About Jason S. Hauptman, MD, PhD

Jason Hauptman, MD, PhD, is a pediatric neurosurgeon, division chief of pediatric neurological surgery and associate director of the Barrow Neurological Institute at Phoenix Children's. Dr. Hauptman has highly specialized training in pediatric neurosurgery, epilepsy/functional neurosurgery and pediatric surgical neuro-oncology.

He treats a wide range of conditions including brain tumors, epilepsy and spina bifida, as well as inherited brain and spine disorders. Dr. Hauptman is a nationally and internationally recognized expert in the use of robotic stereo-electroencephalography (sEEG), neuromodulation including deep brain stimulation (DBS) and responsive neurostimulation (RNS), awake surgery in children, laser interstitial thermal therapy (LITT) and functional hemispherectomy. He has had a longstanding academic focus on invasive and non-invasive brain mapping, the genetics of pediatric epilepsy and has led clinical trials examining novel drug therapies in children with epilepsy. He also currently serves as a principal investigator for the Hydrocephalus Clinical Research Network (HCRN).

Dr. Hauptman is proud to lead a group of compassionate and skilled neurosurgeons at Phoenix Children's. He enjoys collaborating with his talented colleagues to improve treatments for neurological illnesses at every stage of healthcare delivery. "Our goal is to continue to be a national and international leader in the neurosurgical care of children, to train the next generation of neurosurgeons, and to provide all children with access to the most modern and advanced therapy available in the world."

"I love working with children and their caregivers. It is my greatest privilege and greatest responsibility to care for another's child. As a parent of three children, I always ask myself what I would do if a patient was my own child. That question is my North Star and guiding principle," he said.

Dr. Hauptman earned his dual undergraduate degrees summa cum laude from Muhlenberg College in Allentown, Pennsylvania and completed his medical degree at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School in Newark, New Jersey. He earned his doctorate in Neuroscience at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA), which is where he also completed neurosurgery residency training and a specialty training and advanced research fellowship. He then completed fellowship training in pediatric neurosurgery at Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Prior to joining Phoenix Children's, Dr. Hauptman was an associate professor of neurosurgery and helped to direct the surgical epilepsy program, hydrocephalus program and tuberous sclerosis complex clinic at the University of Washington and Seattle Children's Hospital from 2017 to 2024.

Board certified by the American Board of Neurological Surgery, Dr. Hauptman also is a fellow of the American College of Surgeons, the American Association of Neurological Surgeons and the American Academy of Pediatrics. He has authored or co-authored over 100 articles in journals including the Journal of Neurosurgery: Pediatrics, Epilepsia, Science and Seizure, among others. He has contributed chapters to many medical books and written numerous abstracts. In addition, Dr. Hauptman is a frequent lecturer - both nationally and internationally - on pediatric epilepsy surgery and pediatric neurosurgery.

Dr. Hauptman strives to give every child everything he has, every single day of his career, and to treat every parent as he would want to be treated. He works to improve approaches to neurological illness through research and collaboration with other colleagues.

"We are all committed to learning and developing the most advanced strategies for treating childhood neurological disease," Dr. Hauptman said. "My philosophy is to deliver the absolute best care to every child with compassion and diligence. Every child deserves the chance to live a beautiful, fulfilling life. As a surgeon, every single child deserves my very best, every single day. I owe it to them and their loved ones."

From a young age, Dr. Hauptman knew he wanted to be a physician. He worked his way through school as a firefighter and paramedic. Drawn to brain science and neurosurgery early in medical school, he is thankful for incredible mentors who taught him how to be a neurosurgeon, how to approach complex problems with empathy and how to keep a love for his patients at the center of everything he does.

Dr. Hauptman spends his free time with his family. Together they enjoy outdoor activities, traveling, music, as well as spending time with their dogs and horses. He also has an interest in cars and enjoys working on them.

