Joseph C. Maroon, M.D., a neurosurgeon at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) and professor and vice chairman of the department of neurological surgery at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, is regarded as a premiere specialist in the surgical treatment of injuries and diseases of the brain and spine, particularly with microscopic and minimally invasive procedures. His research into brain tumors, concussions and diseases of the spine have led to many innovative techniques for diagnosing and treating these disorders. Consistently listed in America’s Best Doctors, Dr. Maroon’s patients travel from all over the world to seek his care.
Team neurosurgeon for the Pittsburgh Steelers since 1981, Dr. Maroon has successfully performed surgery on numerous professional football players and other elite athletes with potentially career-ending neck and spine injuries, safely returning them all to their high level of athletic performance. He was heavily involved in the development of the world’s first computerized sports concussion evaluation system, ImPACT™ (Immediate Post-Concussion Assessment and Cognitive Testing), a tool used by team doctors and athletic trainers to help determine the severity of a concussion and when it is safe for an athlete to return to play following injury. Dr. Maroon and colleagues began researching and developing neurocognitive testing methods with the Steelers during the late 1980s. These methods are now widely used throughout professional, collegiate and high school sports and are re-defining the standard of care for managing sports-related concussions.
Another current research interest of Dr. Maroon is the use of omega-3 fatty acids as a safe and natural alternative to non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) in treating neck and low-back pain in patients with disc and arthritic causes. In 2004, he conducted a clinical study that showed nearly 60 percent of such patients whom he placed on omega-3 fatty acids experienced decreased joint pain and 68 percent were able to comfortably discontinue NSAIDs. Since then, he has been invited to present this study at several national neurological, neurosurgical and nutritional science meetings.
Dr. Maroon has earned numerous awards for his contributions to neurosurgery from various national and international neurological societies throughout his career. He is the author or co-author of 40 book chapters, and author of eight books in addition to more than 250 published scientific papers. He has edited three additional books, has given more than 140 national and international presentations, often as a visiting professor, and has served on the editorial boards of five medical journals and three neurological journals.
Dr. Maroon’s athletic abilities earned him a scholarship to Indiana University, Bloomington, where he received an undergraduate degree in anatomy and physiology and a medical degree, and where he was selected as a scholastic All-American in football. Upon completing a general surgery residency at Georgetown University, he returned to Indiana University to complete a second residency in neurological surgery. He studied for one year at Oxford University Hospitals in England, returning to Indiana to obtain certification as a licensed neurosurgeon. One year later, he was selected as a Given Scholar in Microneurosurgery at the University of Vermont.
In 1972, Dr. Maroon was named professor and chairman of neurological surgery at then Presbyterian University Hospital in Pittsburgh (now UPMC Presbyterian). He moved to Allegheny General Hospital in 1984 to become chairman of the neurological surgery department and then in 1995, chairman of the surgery department. In 1999, he returned to UPMC and the University of Pittsburgh as Heindl Scholar, professor and vice chairman of neurological surgery.
He is on the medical staff of UPMC Presbyterian and Sewickley Valley Hospital, and maintains a neurosurgical practice in Wheeling, W.Va., and in St. Clairsville, Ohio.
Dr. Maroon has successfully maintained his personal athletic interests through participation in numerous marathons and more than 50 Olympic-distance triathlon events, including four international Ironman triathlons. In 1999, he (along with NFL great Joe Montana and NBA legend Kareem Abdul-Jabar) was inducted into the Lou Holtz Upper Ohio Valley Hall of Fame for his athletic accomplishments and contributions to sports medicine.
For more information on the UPMC Sports Medicine Concussion Program, please access http://www.upmc.com or call 1-800-533-UPMC (8762).
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