Dr. David F. Jimenez, MD, FACS

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Get to know Neurosurgeon Dr. David F. Jimenez, who serves patients in Texas.

Dr. Jimenez is a dual board-certified & fellowship-trained pediatric and adult neurosurgeon. He is proud to serve as Chair of the Department of Neurosciences at El Paso Children’s Hospital and as Director of the Department of Neurosurgery at University Medical Center in El Paso, Texas.

In adult neurosurgery, his approach of using endoscopic assisted, minimally invasive techniques include craniosynostosis, simple and complex hydrocephalus, cranial cysts, cranial bleeds, cranial tumors, trigeminal and facial neuralgia, carpal tunnel syndrome, and selected spinal conditions such as spinal stenosis, sciatica, herniated discs, spinal instability and fractures.

His extensive experience in treating children include craniosynostosis, brain tumors and cysts, Chiari, encephaloceles, spina bifida, complex and simple hydrocephalus, epilepsy and many other congenital cranial deformities.

This nationally and internationally recognized doctor has been taking care of patients and families locally and from around the world for more than 30 years. He developed the Endoscopic-Assisted Craniectomy more than two decades ago, with a goal to decrease complications, surgical trauma and blood transfusions in children in need of treatment for craniosynostosis.

Because of his strong belief that this less invasive approach is best for children with craniosynostosis, Dr. Jimenez has trained dozens of neurosurgeons and craniofacial teams from around the world in his surgical technique. 

While many of these surgeons have developed practices to make this procedure more readily available, Dr. Jimenez has performed more endoscopic-assisted craniectomies than any other surgeon worldwide. He has performed this technique more than 1000 times on babies as young as two weeks old. He takes great pride in sharing the stories of the children he has cared for who are now growing up to live healthy, normal lives.

Pertaining to his educational background, Dr. Jimenez graduated with his Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychobiology from Temple University. He then went on to earn his medical degree from the Temple University School of Medicine, after which he performed his residency in neurosurgery at Temple University Hospital, and his residency in pediatric neurosurgery at Montefiore Medical Center.

Remaining at the forefront of his challenging field, he is board-certified through the American Board of Neurological Surgery (ABNS). The broad aim of the ABNS is to encourage the study, improve the practice, elevate the standards and advance the science of neurological surgery and thereby serve the cause of public health.

A long-time leader in professional societies, Dr. Jimenez is a member of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, the Congress of Neurological Surgeons, the American College of Surgeons (Fellow), and the American Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Association.

Neurosurgery is the medical specialty concerned with the prevention, diagnosis, surgical treatment, and rehabilitation of disorders which affect any portion of the nervous system including the brain, spinal cord, peripheral nerves, and extra-cranial cerebrovascular system. Neurosurgeons are doctors who diagnose and treat problems with the nervous system, often by performing surgery on the brain or spine. They treat strokes, tumors, cervical and lumbar disc disease, infections, and head or spinal cord injuries.

Reflecting his lifetime work as a thought leader, sought-after lecturer, well-funded researcher, and prolific writer, Dr. Jimenez’s list of medical honors and awards is quite extensive. He has presented abstracts, posters or lectures at well over 250 local, national and international meetings, contributed material to almost two dozen neurosurgical books, and published over 65 papers. He has also published his two decade experience treating patients with metopic craniosynostosis using endoscopic techniques in the January edition of the Journal of Neurosurgery-Pediatrics (2019).

His many awards and honors include America’s Top Doctors, Best Doctors in America, Top Doctors in San Antonio – Pediatric Neurosurgeon, the Continuing Education Award in Neurosurgery from the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, the Service Quality Award from University of Missouri Health Care, and the Texas Medical Association Award for service to physicians-in-training. 

Dr. Jimenez has appeared as a guest on local and national TV and radio programs, including the Discovery Health Channel (profiled as a “Super Surgeon”) and ABC’s Good Morning America. His life-changing neurosurgical pediatric practice has been profiled in numerous healthcare and general interest publications of local and national scope. 

During the 1990’s, he created a multidisciplinary team to surgically treat disadvantaged children in the Philippines.

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