Neurotrauma Neurosurgeon - Assistant Professor

The Department of Neurosurgery at the Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW) is seeking a board-certified or board-eligible neurosurgeon to join our academic practice serving the greater Milwaukee area and eastern Wisconsin.

This is an exciting opportunity to join and help advance our established comprehensive, multidisciplinary neurotrauma program within one of the Midwest's leading academic health systems. The qualified neurosurgeon will join the Neurotrauma inpatient and outpatient services, providing specialized care across the continuum, from acute inpatient management through outpatient follow-up and recovery. This position will allow for more consistent, specialized management of traumatic brain injury (TBI), spinal cord injury (SCI), spinal column injury, peripheral nerve injury (PNI), and blunt cerebrovascular injury (BCVI). 

The Department of Neurosurgery Faculty includes 29 actively practicing neurosurgeons, 5 chiropractors, 11 research faculty, and numerous adjunct and emeritus faculty.  Our ACGME-accredited residency has enjoyed excellent reviews from the ACGME and just this year expanded from 2 residents per year to 3 residents per year.  We offer CAST-accredited fellowships in Complex Spine, Neuroendovascular Neurosurgery, Skull Base, Functional Neurosurgery, and Neurocritical Care, and we plan to apply for Neurotrauma in 2027 with the addition of this faculty position.  Our residents participate in nearly surgical 4,000 cases per academic year on average.

• FMLH (also known as Froedtert Hospital) is a 781-bed quaternary academic medical center with consistent Magnet nursing designation and Top 20 Vizient rankings.  It is among America’s 50 Best Hospitals ranked by HealthGrades and one of 100 Great Hospitals by Becker’s Hospital Review.  FMLH admits over 40,000 patients per year and provides more than 1 million outpatient visits annually.  FMLH is a designated Level I trauma center and a Comprehensive Stroke Center.  All physicians providing care at FMLH are MCW physicians.
• Children’s Wisconsin (CW) (formerly known as Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin) is a free-standing children’s hospital and operates 306 acute care beds at the Milwaukee campus and 42 additional beds in Neenah, WI (Fox Valley).  The majority of physicians practicing at CW are MCW physicians.  CW and offers numerous multi-disciplinary outpatient clinics involving our pediatric neurosurgery team and overall outpatient clinic volume exceeds 305,000 visits.  More than 23,000 children are admitted annually with 66,000 of those entering through the emergency department and/or the Level I Pediatric Trauma Center.
• The Clement J. Zablocki Veterans Affairs Medical Center sits on a 245-acre campus at the western edge of Milwaukee.  Serving a 7,500-square-mile region encompassing 17 counties, the hospital has 196 acute care beds, 95 domiciliary beds and 113 nursing home care unit beds.  VA Milwaukee health care serves a population of more than 234,000 Veterans and in 2025, provided care for 62,900 Veterans.

The successful candidate will join a collaborative team primarily at MCW and Froedtert Memorial Lutheran Hospital (FMLH) and affiliated regional sites. The role will support increasing neurotrauma consult volumes and provide dedicated surgical expertise for patients with TBI, SCI, spinal column trauma, PNI, and BCVI.  The surgeon will work closely with our Trauma Surgery and Neurocritical Care teams, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Neuropsychology, and other multidisciplinary partners to improve care coordination, standardize clinical pathways, enhance patient outcomes, and improve throughput while working alongside existing providers who currently balance neurotrauma care with subspecialty responsibilities.

Research opportunities are available and supported by a large team of research administrators, coordinators, and other staff in the Department of Neurosurgery.  Neurosurgery PIs have the highest rate of extramural funding on campus and enjoy significant support from our internal infrastructure as well as that of the Wisconsin Institute of NeuroScience (WINS).  The majority of our dedicated research faculty are working in the field of neurotrauma, and there is ample opportunity on campus for collaborative projects with any number of disciplines.

 Position Highlights: 

• A highly collaborative academic neurotrauma and TBI program within the Medical College of Wisconsin and Froedtert Health.

• Opportunity to provide dedicated inpatient and outpatient neurotrauma care and contribute to a comprehensive, multidisciplinary TBI program across the continuum of care.
• Participate in the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine Action Collaborative in TBI
• Access to advanced surgical technologies, dedicated operating room resources, neurocritical care, and multidisciplinary care teams.
• Opportunity to lead student, resident, and fellow education through MCW's nationally recognized training programs.
• Engage in clinical research, quality improvement initiatives, development of standardized clinical pathways, and program development based on individual interests and career goals.
• Dedicated advanced practice provider and administrative support to optimize clinical efficiency, care coordination, and patient access.

