The Brain Game

Dr. Jason Hauptman’s path to pediatric neurosurgery wasn’t a straight line. His father—an immigrant who arrived in the U.S. by boat at 8 and worked in his dad’s Brooklyn bodega—instilled in him the value of hard work and education. Working through school as a firefighter-paramedic, Hauptman was initially drawn to trauma surgery. But then came a pivotal moment: a neuroscience course that changed everything. “It brought me into the brain game,” he says. Now a renowned pediatric neurosurgeon leading Phoenix Children’s neurosurgery program, he’s ensuring every child receives cutting-edge care with compassion.

1. What are your goals at Phoenix Children’s?

I want to make sure we have a neurosurgical program that offers the absolute best solutions for all surgical neurological problems. The long-term goals: How do we invent the future of neurosurgery? How will we be treating disease five, eight or 10 years from now, and what do we need to train our next generation of neurosurgical leaders?

2. What’s one thing you’re particularly proud of in your career?

I’m proud to have so many incredible patients and families who have allowed me to help in their most vulnerable times. It keeps me going every single day and is at the center of every decision I make.

3. What neurosurgical advancements excite you most?

One is expanding our ability to perform precision-based, minimally invasive surgeries, with tools like the ROSA robot. We can now do complex brain surgeries with high accuracy through small incisions. Using this technology, we can implant brain pacemakers that alter brain function in disease states ranging from epilepsy to movement disorders. It’s a complete game changer for affected children.

4. What’s on the horizon?

In the next 10 years, gene therapy will likely change the landscape of neurological disease, offering cures we never anticipated. Many treatments will require surgical delivery—whether directly into the brain or through cerebrospinal fluid—shifting the focus to surgery on a molecular DNA level.

5. What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?

“Love the patient more than you hate the disease.” Just doing an operation and having a perfect outcome is not enough. The patient also needs to feel heard and loved every single time.