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Charles Blair Stillerman
( out of 36 reviews )

Charles Blair Stillerman, MD, FAANS, FACS

Languages spoken: English

Clinical Locations

Veterans Administration Medical Center

Salt Lake City
  • Dr. Charles Stillerman earned a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and an MD from Loyola School of Medicine in Maywood, Illinois. He completed his residency training at the University of Southern California School of Medicine in Los Angeles, California, where he served as Resident Supervisor from 1983 to 1987. Following his residency, Dr. Stillerman became board certified and undertook a Spine Fellowship in Spine Reconstruction/Stabilization and Spinal Cord Injury at the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee.

    Dr. Stillerman's clinical focus centers on the contemporary surgical management of spinal disorders. The surgical options often include minimally invasive techniques. Additionally, when appropriate a wide variety of spinal fusion procedures are available for use. His academic areas of interest include degenerative and traumatic spinal problems in the cervical, thoracic, and lumbar Spine. Currently, he holds the position of Clinical Professor of Neurological Surgery at the University of Utah and serves as Chief of Neurosurgery at the George E. Wahlen Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center. As of 2022, he also heads the Neurotrauma department at Holy Cross Davis Hospital.

    Consistently recognized as one of the Best Doctors in America in Castle Connolly's Top Doctors, Dr. Stillerman has authored and delivered extensive lectures on spinal disorders, spinal injuries, and specifically on Thoracic and Lumbar Spine Stabilization. He is an active member of various professional associations and committees, including being a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons (FACS), the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS), the Congress of Neurological Surgeons (CNS), the Neurosurgical Society of America, the AANS-CNS Joint Section of Neurotrauma and Critical Care, and the AANS-CNS Joint Section of Spine and Peripheral Nerve.

    Board Certification

    American Board of Neurological Surgery
    National Board of Medical Examiners

    Patient Rating

    4.9 /5
    ( out of 36 reviews )

    The patient rating score is an average of all responses on our patient experience survey. The rating averages scores for all questions about care from our providers.

    The scale on which responses are measured is 1 to 5 with 5 being the best score.

    Patient Comments

    Patient comments are gathered from our patient experience survey and displayed in their entirety. For the convenience of our visitors, some patient comments have been translated from their original language into English while preserving their original meaning as accurately as possible. Patients are de-identified for confidentiality and patient privacy.

    March 30, 2025
    CLINICAL NEUROSCIENCES CENTER

    Dr. Stillerman was sensitive and caring in his approach to my situation. He listened and made thoughtful recommendations.

    March 27, 2025
    CLINICAL NEUROSCIENCES CENTER

    Dr Stillerman not only has an impressive education and excellent experience...he also expressed genuine concern for my situation. He helped me feel at ease. I appreciated that very much!!

    March 13, 2025
    CLINICAL NEUROSCIENCES CENTER

    Excellent doctor, you are in good hands!

    March 12, 2025
    CLINICAL NEUROSCIENCES CENTER

    Dr. Stillerman is a nice guy who seems to care about me as a person and a patient. But, the rest of the staff supporting him is aloof and disorganized, or severely overworked and unable to help him do his job.

    February 26, 2025
    CLINICAL NEUROSCIENCES CENTER

    Dr. Stillerman is a conservative yet action oriented provider. He listens intently to the issue and everything associated with that. He put me through some steps to get to the solution which in the end was very much appreciated. I feel confident in him doing my surgery and I have no concerns about the outcome.

    February 26, 2025
    CLINICAL NEUROSCIENCES CENTER

    Kind and caring. Easy to talk to. I trusted I was going to get the best care ever and I did. Forever grateful.

    February 26, 2025
    CLINICAL NEUROSCIENCES CENTER

    Dr Stillman is the best

    February 05, 2025
    CLINICAL NEUROSCIENCES CENTER

    he treats u like family and cares about what u are feeling best doctor i have ever had thank u

    February 05, 2025
    CLINICAL NEUROSCIENCES CENTER

    I like Dr. Stillerman and think he is knowledgeable, but the lack of communication and coordination from his office was shocking. When I arrived for my appointment, he was completely unaware of how much my condition had worsened'despite multiple messages I had sent to his team detailing my escalating pain and nerve symptoms. Even more concerning, he didn't know that his office had prescribed me Baclofen. He asked if I had been given it, which made it obvious that either his staff prescribed it under his name without consulting him, or he had completely forgotten. Neither option inspires confidence. Dr. Stillerman himself seems great, but the breakdown in communication within his office is unacceptable. Patients dealing with serious post-op issues should not have to walk into their appointments and realize their surgeon has no idea what's been happening. If you see him, be prepared to advocate for yourself and make sure nothing gets lost in the system

