Francisco Ponce, MD

Francisco Ponce, MD, grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and earned his undergraduate degree in physics at Harvard University in Boston. After attending graduate school at Oxford University in the United Kingdom, he went on to complete medical school at the University of Chicago. He completed his residency in neurological surgery at Barrow Neurological Institute at Dignity Health St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center in Phoenix, and received subspecialty training in stereotactic and functional neurosurgery at the University of Toronto in Ontario under Dr. Andres Lozano.

In 2011, Dr. Ponce was named the director of the new Barrow Center for Neuromodulation. Neuromodulation therapy aims to eliminate or improve symptoms of neurological disorders by negating abnormal electrical activity in the brain. Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is the most common form of this treatment.

DBS delivers minute electrical stimulation to specific areas of the brain via a surgical implant similar to a heart pacemaker. This stimulation can relieve the tremors and rigidity that are hallmarks of movement disorders like Parkinson’s disease, essential tremor, and dystonia. Over the past two decades, DBS has revolutionized the management of Parkinson’s disease and other movement disorders.

Dr. Ponce has published extensively on DBS and other neurosurgical procedures in peer-reviewed medical journals. He also has given presentations at national and international conferences. In his free time, he enjoys spending time with his wife and three sons. He also enjoys reading, hiking, and endurance sports, and has completed an Ironman triathlon.