David Vansickle, MD

Dr. VanSickle, board certified by the American Board of Neurological Surgery, specializes in helping patients with Parkinson’s and other movement disorders gain years of active, fulfilling life through deep brain stimulation (DBS). As an experienced neurosurgeon, Dr. VanSickle saw the reluctance of patients to undergo DBS, which is traditionally performed while the patient is awake. Understanding his patients’ fears, he set out to help develop a technique that allows patients to remain asleep during the procedure. Adding robotic-guidance, Dr. VanSickle now performs Asleep DBS with results that far outperform national averages.

Dr. VanSickle started his career in engineering. By the time he had completed his master’s degree and doctorate in bioengineering, Dr. VanSickle had published roughly 40 papers. He works to fundamentally understand systems and strategy in a way that has bridged the gap between engineers, scientists, and physicians. This perspective to learning and life led Dr. VanSickle to go on to pursue a career in neurosurgery. He earned his medical degree from the University of Pittsburgh and completed a six year neurosurgery residency at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center. While there, he was named Surgical Intern of the Year and later the Neurosurgery Resident of the Year. He is a member of Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society as his commitment to research, leadership, and learning continues to this day.

Dr. VanSickle has authored and co-authored numerous peer-reviewed journal articles and has given multiple presentations. He is a member of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS), Congress of Neurological Surgeons (CNS), and the American Medical Association (AMA). He is married and has two children.