Dr. Bob B. Shafa, MD

Media Releases

Get to know Neurosurgeon Dr. Bob B. Shafa, who serves patients in Torrance, California

Dr. Shafa is a leading neurosurgeon at The Institute of Brain and Spine Surgery in Torrance, California, which he joined in 2014. He continues to serve as Assistant Professor with David Geffen School of Medicine, a role he embraced in 2007. Dr. Shafa specializes in the surgical treatment of pituitary tumors as well as degenerative and traumatic spine disorders. With an interest in the management of traumatic brain injury, he maintains clinical interests in the surgical treatment of malignant and benign brain tumors, hemorrhagic stroke and stroke related conditions as well as general neurosurgery. 

“For over 30 years, the partners of The Institute of Brain and Spine Surgery in Torrance and San Pedro, California, have been South Bay’s leading provider of comprehensive, state-of-the-art services and procedures to patients in need of surgical and non-surgical treatment of the brain and spine. The Institute has a longstanding tradition of providing excellence in neurosurgery”, states the official website of The Institute of Brain and Spine Surgery. 

Armed with his undergraduate degree acquired from David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA in Los Angeles, California, in 1996, Dr. Shafa completed  his medical degree at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 2001. He then served his general surgery internship at Harbor UCLA Medical Center (2001-2002) and his neurosurgery residency at Loma Linda University School of Medicine (2002-2006). To advance his training, Dr. Shafa conducted a spine surgery fellowship at the Swedish Neuroscience Institute in Seattle, Washington (2006-2007).

Subsequent to his education, the doctor attained board certification in neurosurgery through the American Board of Neurological Surgery. The broad aim of the American Board of Neurological Surgery is to encourage the study, improve the practice, elevate the standards, and advance the science of neurological surgery, and thereby to serve the cause of public health.

Neurosurgery or neurological surgery, known in common parlance as brain surgery, 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, central and peripheral nervous system, and cerebrovascular system.

Dr. Shafa maintains professional memberships with the California Association of Neurological Surgeons, the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, and the Congress of Neurological Surgeons. He has privileges at Torrance Memorial IPA in Torrance, California, and the Providence Health System.

Recommended Articles

• Laminectomy: Reasons for Having One and the Risks It Involves

  What Is a Laminectomy?A laminectomy is a kind of surgery whose aim is to decompress the spinal cord. The lamina (the bone that constitutes spinal‘s vertebral arch) and bone spurs are removed during the operation. Both the lamina and bone spurs can compress your spinal cord leading to:...

• Scoliosis Symptoms and Causes

  Scoliosis often occurs in kids below the age of puberty. Some of the most common signs of scoliosis happen to be the following:...

• What Is Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery?

  Spinal surgery usually requires that the surgeon makes a relatively huge incision on the patient’s back in order to have complete access to the spinal vertebrae. This is the usual procedure in dealing with defects of the spine, and it has been so because of the delicate nature of the...

• What Is a Cervical Laminectomy?

  A cervical laminectomy is performed to relieve the compression of the spinal cord and nerves around your neck. This is achieved by making the spinal canal wider, creating more space for your nerves. A part of the protruding bone or the lamina is either removed or trimmed during this procedure. The...

• Treatment for Parkinson's Disease

  Parkinson’s Disease: It Isn't EasyTony led a normal life just like many of us. He was approaching his fifth to sixth decade, and he was the head of an engineering department--capable of making decisions and recalling those decisions. But suddenly, communication with his wife and children was...

• Scoliosis Pain: Treatment, Management, and Exercises

  Scoliosis is a serious condition that often occurs more in females than in males. The condition itself can be hard to diagnose at the start, which is why the healthcare professional will subject the patient to several tests, including asking them to touch their toes as well as to find out if their...