When Brian Oliver, MD, came on board as UTMB Neurosurgery faculty last fall, he brought specialized expertise and a determination to expand UTMB’s capabilities in peripheral nerve surgery, an area of care that had historically been underserved.
Although the neurosurgery program has grown significantly under strong leadership and the expansion of the spine service line, Dr. Oliver observed during his residency at UTMB that specialized nerve care remained a gap UTMB could and should fill.
“When I picked up an interest in the peripheral nerve, (Department Chair) Dr. Peter Kan supported me with an opportunity to train at the Mayo Clinic,” he says. “With that I was able to gain a lot of insight on what it means to manage a peripheral nerve practice and gain experience with procedures I didn’t encounter during residency.”
Peripheral nerve procedures are aimed at relieving nerve compression, repairing damaged nerves, and improving mobility and function. His advanced training at the Mayo Clinic, under renowned peripheral nerve surgeon Dr. Robert Spinner, opened the door for him to expand the scope of neurosurgical nerve procedures available to patients.
He now performs surgeries such as carpal tunnel release, cubital tunnel decompression, and the treatment of brachial plexus tumors or traumatic nerve injuries.
“This is just the surface level of what I want to do at UTMB,” he says.
A graduate of Howard University College of Medicine, Dr. Oliver embarked on his path to neurosurgery early in medical school, when he worked closely with the only neurosurgeon at his institution. He explored other specialties during rotations, but nothing compelled him like neurosurgery.
“Seeing some of the patients with him and seeing his cases all culminated together piqued my interest,” he says. “There was nothing else that really compared to neurosurgery.”
Today, Dr. Oliver divides his practice evenly between spine surgery and peripheral nerve surgery. His work also includes treating peroneal nerve compression in the lower extremity, often seen in patients with foot drop.
One of the most critical needs Dr. Oliver identified is in treating brachial plexus injuries, which often result from traumatic accidents. Historically, UTMB lacked a dedicated provider for these cases. To address this, he is collaborating with Dr. Petros Konofaos in the Division of Plastic Surgery to develop a multidisciplinary clinic for complex nerve injuries, an approach modeled on the combined clinic he observed at Mayo Clinic.
“A lot of these procedures are time‑sensitive for nerve injury repairs, so having multiple specialists evaluate the patient together is a big benefit,” he says.
While multiple specialties treat nerve conditions, Dr. Oliver believes the neurosurgical perspective offers unique advantages for patients.
“Most of our training is dealing with nerves and understanding the physiology behind why certain conditions exist or why certain conditions happen,” he says. “Understanding it from the neurologic standpoint, you can get a better way of diagnosing it as well.”
 | Brian T. Oliver, MD, sees patients at UTMB Health Neurosurgery and Neurosurgery Spine at Clear Lake Campus and UTMB Health Neurosurgery at the UHC in Galveston. Learn more about Neurosurgery services at UTMB Health. |