Department/Division Highlights: 

The MCW Department of Neurosurgery advances the field of neurological surgery through world-class adult and pediatric clinical care, groundbreaking research, and innovative education.

Our renowned team provides the breadth of neurosurgical services with specialists in all subspecialty areas of neurosurgery. 

Qualifications 

• Medical degree (MD, DO, or equivalent) from an accredited institution
• Graduation from an ACGME-accredited residency program
• Fellowship training or demonstrated expertise in neurotrauma, particularly traumatic brain injury and and spinal cord/column injury

• Board certification or eligibility from the American Board of Neurological Surgeons

• State medical licensure, or eligibility to obtain a license, in Wisconsin. 
• Demonstrated academic productivity in the field of neurotrauma is desired. 

Procedure for Candidacy

To submit your application, please click on “Apply Now.” You will create a candidate profile, and you will be prompted to upload your CV and your cover letter, describing your interest and qualifications. References will be required at an appropriate time in the process. All interactions will remain confidential, and no inquiries will be made without the consent of the applicant. Application review will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled.

For inquiries or to learn more, please contact:

Jen Van Abel Thibodeau, Physician & APP Recruiter

[email protected]

#LI-JV1

Medical College of Wisconsin

The Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW) is the state’s only private medical school and health sciences graduate school. MCW consists of a School of Medicine with campuses in Milwaukee, Green Bay and Central Wisconsin, a School of Graduate Studies, and a School of Pharmacy. MCW is a major national research center ranking in the top third of U.S. medical schools in NIH funding and is the second largest research institution in Wisconsin. Academic medicine is at the core of everything we do at MCW, bringing together scientists, clinicians, students and community members to solve the most complex challenges in health and society. MCW is a diverse group of thought leaders collaborating to pioneer pathways to a healthier world. Every study we conduct and every patient we see leads to new learning and a continuous cycle of life-changing knowledge and innovation.

Approximately 1,780 MCW physicians and approximately 905 advanced practice providers care for more than 484,000 patients of all ages annually at Froedtert Hospital, Zablocki VA Medical Center, Children’s Wisconsin, and many other hospitals and clinics throughout eastern Wisconsin, representing more than 5.1 million patient visits annually.

The beautiful, safe and modern campus of the Milwaukee Regional Medical Center (MRMC) houses Froedtert Hospital, Children’s Wisconsin, Curative Care Network, Versiti Blood Research Institute and the Milwaukee County Behavioral Health Division. These member entities share a common mission of excellence in patient care, medical education, biomedical research and community service.

Commitment to MCW Values

All of our endeavors at MCW, from our internal operations to our interactions with our partners, are driven by our shared organizational values: acting in Caring ways – engaging in Collaborative efforts – approaching our world with Curiosity – advancing Inclusive practices – demonstrating Integrity in all we do – treating everyone with Respect. We are committed to fostering an inclusive environment that values diversity in backgrounds, experiences and perspectives through merit-based processes, and in alignment with all applicable laws. We believe that embracing human differences is critical to realize our vision of a healthier world, and we recognize that a healthy and thriving community starts from within. Our values define who we are, what we stand for and how we conduct ourselves at MCW. If you believe in embracing individuality and working together according to these principles to improve health for all, then MCW is the place for you.

Milwaukee, the largest city in Wisconsin, is located on Lake Michigan’s western shore. A metropolitan area with more than 1.6 million people, Milwaukee is an affordable, comfortable place to live, work, and play, big enough to be exciting and uncongested enough to get around easily. Milwaukee’s many neighborhoods have incredible charm, accommodating a variety of lifestyles, from high-rise apartments to small farms. Nestled along a magnificent bluff overlooking Lake Michigan, Milwaukee’s downtown is home to botanical gardens, lakefront museums, a theater district, the world champion Milwaukee Bucks, the Milwaukee Brewers, bustling nightlife, and award-winning restaurants. The lake and its harbors are skirted by scenic parklands and provide first-class opportunities for recreation, including hiking, cycling, boating, and more. A recent study ranked Milwaukee as the 15th most walkable of the 50 largest US cities. Milwaukee has all the advantages of a large, vibrant city but without the stress or cost.

MCW as an Equal Opportunity Employer and Commitment to Non-Discrimination

The Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW) is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to fostering an inclusive community of outstanding faculty, staff, and students, as well as ensuring equal educational opportunity, employment, and access to services, programs, and activities, without regard to an individual's race, color, national origin, religion, age, disability, sex, gender identity/expression, sexual orientation, marital status, pregnancy, predisposing genetic characteristic, or military status. Employees, students, applicants or other members of the MCW community (including but not limited to vendors, visitors, and guests) may not be subjected to harassment that is prohibited by law or treated adversely or retaliated against based upon a protected characteristic.