Physicians

About Alan T. Villavicencio, MD

Dr. Villavicencio graduated with honors from Harvard Medical Schoot in Boston, MA in 1995 and went on to complete a neurosurgical residency at the renowned Duke University Medical Center in Durham, NC in 2001. He then went on to do a specialty orthopedic spine surgery fellowship at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, CA in 2002 and is one of only a handful of surgeons in the country with dual neurosurgery and orthopedic spine training.

Dr. Villavicencio is board certified and the senior practicing partner at Boulder Neurosurgical Associates. He specializes in complex spinal reconstruction surgery, including treatment of scoliosis and other types of spinal deformity. Dr. Villavicenio also specializes in minimally invasive spine surgery. He treats most types of brain and spinal disorders, including all types of brain tumors and performs approximately 500 operative cases each year.

Dr. Villavicencio is Director of Research and Development for Boulder Neurosurgical Associates (BNA) and is Director of Neurosurgery at Boulder Community and Longmont United Hospitals and Director of Surgery at The Minimally Invasive Spine Institute in Colorado, which he founded.

Dr. Villavicencio's goal as a neurosurgeon is not just to stay at the forefront of neurosurgical care, but to advance the field through continued development and application of innovative nonsurgical and surgical treatment options. He is among the few neurosurgeons in the country dedicated to improving clinical outcomes and patient safety by promoting and implementing evidence-based medicine into clinical practice.

Dr. Villavicencio is the Founder and current Program Chairman for the annual regional neurosurgical symposium entitled Current Techniques in the Treatment of Cranial and Spinal Disorders. This symposium is in its 6th year and draws approximately 200 physicians and allied health care providers each year. Dr. Villavicencio is also the Founder and Chairman of the Board for the Justin Parker Neurological Institute, a tax-exempt 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organization with an annual budget of approximately $250,000 located in Lafayette, CO. The Institute’s principle purpose is to conduct and disseminate clinical research and other information to patients and the medical community.

Dr. Villavicencio has presented hundreds of abstracts at national and international neurosurgical meetings. In addition, he has published more than 60 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters in leading neurosurgical journals and textbooks. Dr. Villavicencio also is principle investigator for several ongoing U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) IDE (Investigational Device Exemption) prospective randomized trials.

He is a member of American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS), Congress of Neurological Surgeons (CNS), North American Spine Society (NASS), Colorado Neurosurgical Society (CNS), Colorado Medical Society (CMS), AANS/CNS Section on Tumors and Section on Disorders of the Spine and Peripheral Nerves.

Dr. Villavicencio is a devoted husband and father of two children; a three year old boy and a two year old girl. In his free time, he operates a small organic farm that includes about 30 head of cattle, 75 chickens and five pigs. He is an avid athlete and runs a sub three hour marathon. He has competed in 32 marathons, 28 triathlons and 14 full Ironman events, including the Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii on several occasions. He has a great interest in using his skills and experience in nonoperative treatment and minimally invasive surgery to help fellow athletes and other patients to recover quickly and attain peak physical condition.

Click here for Dr. Villavicencio’s curriculum vitae

About E. Lee Nelson, MD

Dr. Nelson is board certified by the American Board of Neurological Surgery (ABNS) and has been a partner at Boulder Neurosurgical Associates (BNA) since 2006. He also serves as the Director of Neurosurgical Service at the Exempla Good Samaritan Hospital in Lafayette, CO. His first priority is the care of his patients and he brings a standard of unsurpassed excellence combined with compassionate care, which is not seen enough in today’s medical environment.

Dr. Nelson received his Medical Degree with Alpha Omega Alpha honors from Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, TX. He completed an internship in the Michael E. DeBakey Department of Surgery and neurological surgery residency under the tutelage of Robert Grossman, MD; a program that emphasized development of technical skills in the operating room. At the time, Baylor’s program was renowned for an unequaled surgical case load exceeding 5,000 neurological procedures each year at the largest medical center in the United States.

During his residency, Dr. Nelson received the esteemed Kinjiro Iwata Award for outstanding contributions to Baylor’s Neurosurgical Department. At the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, in Houston, Dr. Nelson expanded his skill and experience in complex spinal instrumentation under Ziya Gokaslan, MD. Dr. Nelson’s areas of clinical interest continue to include neurosurgical oncology, including tumors of the pituitary gland, and complex spinal surgery with an emphasis on minimally invasive techniques.

Beyond his core medical practice, Dr. Nelson serves as a consultant to a multinational company that develops surgical navigation systems for both brain and spine surgery. He was instrumental in bringing ultramodern intraoperative imaging systems to Colorado, including the O-ARM and the PoleStar N-20 Intraoperative MRI. As a result, BNA was the first in Colorado to use such technologies and the second surgical group in the United States to introduce them to the operating room. Dr. Nelson also serves as a consultant for a neuromodulation company and believes this technology can be an important part of providing comprehensive care to patients with problems of the spine. Like all BNA physicians, Dr. Nelson is dedicated to advancing medicine on multiple fronts.

