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.
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