Alan Thomas Villavicencio, MD

Dr. Alan Villavicencio, MD, is a board-certified surgeon who specializes in complex spinal reconstructive surgery, including scoliosis and other types of deformity as well as minimally invasive spine surgery. He treats almost all types of brain and spinal disorders, performing up to 600 operative cases annually and has performed approximately 8,000 operations over the course of his career. Dr. Villavicencio is the Director of Neurosurgery at Longmont United Hospital. His goal as a neurosurgeon is not just to stay at the forefront of neurosurgical care but to actually advance the field through the continued development and application of new and innovative surgical and non-surgical treatment options. He is one of the few neurosurgeons in the country dedicated to improving clinical outcomes and patient safety by promoting and implementing evidence-based medicine into clinical practice. Dr. Villavicencio received his medical degree from Harvard Medical School with honors and went on to complete a neurosurgical residency at Duke University Medical Center. He then finished an orthopedic spine surgery fellowship at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles and is one of the earliest surgeons in the country with dual neurosurgery and orthopedic spine training. He is the founder and current chairman of the board of the Justin Parker Neurological Institute, a nonprofit organization whose principal purpose is to conduct clinical research on behalf of patients and the broader medical community. Dr. Villavicencio has presented hundreds of abstracts at national and international neurosurgical meetings and has published more than 60 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters in leading neurosurgical journals and textbooks. He is also principal investigator for several previous and ongoing FDA IDE (investigational device exemption) prospective randomized trials. Dr. Villavicencio is a member of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS), the Congress of Neurological Surgeons (CNS), the North American Spine Society (NASS), the Colorado Neurosurgical Society (CNS), the Colorado Medical Society (CMS) and the AANS/CNS Section on Disorders of the Spine and Peripheral Nerves and the Section on Tumors. He is also a Joint Sponsorship Council Member of the AANS. He was the lead surgeon for a combined neurosurgery-orthopedic spine team that has traveled to Inner Mongolia on several occasions in order to perform charity surgery on children with spinal severe spinal deformities. In his spare time, Dr. Villavicencio enjoys spending time with his family, including his three children and four dogs. His organic farming and ranching operation has over 100 head of cattle, six horses and 12 chickens. He is also an avid athlete who has run a sub-three-hour marathon, has competed in approximately 35 marathons, 50 triathlons and 20 full Ironman events, including the Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii on several occasions. Dr. Villavicencio has also competed in and completed all of the Leadville Marathons and Ultramarathons, including both the Leadville 100-mile mountain bike race and Leadville 100-mile trail running race, back-to-back, for multiple years. As such, he has a particular interest in treating athletes and all other patients with the goal of utilizing less invasive techniques for a faster recovery back to peak physical condition.