James B. Blankenship, MD
James B. Blankenship, MD
Specializes in Neurosurgery. Surgical Specialist
The son of two public school teachers, I was born September 2, 1960 in Melbourne, Arkansas, and I have lived in the state all my life. I graduated from Melbourne High School in 1978 as valedictorian, and then attended The University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, from which I graduated with high honors in chemistry in 1982. Medical school at UAMS followed shortly thereafter. In 1986, I graduated from med school sixth in my class and subsequently completed a one year internship in general surgery at UAMS, followed by a five-year residency in neurosurgery. After completion in 1992, I began my lifelong dream of opening a private practice in Fayetteville where I have since remained.
My first and foremost passion is my family. My wife, Rachel, and I have been together for over 22 years. I have one child from a previous marriage, Blair. She is 27, graduated from the U of A with honors and finished her masters in social work and currently lives in Denver. My other two children, Holden, age 18, and Griffin, age 15, attend The New School in Fayetteville and keep us quite busy. Rachel ran my practice for many years, but has “retired” to be a stay-at-home mom, and she is wonderful at it. Holden is a second-degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do, but his current passion is in basketball. Holden has played in every varsity game at The New School and will attend the University of Arkansas in the fall of 2021. Griffin is a first-degree black belt but also changed sports and is playing on the high school basketball team with his brother. Both boys are perpetual members of the academic honor roll at school. Needless to say, I am proud of my family.
As a result of my boy’s drive in martial arts, I have fulfilled a lifelong dream: becoming a black belt. I was awarded my first-degree black belt in June of 2010, reaching my goal of black belt before the age 50. I was awarded my fourth degree black belt in 2017. I retired from active martial arts to concentrate on powerlifting. I have several state and one national record in powerlifting. The entire family enjoys skiing (snowboarding for Holden) when time allows us to get away
A die hard Razorback fan, our family attends many home football and basketball games. Some of my fondest memories from my childhood are of my parents driving me to Fayetteville to see a Razorback football game and then driving the four hours back that night listening to scores on AM radio. I have been the spine surgeon for U of A sports for over 10 years
I am very passionate about my work. I do not believe that you can be successful at treating painful spinal disorders without drive and passion. I made the commitment to focus only on the spine over fifteen years ago. I felt it was necessary to get additional certifications by the American Board of Pain Medicine and the American Board of Spinal Surgeons in addition to my board certification by the American Board of Neurological Surgeons. Although at the time I did not realize it, I became the only physician in America who is board certified by all three of those organizations. Focusing and limiting my practice has bettered my ability to take care of my patients and has also allowed me more time to spend with my family. At this time, the area of spine care is so vast, I do not believe that you can be dedicated to your treatment if you also focus on other areas of the body. I do miss doing brain surgery, but my patients benefit greatly from my focus and education being solely on spine.
In order to have more control over the care and treatment of our patients, I spearheaded the group of doctors that built Physician’s Specialty Hospital in April 2009. We feel we have created an environment that will best serve our patients and provide state of the art treatment. It has also allowed me to bring the XLIF procedure to Northwest Arkansas. No other hospital would purchase the equipment due to cost. The ability to control what is available to treat our patients, regardless of the profit margin, is one of the main reasons our group of physicians built this hospital.
In early 2010, the Society of Lateral Access Surgeons honored me by asking me to become a faculty member for the organization. I now teach the XLIF procedure to surgeons from across the country and world. I am now also a faculty member of the Institute of Musculoskeletal and Science and Education. I am active in designing new implants for spinal fixation to improve outcomes. I am the lead design surgeon on both the Enza A implant for anterior lumbar fusions and the Enza L implant for lateral fusions.
Thank you for taking time to learn a little about me. I hope if you do have problems with your back or neck, you get in to see someone qualified and trained to treat you as an individual and not just the next patient on a list or a potential surgical candidate.
Personal
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- Date and Place of Birth:
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September 2, 1960
Batesville, Arkansas - Office Address:
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2793 Millennium Drive, Suite 1
Fayetteville, Arkansas 72703
Website: neurosurgerycenter.net
(479) 582-9025 phone
(479) 582-1572 fax
Education
- University of Arkansas
Fayetteville, Arkansas
1978-1982 B.A. Chemistry with High Honors - University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
Little Rock, Arkansas
1982-1986 Doctor of Medicine
Post Graduate Training
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- Internship:
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University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
Department of General Surgery 1986-87 - Residency:
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University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Department of
Neurological Surgery 1987-92
Board Certifications
- American Board of Neurological Surgeons
May 1995 - American Society of Addiction Medicine
February 2001 - American Board of Pain Medicine
February 2003 - American Board of Spine Surgery
October 2004
Fellowships
- American College of Spine
Surgeons, January 2005 - American College of Surgeons
October 1996
License
Arkansas
Appointments
- Medical Executive Committee
Washington Regional Medical Center
1996-1998 - Chief of Neurological Surgery
Washington Regional Medical Center
1998-1999 - Board of Directors, Decision Point, Inc.