Dr. Nelson is a member of the Board of Directors for the Justin Parker Neurological Institute, a non-profit entity dedicated to research and education of brain and spine disorders. Also, he is a member of American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS), Congress of Neurological Surgeons (CNS), North American Spine Society (NASS), Colorado Neurosurgical Society, Colorado Medical Society (CMS), AANS/CNS Section on Tumors and Section on Disorders of the Spine and Peripheral Nerves.

Dr. Nelson moved to Colorado to enjoy the outdoors and enjoys skiing and hiking. He resides with his wife, Debbie, and their three children in Boulder County.

Click here for E. Lee Nelson, MD’s curriculum vitae

About Alexander Mason, MD

Dr. Mason is a member of the medical staff at Good Samaritan Medical Center and the Minimally Invasive Surgery Institute (MISI) in Lafayette (a suburb of Denver), Longmont United Hospital in Longmont, and Boulder Community Hospital in Boulder, Colorado.

Dr. Mason received a Bachelor’s degree in Microbiology at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. He distinguished himself academically with numerous accolades for his academics, community service and research, including being awarded full-grant funding to continue his research studies while still an undergraduate.

Dr. Mason received his Medical Degree from Ohio State University College of Medicine and Public Health. He went on to complete his neurosurgical residency at the prestigious Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio with interests in complex and minimally invasive spine, vascular surgery and cerebrovascular disease including aneurysms and arteriovenous malformations, neuro-oncology, and surgical epilepsy. During his residency, Dr. Mason was awarded the Charles Plante Public Policy Fellowship and spent a year on Capitol Hill in Washington D.C. working on neurosurgical and medical public policy for the Senate Majority Leader as a Health Care Advisor.

After completing his residency, including a year as Chief Resident at the Cleveland Clinic, he completed a formal fellowship in Cerebrovascular and Skull Base Neuro-oncologic surgery at Emory University in Atlanta where, among other clinical accomplishments, he performed over 200 aneurysm surgeries in a single year.

Dr. Mason is a member of the Board of Directors for the Justin Parker Neurological Institute, a tax-exempt 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organization with an annual budget of approximately $250,000. The Institute’s principle purpose is to conduct and disseminate clinical research and other information to patients and the medical community. Dr. Mason is also on the Trauma committee both at Good Samaritan Medical Center and Longmont United Hospital, working towards improving trauma services in the region. Dr. Mason is also an Organizer and Speaker for the annual regional neurosurgical symposium entitled Current Techniques in the Treatment of Cranial and Spinal Disorders. This symposium is organized by Boulder Neurosurgical Associates and draws approximately 200 physicians and allied health care providers each year.

Among his many accomplishments, Dr. Mason has written and presented numerous abstracts at national neurosurgical meetings. In addition to publishing peer-reviewed articles, he also wrote chapters discussing the latest and most advanced brain tumor research, treatment of brain aneurysms, and spinal surgery techniques for the major neurosurgical textbooks. He is one of the few neurosurgeons in the region who trains other surgeons using the advanced stereotactic navigation systems. He is currently participating as an investigator in several ongoing clinical studies involving spine, tumor and vascular research.

He is a member of American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS), Congress of Neurological Surgeons (CNS), North American Spine Society (NASS),), AANS/CNS Section on Tumors, Section on Disorders of the Spine and Peripheral Nerves and the Cerebrovascular Section. He is currently an active member of the Coding and Reimbursement Section of the AANS and CNS, and is one of the few neurosurgeons in the country who actively authors and debates appropriate coding policies for physicians around the country for the Relative Value Update Committee (RUC), an AMA sponsored organization. Dr. Mason also teaches the coding courses sponsored by the AANS for appropriate and responsible coding by neurosurgeons.

Dr. Mason is a devoted father of three year-old twins, and husband of a Board-Certified Emergency Medicine Physician who works at the University of Colorado. In his free time, he enjoys cooking and is an avid runner. He enjoys recreational climbing, camping and skiing with his family and friends.

About Sigita Burneikiene, MD

Dr. Burneikiene is the Director of Clinical Research at Justin Parker Neurological Institute in Lafayette, CO. She has almost 20 years of experience in the field of neuroscience.

She graduated from Vilnius University (Lithuania) with a Medical Degree in 1986. After completing her training, Dr. Burneikienne served as a clinical neurophysiologist and conducted research at Vilnius University Emergency Hospital. She came to the United States and joined Boulder Neurosurgical Associates in 2003.