Medical School / Education

Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, Newark, NJ

Residency

(Neurological Surgery) University of California, Los Angeles, CA

Fellowship

(Specialty Training and Advanced Research) University of California, Los Angeles, CA

(Pediatric Neurosurgery) Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, PA

Washington Top Doctor, Seattle Met Magazine, 2019 - 2024

Academic Affiliations

Principal Investigator, Hydrocephalus Clinical Research Network (HCRN)

Professional Affiliations

Fellow, American College of Surgeons

Fellow, American Academy of Pediatrics

Fellow, American Association of Neurological Surgeons

Hansen D, Shandley S, Olaya J, Hauptman J, Auguste K, Ostendorf AP, Depositario-Cabacar DF, Wong-Kisiel LC, Reddy SB, McCormack MJ, Gonzalez-Giraldo E, Sullivan J, Pradeep J, Singh RK, Romanowski EF, McNamara NA, Ciliberto MA, Tatachar P, Shrey DW, Karakas C, Karia S, Kheder A, Gedela S, Alexander A, Eschbach K, Bolton J, Marashly A, Wolf S, McGoldrick P, Nangia S, Grinspan Z, Coryell J, Samanta D, Armstrong D, Perry MS. A multi-center comparison of surgical techniques for corpus Callosotomy in pediatric drug-resistant epilepsy. Epilepsia. 2023 Dec 7. doi: 10.1111/epi.17853. Online ahead of print. PMID: 38062633

Podkovik S, Zhou C, Coffin SE, Hall M, Hauptman JS, Kronman MP, Mangano FT, Pollack IF, Sedano S, Schaffzin JK, Thorell E, Warf BC, Whitlock KB, Simon TD. Utilization trends in cerebrospinal fluid shunt infection prevention techniques in the United States from 2007 to 2015. J Neurosurg Pediatr. 2024 Jan 5:1-10. doi: 10.3171/2023.11.PEDS2337. Online ahead of print. PMID: 38181501

Coryell J, Singh R, Ostendorf AP, Eisner M, Alexander A, Eschbach K, Shrey DW, Olaya J, Ciliberto MA, Karakas C, Karia S, McNamara N, Romanowski EF, Kheder A, Pradeep J, Reddy SB, McCormack MJ, Bolton J, Wolf S, McGoldrick P, Hauptman JS, Samanta D, Tatachar P, Sullivan J, Auguste K, Gonzalez-Giraldo E, Marashly A, Depositario-Cabacar DF, Wong-Kisiel LC, Perry S. Epilepsy surgery in children with genetic etiologies: A prospective evaluation of current practices and outcomes. Seizure. 2023 Dec;113:6-12. doi: 10.1016/j.seizure.2023.10.011. Epub 2023 Oct 25. PMID: 38189708

McGrath M, Sivakanthan S, Durfy S, Lee A, Browd S, Hauptman JS, Ellenbogen RG, Kinney GA, Ojemann JG, Goldstein HE. Intraoperative neuromonitoring potentials and evidence of preserved neuronal circuitry below the anatomical and functional level in patients with complex spinal dysraphism undergoing detethering reoperations. J Neurosurg Pediatr. 2024 Feb 2:1-6. doi: 10.3171/2023.11.PEDS23424. Online ahead of print. PMID: 38306643

Verhey LH, Kulkarni AV, Reeder RW, Riva-Cambrin J, Jensen H, Pollack IF, Rocque BG, Tamber MS, McDonald PJ, Krieger MD, Pindrik JA, Hauptman JS, Browd SR, Whitehead WE, Jackson EM, Wellons JC, Hankinson TC, Chu J, Limbrick DD, Strahle JM, Kestle JRW; Hydrocephalus Clinical Research Network. A re-evaluation of the Endoscopic Third Ventriculostomy Success Score: a Hydrocephalus Clinical Research Network study. J Neurosurg Pediatr. 2024 Feb 9:1-11. doi: 10.3171/2023.12.PEDS23401. Online ahead of print. PMID: 38335514

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Locations

Phoenix Children's Hospital - Thomas Campus

1919 E. Thomas Rd.
Phoenix, AZ 85016

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The best from start to still going care. i know it will continue being like this until my daughter's is completely well. Thank you to the neurosurgery team specially Dr. Hauptmann

We look forward to working with Dr. Hauptman!

Dr. Hauptman was phenomenal and I appreciate all the time he gave us.

Our visit was phenomenal. Dr. Hauptman was very compassionate. Very understanding. We asked questions, he answered. He is willing to advocate for my child. He was very thorough, incredibly knowledgeable and ordered tests should have been done while my son was hospitalized. Very thankful for him