Dr. John H. McVicker, MD, FACS, FAANS

Media Releases

Get to know Neurosurgeon Dr. John H. McVicker, who serves patients in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Dr. McVicker is a board-certified neurosurgeon and Director of Neurosciences at Memorial Hospital at UCHealth in Colorado Springs, Colorado. He is recognized for his instrumental role in assisting Memorial Hospital to develop the full repertoire of neuroscience capability. An expert in the diagnosis and treatment of trigeminal neuralgia, Dr. McVicker has vast experience in neurotrauma and neurocritical care, functional and stereotactic neurosurgery, pituitary surgery, and cervical and lumbar spine surgery, principally for the treatment of trauma to the spine. 

Dr. McVicker practices at UCHealth Brain and Spine Clinic – Colorado Springs in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and UCHealth Brain and Spine Tumor Multidisciplinary Clinic – Memorial Hospital Central in Colorado Springs, Colorado. 

Dr. McVicker attended the University of Colorado School of Medicine and, following his graduation in 1981, he pursued his internship at the University of Florida College of Medicine (1981 – 1982) He then joined the Shands Teaching Hospital at the University of Florida College of Medicine, where he completed his neurosurgery residency in 1987.

Subsequent to his education, the doctor attained board certification in neurosurgery and neurocritical care 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. McVicker’s research interests cover neurocritical care, neurotrauma, and surgery for movement disorders such as Parkinson’s disease and essential tremor. He is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons as well as Fellow of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (FAANS). Dr. McVicker is also Vice President of the Western Neurosurgical and member of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons.

Recommended Articles

• 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 Are the Risks of Laminectomy?

  Your doctor will first attempt to give you other alternative treatments before recommending surgery. If your back pain still persists after treatment, your doctor may suggest for surgery as one of the solutions. Laminectomy is the most probable surgical procedure that you will have to undergo.Facts...

• What Is Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus?

  Normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH) is a type of brain disorder, wherein excess cerebrospinal fluid builds up in the ventricles of the brain. It causes problems in reasoning, thinking, difficulty in walking, and loss of bladder control.Brains ventricles are hollow fluid-filled chambers. Even...

• 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...

• What to Expect While Undergoing Spinal Stenosis Surgery?

  Spinal stenosis is a condition where two spinal vertebrae separated by an intervertebral disc come closer as the disc wears off due to osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis or trauma. When this happens, the spinal nerve that runs between them becomes compressed causing pain to the individual. The...

• What Is a Transorbital Lobotomy?

  Transorbital LobotomyTransorbital lobotomy was once considered as a form of neurosurgery that was labeled as "insane". A pioneer in this field was a Portuguese doctor named António Egas Moniz. He introduced frontal lobotomy in 1935 for certain cases of psychosis and won a Nobel Prize because of...