The term “renowned leader” gets thrown around a lot, but neurosurgeon Ernest Braxton has an abundance of experience, expertise and proven innovation to solidly back that claim. Braxton, a neurosurgeon at Vail-Summit Orthopaedics & Neurosurgery, was the first surgeon in the nation to perform minimally invasive spinal surgery; in 2018, he inserted an artificial disc into a patient’s spine through the belly button.

In 2016, he was the first surgeon in Colorado — and one of the first in the U.S. — to successfully perform an awake surgery. Traditional neurosurgery knowledge maintained that spinal fusions were too long, painful or complex to undertake awake, but Braxton proved that idea fictitious.

Full Article: Dr. Braxton: a national leader in neurosurgery