Benjamin Elder, MD, PhD

Dr. Benjamin Elder is an assistant professor of neurosurgery, orthopedic surgery, and biomedical engineering at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. He specializes in the surgical treatment of complex spinal conditions including spinal deformities and scoliosis, degenerative spine diseases, tumors, as well as in the treatment of idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus.

Dr. Elder received B.S. and M.S. degrees in molecular biophysics and biochemistry from Yale University, his Ph.D. in bioengineering from Rice University, and his M.D. from Baylor College of Medicine. He completed a residency in neurosurgery at The Johns Hopkins Hospital. During his residency training, Dr. Elder completed an enfolded complex spine and spinal oncology fellowship, and a postgraduate fellowship in orthopedic spinal deformity and scoliosis surgery. During his residency, he also trained extensively in the treatment of idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus.

Dr. Elder’s research efforts focus on patient with complex spinal conditions as well as normal pressure hydrocephalus. His laboratory work focuses on bone tissue engineering to augment fusion in spinal surgery. Additionally, his clinical research focuses on optimizing the surgical treatment of idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus.

Dr. Elder’s contributions have earned him numerous awards, including awards from The Johns Hopkins Hospital, CNS/AANS Section on Disorders of the Spine and Peripheral Nerves, and the United States Food and Drug Administration. He has published more than 70 peer-reviewed articles, 15 book chapters, and has presented his research at dozens of national and international conferences.