MEDICAL ADVISORY BOARD
Steven Abram, MD
Dr. Abram is a native of San Francisco, California. He is married and the father of four. Dr. Abram received his bachelor’s degree from Stanford University. In 1985, he received his medical degree from Loyola-Stritch School of Medicine in Chicago. He completed his residency in Neurosurgery at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Dr. Abram is certified by the Board of Neurological Surgery.
Vaughan Allen, MD
Dr. Allen is a native of Livermore Falls, Maine. He is married and the father of two. Dr. Allen received his bachelor’s degree from Springfield College in Springfield, Massachusetts. In 1972, he received his medical degree from Temple University School of Medicine. He completed his residency in Neurosurgery at Vanderbilt Hospital. Dr. Allen is board-certified by the American Board of Neurological Surgery.
Helion Cruz, MD
Dr. Cruz specializes in general neurology, EMG nerve and conduction studies and treats patients experiencing numbness, tingling, back pain and extremity pain. He is also trained in programming of Vagus Nerve Stimulation (VNS) and Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) devices, used respectively for the treatment of epilepsy and certain movement disorders.
Dr. Cruz received his medical degree from the University of Puerto Rico. He completed his medical internship at Abington Memorial Hospital in Abington, VA and his neurology residency at Temple University Hospital in Philadelphia, PA. Dr. Cruz is board certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology.
Carl Hampf, MD
Dr. Hampf is a native of Denver, Colorado. He is married and the father of four. Dr. Hampf received his bachelor’s degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In 1982, he received his medical degree from Vanderbilt School of Medicine. He completed his residency in Neurosurgery at the University of Western Ontario. Dr. Hampf is board-certified by the American Board of Neurological Surgery.
Everett Howell, MD
Dr. Howell is a native of Jackson, Mississippi. He is married and the father of three. Dr. Howell received his bachelor’s degree from Mississippi State University. In 1969, he received his medical degree from Vanderbilt School of Medicine. He completed his residency in neurosurgery at Vanderbilt Hospital. Dr. Howell is board-certified by the American Board of Neurological Surgery.
Jason Hubbard, MD
Dr. Jason Hubbard trained at the renowned Semmes-Murphey Clinic, where he completed both his neurosurgical residency and complex spine fellowship. He learned minimally invasive techniques during his time there, and over the last five years he has pioneered these techniques and has trained doctors both nationally and internationally. He has been invited to teach and perform surgery overseas, and was recognized by Medtronic Sofamor Danek with a special award for his contributions to minimally invasive spine surgery. Most recently, he has received publication for his patent on a dynamic lumbar stabilization device and artificial facet joint system. He has been invited to lecture at the Congress of Neurological Surgeons and the American Association of Neurological Surgeons. Dr. Hubbard has been involved with several research studies. Recently, he was the primary investigator in Tennessee for the FDA approval study for the Prestige cervical artificial disc.
Dr. Hubbard is board-certified by the American Board of Neurological Surgeons. He is a member of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons, American Association of Neurological Surgeons, Tennessee Neurosurgical Society, and Nashville Surgical Society. Dr. Hubbard is married and has five children and resides in Brentwood, Tennessee.
Gregory Lanford, MD
Dr. Lanford is native of West Memphis, Arkansas. He is the father of two. Dr. Lanford attended the University of Arkansas. In 1984, he received his medical degree from the University of Tennessee. He completed his residency in Neurosurgery at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Dr. Lanford is certified by the Board of Neurological Surgery.
Richard Lebow, MD
Dr. Lebow is a native of Houston, Texas. He is married. Dr. Lebow received his bachelor’s degree and his medical degree from the University of Texas. He completed his residency in Neurosurgery at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Dr. Lebow also completed a Fellowship in Minimally Invasive and Complex Spine Surgery at Vanderbilt University. He is a member of Phi Beta Kappa and Alpha Omega Alpha honor societies. Dr. Lebow is board eligible by the American Board of Neurological Surgery.
Paul McCombs, MD
Dr. McCombs is a native of Jacksonville, Florida. He received his bachelor’s degree from Emory University in Atlanta. In 1977, he received his medical degree from the University of Miami. He completed his residency in Neurosurgery at Vanderbilt Medical Center. Dr. McCombs is board-certified by the American Board of Neurological Surgery.
Brian O’Shaughnessy, MD
Dr. O’Shaughnessy is a native of Larchmont, New York. He is married and the proud father of one daughter. Dr. O’Shaughnessy received a dual degree in Mathematics and Theoretical Chemical Physics from the University of Florida. He graduated with magna cum laude distinction and was elected into Phi Beta Kappa. In 2002, he received his medical degree from the University of Miami School of Medicine. He then completed his residency in Neurological Surgery at Northwestern University in Chicago, Illinois. After residency, he performed fellowship training in complex spinal surgery (scoliosis, kyphosis, tumors, minimally-invasive surgery, etc.) with the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. Dr. O’Shaughnessy is board eligible by the American Board of Neurological Surgery.
Timothy Schoettle, MD
Dr. Schoettle is a native of West Memphis, Arkansas. He is married and the father of two. Dr. Schoettle received his bachelor’s degree from Vanderbilt University. In 1978, he received his medical degree from Vanderbilt Medical School. He completed is residency in Neurosurgery at Vanderbilt Hospital. Dr. Schoettle is certified by the American Board of Neurological Surgery.
John Spooner, MD
Dr. Spooner is married with three children. Dr. Spooner received his bachelor’s degree and his medical degree from the University of Arizona in Tucson, Arizona. He completed his residency in Neurosurgery at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Dr. Spooner is board eligible by the American Board of Neurological Surgery.
Scott Standard, MD
Dr. Standard is a native of Atlanta, Georgia. He is married and the father of three. Dr. Standard received his bachelor’s degree from Princeton University. In 1989, he received his medical degree from the University of Alabama. He completed his residency in Neurosurgery at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Dr. Standard also completed a Neuro-Endovascular Fellowship at State University of New York at Buffalo. He is certified by the American Board of Neurological Surgery.
Adrian Jarquin-Valdivia, MD
Dr. Valdivia is currently the Medical Director for the Stroke Center and the Neurosciences Intensive Care Unit at TriStar Centennial Medical Center. He received his medical degree from the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Honduras and his neurology residence from Mayo Clinic in Rochester New York. Dr. Valdivia is certified in Neurocritical Care, Vascular Neurology, Clinical Neurology, MRI/CT Neuroimaging, Critical Care Medicine, Neurosonology, and is a Registered Diagnostic Medical Sonographer. He has published papers and book chapters covering all aspects of neurologic medicine. Dr. Valdivia has been a peer reviewer for numerous medical journals including the Neurocritical Care Journal, Medical Education Journal and the World Journal of Oncologic. He was also catalysis for The Joint Commission Stroke Accreditation at TriStar Hendersonville Medical Center and TriStar Horizon Medical Center. Dr. Valdivia is a national speaker and has presented at several of our past Neurosymposiums.
