Orange County Spine Surgeon
Robert Louis, MD

Specializing in Advanced and Minimally Invasive Brain and Spine Surgery

Robert Louis, MD - Orange County Brain and Spine SurgeonRobert Louis, MD, a fellowship-trained Orange County Brain and Spine Surgeon, specializes in several minimally invasive spine surgical techniques. He employs a thoughtfully conservative approach, dedicated to delivering outstanding and patient-centered neurosurgical care.

Dr. Louis is currently the Director of the Skull Base and Pituitary Tumor Program at Hoag Memorial Hospital in Orange County, Southern California. His expertise also includes endoscopic and minimally invasive treatment of benign and malignant brain tumors, sellar and parasellar tumors and skull base tumors. Through the use of cutting-edge neuroimaging and neuro-navigational equipment, he utilizes the concept of keyhole neurosurgery, minimizing the damage to surrounding brain, vascular and soft tissue structures. Dr. Louis believes that most brain and skull base tumors can be resected through small openings or by utilizing naturally occurring orifices. This approach has been demonstrated to decrease post-operative pain, minimize neurologic complications and shorten the length of hospitalization, resulting in better outcomes for his patients.

Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery Techniques:

Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery
Anterior Cervical Disc Discectomy and Fusion
Artificial Cervical Disc Arthroplasty
Anterior Lumbar Interbody Fusion
Cervical Discectomy
Posterior Cervical Fusion with Instrumentation

Expert Neurosurgeon Trained by Top Neurosurgeons in the World

Your Orange County Brain and Spine Surgeon, Dr. Louis was raised in a suburb of Boston and completed his undergraduate education at Boston University. After completing medical school, Dr. Louis was accepted into the residency in neurological surgery at the University of Virginia, under the direction and mentorship of Dr. John Jane. During his six years at UVA, he completed more than 1200 cases, spanning the breadth of cranial and spinal neurosurgery. Specifically, Dr. Louis focused his training on a complex brain tumor, skull base, and pituitary surgery and had the honor of training extensively under Dr. Edward Oldfield, widely considered the foremost pituitary surgeon in the world. After completing his Chief Residency in neurosurgery, Dr. Louis went on to more advanced subspecialty training, completing a fellowship in Minimally Invasive Neurosurgery under the mentorship of Dr. Daniel Kelly at the John Wayne Cancer Institute. Dr. Louis is one of only a handful of fellowship-trained minimally invasive neurosurgeons in the nation and the only one in Orange County with this distinction.

Dr. Louis is one of only a handful of fellowship-trained minimally invasive neurosurgeons in the nation and the only one in Orange County, southern California with this distinction. His specializations are:

• Minimally invasive spine surgery
• Minimally invasive brain surgery
• Artificial disc replacement
• Neuroendoscopy
• Microneurosurgery
• Complex spinal surgery
• Peripheral nerve surgery
• Pituitary surgery
• CyberKnife Robotic Radiosurgery

Director, Skull Base and Pituitary Tumor Program, Hoag Memorial Hospital
August 2014 – present

Fellow Minimally Invasive Neurosurgery
July 2013 – June 2014

Chief Residency, Neurosurgery, University of Virginia
July 2012 – June 2013

University of Virginia
Brain tumor, skull base, and pituitary surgery
Mentors: Drs Edward Oldfield, John Jane, Mark Shaffrey and John Jane Jr.

John Wayne Cancer Institute/St John’s Hospital
Minimally invasive neurosurgery fellowship
Mentor: Dr. Daniel Kelly

Hoag Hospital
Newport Beach, California
August 2014 –present

University of Virginia
Dr. John Jane – Neurological Surgery

Boston University – Boston, MA
Sargent College of Allied Health Professions
B.S. Human Physiology
2012American University of the Carribean – Coral Gables, FL
School of Medicine
M.D.
2007 Internship: University of Virginia – Charlottesville, VA
General Surgery
2007-2008 Residency: University of Virginia – Charlottesville, VA
Neurological Surgery
2008-2012 Chief Residency: University of Virginia – Charlottesville, VA
Neurological Surgery
2012-2013

Internationally, his passion for teaching and philanthropy has led him to pursue neurosurgical humanitarian efforts in East Africa. As part of Madaktari and the Foundation for International Education in Neurosurgery, Dr. Louis leads multidisciplinary neurosurgical teams on relief efforts to Tanzania. In 2011, Dr. Louis was awarded the prestigious American Association of Neurological Surgeons YNC Public Service Citation for outstanding humanitarian relief efforts in Africa. Read About Dr. Louis’ Neurosurgical Relief Works in Africa ➲.AANS Young Neurosurgeon Public Service Citation
Presented for neurosurgical humanitarian relief work and education in Tanzania, 2011

Valedictorian
AUC School of Medicine – Class of 2007

Chancellor Paul S. Tien Award for Outstanding Academic Achievement (2007)

Predoctoral Award for The Best Oral Presentation
21st annual meeting of the AACA, June 9-12, 2004, Moraga, CA, The Gross Anatomy of the Inferior Phrenic Veins

Predoctoral award for the best poster presentation, Sandy Marks Award
4th Joint AACA/BACA meeting in New York City, July 20-22, 2005

From 2011-2013, he served as an instructor of Neuroscience and Anatomy in the Brain, Mind and Behavior Course at the University of Virginia. In 2012, Dr. Louis was appointed Director of the Skull Base Anatomical Dissection Laboratory at the University of Virginia. His love of teaching has won him numerous awards for excellence in both teaching and research.

American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS)
Congress of Neurological Surgeons (CNS)
North American Skull Base Society (NASBS)
Foundation for International Education in Neurosurgery (FIENS)
American Association of Clinical Anatomists (AACA)

Beyond his specialty training in the neurosurgical treatment of brain and pituitary tumors, Dr. Louis has a particular interest in microsurgical neuroanatomy. Specifically, his focus is on advanced understanding of neuroanatomy and the development of new neurosurgical procedures. He has authored over 60 peer-reviewed scientific publications and numerous book chapters. Read Dr. Louis’ List of Neurosurgery Research and Publications ➲

If you’re suffering from painful and debilitating spine condition and would like to know if minimally invasive spine surgery is right for you, contact Dr. Louis at (949) 383-4185 or Contact Us.