Ross Carlon Puffer, MD

Dr. Ross Puffer is a neurosurgeon. He has specialized expertise in neurotrauma (injuries that affect the brain, spinal cord and nerves) and peripheral nerve surgery (done to help restore feeling and movement to limbs and relieve nerve pain).

As a military neurosurgeon, Dr. Puffer understands the importance of maintaining surgical readiness to deliver life-saving care in combat zones and resource-limited settings. His ongoing work aims to refine referral pathways for nerve injury patients and build interdisciplinary collaborations within University of Maryland Medical System to advance nerve trauma care. Currently, he serves as clinical assistant professor of neurosurgery at University of Maryland School of Medicine through a landmark military-civilian partnership between University of Maryland Medical Center’s R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center and Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, where he co-directs a multidisciplinary peripheral nerve clinic.

Dr. Puffer is passionate about expanding access to timely nerve injury care and improving early identification and intervention to optimize patient outcomes. At Walter Reed, he works closely with specialists in plastic surgery, hand surgery, neurology, and physical medicine and rehabilitation to evaluate and treat patients with a wide range of peripheral nerve disorders. Those injuries include:

• Brachial plexus injuries (damage to the nerves that carries signals from the upper parts of the spinal cord to your shoulder, arm and hand)
• Nerve tumors
• Neurodegenerative conditions (chronic conditions that damage parts of your nervous system, particularly the brain, over time)

After completing his neurosurgery residency, Dr. Puffer was deployed and provided neurosurgical care in Baghdad, Iraq, operating in austere, tent-based environments. His experience abroad not only solidified his clinical resilience but also reinforced his commitment to caring for both military and civilian trauma patients. He completed a fellowship in brachial plexus and peripheral nerve surgery under the mentorship of Dr. Robert Spinner at Mayo Clinic, an experience that helped define his current clinical focus.