Dr. David Dornbos III is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Neurological Surgery at UK HealthCare, where he specializes in cerebrovascular and endovascular neurosurgery. He focuses on treating stroke, carotid stenosis, intracranial aneurysms, arteriovenous malformation, and other vascular disorders.

Dr. Dornbos graduated from Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan, earning Honors in Biology and a minor in Biochemistry. Following this, he earned his medical degree from the Wayne State University School of Medicine in Detroit, Michigan. During this time he authored nearly 20 publications focused on stroke care, prevention, and recovery while working in a lab focused on mechanisms of acute ischemic stroke recovery.

After obtaining his medical degree, Dr. Dornbos completed his residency at The Ohio State University in neurological surgery. In addition to publishing numerous clinical research projects related to aneurysm treatment, he also worked in a translational stroke research lab, developing and testing new drugs with improved safety and efficacy in the treatment of ischemic stroke. He also led numerous quality improvement projects aimed at enhancing patient safety and elevating the quality of neurosurgical care. He then completed a fellowship in open cerebrovascular and endovascular neurosurgery at the Semmes Murphey Clinic in Memphis, TN. During this time, he partnered with industry and numerous collaborators around the world to facilitate device development and multi-institutional research efforts to improve outcomes in ischemic stroke, intracranial aneurysms, and carotid disease.

Currently, Dr. Dornbos focuses his academic research endeavors on the new imaging modalities in ischemic stroke, better understanding of the cerebral microenvironment in the acute setting of stroke, and in facilitating new ways to more safely remove blood clots during stroke. He is collaborating with other providers at UK in numerous clinical trials evaluating new treatment modalities in stroke, intracranial hemorrhage, and traumatic brain injury. He is also leading several quality improvement initiatives aimed at improving the safety and care of neurosurgical patients.

He is the Vice Chair of the AANS Young Neurosurgeons Committee and is heavily involved in numerous other professional societies, including the Congress of Neurological Surgeons and the AANS/CNS Cerebrovascular Section.

Personal Statement

Outside of medicine, I love the outdoors and enjoying activities such as hiking, running, cycling, and spending time with my family. When caring for patients affected by neurosurgical disease, my primary goal is to preserve their ability to enjoy these same things too for as long as possible.

Vascular neurosurgery diseases have profound implications on a patient's life. Whenever discussing options with my patients, I try to make things as relatable and understandable as possible, and I partner with them to protect them from potentially life-threatening diseases with as little risk as possible.

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