David Barba, MD, FAANS

David Barba, MD, is a board-certified neurosurgeon focusing on surgical treatment of people with epilepsy and movement disorders.

While often presumed a last resort, surgery can be performed as a highly effective therapy for epilepsy, movement disorders (such as Parkinson's disease and essential tremor), and certain pain syndromes (trigeminal neuralgia). This type of surgery is called functional neurosurgery. Dr. Barba has extensive experience and training in functional neurosurgical techniques including microsurgery, deep brain stimulation, vagal nerve stimulation, awake brain surgery and stereotactic radiosurgery. He also performs surgery to remove spinal and brain malignancies, pituitary tumors, and to relieve spinal conditions including sciatica.

Dr. Barba joined the neurosurgical faculty at UC San Diego Health in 1988. He has been invited as a distinguished lecturer or panelist at over 50 conferences. He is also a member of many scientific and professional societies, including the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the San Diego Academy of Neurological Surgeons, and the Research Society of Neurological Surgeons.

As a professor in the Department of Neurological Surgery, Dr. Barba trains surgeons during their fellowship as well as established surgeons from medical centers across the country on functional neurosurgical techniques. He is active in clinical research including studies of brain activity related to language and as a participant and consultant in studies of gene therapy for neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases.

Dr. Barba did a research fellowship in microsurgical techniques for cerebral aneurysms and the posterior fossa at the Shinshu University in Matsumoto, Japan. He was also the EC-IC bypass fellow at the University of Western Ontario in London, Ontario, Canada. In addition, Dr. Barba spent two years as a senior research fellow at the National Institute of Neurological and Communicative Disorders and Stroke at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland. He completed a residency in neurological surgery at UC San Diego School of Medicine. Dr. Barba earned his medical degree at University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine. He is board certified in neurological surgery and is a fellow of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (FAANS).

In addition to the location listed above, Dr. Barba also sees patients in El Centro.

UC San Diego Health Links
For more information, see Epilepsy Center and Movement Disorders Center.