Mark E. Oppenlander, M.D., is a neurosurgeon in the Department of Neurosurgery at Barrow Neurological Institute. He is board certified by the American Board of Neurological Surgery. Dr. Oppenlander’s expertise includes the surgical treatment of complex spinal disorders and deformities, spinal tumors, and spinal trauma. He is a fellow of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) and a member of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons (CNS), the AANS/CNS Joint Section of Disorders of the Spine and Peripheral Nerves, the North American Spine Society, and the Scoliosis Research Society. Dr. Oppenlander earned his medical degree from the University of Michigan Medical School in Ann Arbor. He completed his neurosurgery residency at Barrow, a fellowship in complex spine and spinal deformity at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, and a fellowship in craniovertebral junction and spinal oncology at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery in London. Dr. Oppenlander serves on the Executive Committee of the AANS/CNS Section on Disorders of the Spine and Peripheral Nerves (DSPN), and as a member of the Scientific Program Committee for the AANS/CNS Spine Section annual meeting. He is the Chair of the Payor Response Committee for the AANS/CNS Joint Section on Disorder of the Spine and Peripheral Nerves. Dr. Oppenlander is the 2026 Annual Meeting Vice Chair for the International Society for the Advancement of Spine Surgery (ISASS). He previously served as Associate Professor of Neurosurgery at University of Michigan, and was the Head Unaffiliated Neurotrauma Consultant (UNC) for the Detroit Lions in the National Football League, and Team Neurosurgeon for the University of Michigan football program until 2022. Dr. Oppenlander currently serves as UNC for the Arizona Cardinals. He lives in Paradise Valley with his family.
Mark E. Oppenlander, M.D., F.A.A.N.S.
Biography
- Fellow, American Association of Neurological Surgeons
- Fellow, Congress of Neurological Surgeons
- Julian T. Hoff Teaching Award, University of Michigan Department of Neurosurgery
- The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh overseas trainee sponsorship
Research Interests & Focus
Dr. Mark E. Oppenlander’s research interests include complex spine disorders, adult spinal deformity, minimally invasive spine surgery, the role of spinal surgery in reducing pain and opioid use, robotics in neurosurgery, optimal approaches and instrumentation techniques for thoracic disc disease, and sports-related brain and spine injuries. He is the Principle Investigator or Co-Principle Investigator of multiple ongoing clinical trials. Dr. Oppenlander has published numerous peer-reviewed research studies and textbook chapters; he is the sole editor of the textbook Neurosurgical Care of Athletes (2022, Springer).