January 2000-2002 - Chairman, Board of Directors
Physician’s Surgery Center
2005-Present - Chairman, Board of Directors
Physician’s Specialty Hospital
2008-Present - Chief of Surgery
Physician’s Specialty Hospital
2008-Present
Hospital Affiliations
- Washington Regional Medical Center
Fayetteville, Arkansas 1992-Present - Physicians Specialty Hospital
Fayetteville, Arkansas 2008-Present
Professional Organizations
- Pain Section, American Association of
Neurological Surgeons 2004-Present - American College of Spine Surgeons
2003-Present - American Academy of Pain Medicine
2001-Present - American Society of Addiction Medicine
1999-Present - North American Spine Society
1999-Present - Spine Section, American Association of Neurological
Surgeons 1995-Present - American Association of Neurological Surgeons
1993-Present - Congress of Neurosurgeons
1995-Present - American Medical Association
1986-Present - Arkansas Medical Society
1986-Present
Awards and Honors
- Alpha Epsilon Delta
National Pre-medical Honor Society - Phi Beta Kappa
University of Arkansas - Graduated with High Honors in Chemistry
University of Arkansas, 1982 - UAMS Barton Scholar
1983-84, 1984-85, and 1985-86 - Alpha Omega Alpha
Honor Medical Society
University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences - Graduated sixth of 120, University of Arkansas For Medical
Sciences, 1986
Current Continuing Ed.
- Critical Evaluation of Motion Sparing
Technologies (Artificial Discs)
North American Spine Society
October 2004
7.5 hrs. Category I cme - North American Spine Society
19th Annual Meeting
Chicago Illinois
October 2004
24.25 hrs. Category I cme - Orthopedic MRI 2005
22nd Annual Meeting
Las Vegas, Nevada
15 hrs. Category I cme - North American Spine Society
20th Annual Meeting
September 2005
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
24.25 Category I cme - Neurology Update
August 2005
Dallas Texas
10 Category I cme - CT and MRI Imaging 2006
Institute for Advanced Medical Education
Las Vegas, Nevada
May 2006
19 Category I cme - Trauma Review
American Seminar Institute
July 5-8, 2006
10 hrs Category I cme - Congress of Neurological Surgeons
2006 General Scientific Session
Chicago, Illinois
24 hrs Category I cme - American Association of
Neurological Surgeons
Annual Meeting April 2007
20 hrs. Category I cme - Modern Techniques and Future
Trends in Lumbar Interbody Fusion
AANS April 2007
4.5 hrs. Category I cme - XLIF Training Course
Nuvasive, San Diego
December 2007 - American Association of Neurological Surgeons Section
On Pain 2008 Biennial Meeting
“Back Pain: Understanding Causes
And Treatment”
April 2008
7.25 hrs. Category I cme - American Association of
Neurological Surgeons
2008 Annual Meeting
April, 2008
20.25 hrs. Category I cme - XLIF Advanced Course
Nuvasive, San Diego
August, 2008 - Practical Approach to Musculoskeletal MRI
Duke University School of Medicine
October, 2008
20 hrs. Category I - American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons
2009 Annual Meeting
February 2009
20 hrs. Category I cme - Federation of Spine Associations
Annual meeting
February 2009
8.5 hrs. Category I cme - Musculoskeletal and Neuroradiology
January 2010
15 hrs Category I cme - Society of Lateral Access Surgery
Annual Research Meeting
April 2010 - Society of Lateral Access Surgery
Annual Research Meeting
April 2010 - North American Spine Society
Annual Meeting
October 2010
26.75 CME - American Seminar
Pain Management Review
20 CME - Society of Lateral Access Surgeons
Annual Faculty Meeting
San Diego, California
January 2011 - Educational Symposia
Strategies for Successful Radiology Practices
April, 2011
17.25 CME - 2011 North American Spine Society
Pre-annual meeting MRI course
3.75 Category I CME - 2011 North American Spine Society
Annual Meeting
24 Category I CME - iFuse SI joint fusion course
December, 2011 - Society of Lateral Access Surgeons
Annual Meeting
May 2012 - Society of Lateral Access Surgeons
Annual Faculty Meeting
May 2012 - Pain Week
Las Vegas, Nevada
September 2012 - North American Spine Society
2012 Annual Meeting
22 Category I CME - AEI Orthopedic and Pain Review
20 Category I CME
2013 - Atlas and Som: Neuroradiology of the Head
And Neck, March 6-8, 2014
Las Vegas Nevada
18.25 Category I CME - AANS Pain Section Meeting
April, 2014
San Francisco, CA
7.5 Category I CME - AANS Annual Meeting
April, 2014
San Francisco, CA
21 Category I CME - AEI Neurology Review
10 Category I CME - North American Spine Society
Annual Meeting, Nov 2014
27.75 Category I CME
Presentations
- XLIF MVP Course, Instructor
January 2011 - XLIF MVP Course, Instructor
August 2011 - “XLIF Outcomes and Complications”
Society of Lateral Access Surgeons
Annual Meeting
May 2012
Publications
- Whitfill, Blankenship, et.al.: Time Course of Production of Low Molecular Weight Viral-neutralizing Substances. Immunogenetics, 1983, 17:387-97
- Murphy, Blankenship, et.al. Computer Angiotomography of a Bleeding Intracranial Aneurysm. Journal of the Arkansas Medical Society, 1989, 86:197-99
- Crabtree, Blankenship, et.al. Transcranial Doppler Ultrasonography for the Evaluation of Shunt Malfunction. Child’s Nervous System, 1991, 7:27-30.
- Blankenship, Chadduck, et.al. Repair of Compound-Depressed Skull Fractures in Children with Replacement of Bone Fragments. Child’s Nervous System, 1990, 16: 297-300.
- Chadduck, Blankenship, et. al. Meningioma and Sagittal Craniosynostosis in an Infant. Neurosurgery, 1992, 30: 441-442.