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 are my children. My daughter Blair is 28,
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 19,
is a freshman at the U of A in the business college and Griffin, age 16,
attends The New School in Fayetteville. Holden is a second-degree black
belt in Tae Kwon Do, and was all conference his senior year at the New
School. Holden played in every varsity game at The New School. Griffin is a
first-degree black belt but also changed sports and is playing on the high
school basketball team. 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, one national,
and four world records in powerlifting. The boys and I enjoy 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 was 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 the spine.
Treating patients takes knowledge, compassion, and experience. Professional experience comes from being a successful spine surgeon for more than 30 years, but being able to connect with my patients on a personal level takes personal experience. I, myself, have been a patient. I have experienced first hand what debilitating back pain feels like, having suffered from a massive disc herniation a few years ago. The pain was not only unbearable, but it was truly an eye-opening experience for me. Having felt and gone through what the majority of my patients experience allowed me to better myself as a surgeon and connect with my patients on a deeper level.
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 patient outcomes and quality of life. 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
-
- Date and Place of Birth:
-
September 2, 1960
Batesville, Arkansas - Office Address:
-
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
-
- Internship:
-
University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
Department of General Surgery 1986-87 - Residency:
-
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.