Recipient, Founder’s Laurel, CNS, 2010
- William B. Scoville Award, WFNS, 2009
- Health Care Leadership Award, Arizona Business Magazine, 2009
- Honored Guest, 4th International Skull Base Congress, 2004
- Honored Guest, American Academy of Achievement Class of 2000, AZ Golden Plate Award, 2000
- Outstanding Alumni, American Association of Community Colleges, 1997
- Honored Guest, Congress of Neurological Surgeons, 1994
- Honorary Degree, Doctor of Science, Knox College, 1994
- First Prize, American College of Surgeons, Resident Essay Contest, 1983
- First Prize, American College of Surgeons, Resident Essay Contest, 1982
- First Prize, American College of Surgeons, Resident Essay Contest, 1981
- First Prize, Research, Seventh International CNS, Therapeutic Barbiturate Induced Coma for Focal Cerebral Ischemia: Relation of Response to Timing of Therapy and Duration of Occlusion, 1981
- Annual Resident Award, 27th Annual Meeting, Congress of Neurological Surgery, 1977
- Honors in Biology, Knox College, cum laude, 1967
- Scholarship to Free University of Berlin, 1965-1966
Microsurgical Treatment of Cerebral Aneurysms
Date: 03/2022
Authors: Caleb Rutledge, Jacob F. Baranoski, Joshua S. Catapano, Michael T. Lawton, Robert F. Spetzler
Effects of Preoperative Embolization on Spetzler-Martin Grade I and II Arteriovenous Malformations: A Propensity-Adjusted Analysis
Date: 01/2022
Authors: Joshua S. Catapano, Visish M. Srinivasan, Kavelin Rumalla, Stefan W. Koester, Anna R. Kimata, Kevin L. Ma, Mohamed A. Labib, Jacob F. Baranoski, Tyler S. Cole, Caleb Rutledge, Andrew F. Ducruet, Felipe C. Albuquerque, Robert F. Spetzler, Michael T. Lawton
Nancy Davis Reagan, First Lady with a neurosurgical legacy
Date: 08/2021
Authors: Lena Mary Houlihan, Ann J. Staudinger Knoll, Jubran H. Jubran, Dara S. Farhadi, Dimitri Benner, Joseph M. Zabramski, J M. Zabramski, Michael T. Lawton, Robert F. Spetzler, R F. Spetzler, Robert F Spetzler, Mark C. Preul, Mark C Preul
Intermediate-grade brain arteriovenous malformations and the boundary of operability using the supplemented Spetzler-Martin grading system
Date: 06/2021
Authors: Joshua S. Catapano, Fabio A. Frisoli, Candice L. Nguyen, Mohamed A. Labib, Mohamed Labib, Tyler S. Cole, Jacob F. Baranoski, Helen Kim, Robert F. Spetzler, R F. Spetzler, Robert F Spetzler, Michael T. Lawton
Spetzler-Martin Grade III Arteriovenous Malformations: A Multicenter Propensity-Adjusted Analysis of the Effects of Preoperative Embolization
Date: 05/2021
Authors: Joshua S. Catapano, Fabio A. Frisoli, Candice L. Nguyen, D. Andrew Wilkinson, Neil Majmundar, Tyler S. Cole, Jacob F. Baranoski, Alexander C. Whiting, Helen Kim, Andrew F. Ducruet, Felipe C. Albuquerque, Edson X. Albuquerque, Daniel L. Cooke, Robert F. Spetzler, R F. Spetzler, Robert F Spetzler, Michael T. Lawton
- English
- German