Complex spine neurosurgery · New Brunswick, New Jersey
The right operation. Specifically, yours.
Dr. Brenton Pennicooke treats a wide range of spine surgical issues. Every recommendation starts with a careful read of your images and your goals, and it includes the options that do not involve surgery.
- Harvard MD
- Cornell Residency
- Memorial Sloan Kettering Residency
- UCSF Fellowship
- Board-certified neurosurgery
Approach
A comprehensive evaluation, on every consult.
Every surgery is a trade-off. So before Dr. Pennicooke recommends one, he asks three questions:
(1) How likely is it to help you?
(2) What might hold you back from getting better?
(3) What are the risks?
You get a straight answer to all three.
The right answer is tailored to you.
What patients often arrive with
- An MRI report they were handed, but never walked through
- One recommendation, without the alternatives
- No clear sense of how likely surgery is to help
- Unanswered questions about recovery and risk
What you wilL leave with
- His own read of your images
- The full menu, from therapy and injections to endoscopic and open surgery
- A plain estimate of expected benefit and the risks that apply to you
- A written summary for you and your referring physician
About
Brenton H. Pennicooke, MD, MS
Chief of the Division of Spinal Neurosurgery at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and RWJBarnabas Health.
Trained in complex spinal reconstruction, deformity, and spinal oncology, he also performs minimally invasive and endoscopic surgery.
His research looks at what happens after a spine treatment leaves the journal: whether it is adopted, whether it changes outcomes, and what it costs. That work in implementation science and practice economics shapes how he counsels patients. He would rather show you the evidence than ask you to trust a hunch.
Medical school
Harvard Medical School
Residency
Neurological Surgery, NewYork-Presbyterian / Weill Cornell Medicine and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
Fellowship
University of California, San Francisco
Business
MBA, Washington University in St. Louis, Olin Business School
Certification
American Board of Neurological Surgery, 2023 · Fellow, AANS
39
peer-reviewed papers
5
book chapters
3
editorials
Questions
Ask him anything.
Will I need surgery?
Not necessarily. Many patients who see Dr. Pennicooke leave with a non-operative plan. When surgery makes sense, he recommends the smallest operation that solves the problem.
I already had spine surgery. Can he still help?
Yes. Revision surgery is a core part of his practice. Bring your operative reports and any imaging from before and after the operation.
What should I bring to my first visit?
The imaging itself on disc or by upload, the radiology reports, prior operative notes, and a list of treatments you have tried, including injections and their dates.
Do I need a referral, and which insurance plans are accepted?
Referral requirements and accepted insurance plans will be posted here when scheduling opens on November 2, 2026.
Can I get an opinion if I live outside New Jersey?
Often, yes. Records review and virtual consults are available depending on where you are located at the time of the visit.
Appointments
Know your spine. Then decide.
New patients, second opinions, and physician referrals are welcome.
Scheduling opens Monday, November 2, 2026
Location
New Brunswick, New Jersey
Phone
Posted here November 2
Online
Request form opens November 2
Referrals
Accepted starting November 2