  • Dr. Charles Stillerman earned a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and an MD from Loyola School of Medicine in Maywood, Illinois. He completed his residency training at the University of Southern California School of Medicine in Los Angeles, California, where he served as Resident Supervisor from 1983 to 1987. Following his residency, Dr. Stillerman became board certified and undertook a Spine Fellowship in Spine Reconstruction/Stabilization and Spinal Cord Injury at the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee.

    Dr. Stillerman's clinical focus centers on the contemporary surgical management of spinal disorders. The surgical options often include minimally invasive techniques. Additionally, when appropriate a wide variety of spinal fusion procedures are available for use. His academic areas of interest include degenerative and traumatic spinal problems in the cervical, thoracic, and lumbar Spine. Currently, he holds the position of Clinical Professor of Neurological Surgery at the University of Utah and serves as Chief of Neurosurgery at the George E. Wahlen Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center. As of 2022, he also heads the Neurotrauma department at Holy Cross Davis Hospital.

    Consistently recognized as one of the Best Doctors in America in Castle Connolly's Top Doctors, Dr. Stillerman has authored and delivered extensive lectures on spinal disorders, spinal injuries, and specifically on Thoracic and Lumbar Spine Stabilization. He is an active member of various professional associations and committees, including being a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons (FACS), the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS), the Congress of Neurological Surgeons (CNS), the Neurosurgical Society of America, the AANS-CNS Joint Section of Neurotrauma and Critical Care, and the AANS-CNS Joint Section of Spine and Peripheral Nerve.

    Board Certification and Academic Information

    Academic Departments Neurosurgery -Professor (Clinical)
    Board Certification
    American Board of Neurological Surgery
    National Board of Medical Examiners

    Education history

    Fellowship Spine Reconstruction/Stabilization and Spinal Cord Injury - Medical College of Wisconsin Fellow
    Chief Resident Neurological Surgery - University of Southern California School of Medicine Chief Resident
    Residency Neurological Surgery - University of Southern California School of Medicine Resident
    Internship General Surgery - Michael Reese Hospital and Medical Center Intern
    Professional Medical Medicine - Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine M.D.
    Undergraduate General Studies - University of Michigan B.G.S.

    Selected Publications

    Journal Article

    1. Couldwell WT, Surnock AA, Tobia AJ, Cabana BE, Stillerman CB, Forsyth PA, Appley AJ, Spence AM, Hinton DR, Chen TC (2011). A phase 1/2 study of orally administered synthetic hypericin for treatment of recurrent malignant gliomas. Cancer, 117(21), 4905-15. (Read full article)
    2. Couldwell WT, Zhang W, Allen R, Arce D, Stillerman CB (1998). Cerebellar contusion associated with type I Chiari malformation following supratentorial head trauma: case report. Neurol Res, 20(1), 93-6. (Read full article)
    3. Couldwell WT, Scheithauer BW, Rice SG, Zhang W, Stillerman CB (1997). Osteosarcoma of the meninges in association with glioblastoma. Acta Neurochir (Wien), 139(7), 684-9. (Read full article)
    4. Levy ML, Gans W, Wijesinghe HS, SooHoo WE, Adkins RH, Stillerman CB (1996). Use of methylprednisolone as an adjunct in the management of patients with penetrating spinal cord injury: outcome analysis. Neurosurgery, 39(6), 1141-8; discussion 1148-9. (Read full article)
    5. Stillerman CB, Chen TC, Day JD, Couldwell WT, Weiss MH (1995). The transfacet pedicle-sparing approach for thoracic disc removal: cadaveric morphometric analysis and preliminary clinical experience. J Neurosurg, 83(6), 971-6. (Read full article)
    6. Arnold PM, Baek PN, Stillerman CB, Rice SG, Mueller WM (1995). Surgical management of lumbar neuropathic spinal arthropathy (Charcot joint) after traumatic thoracic paraplegia: report of two cases. J Spinal Disord, 8(5), 357-62. (Read full article)
    7. Stillerman CB, Wilson JA (1993). Atlanto-axial stabilization with posterior transarticular screw fixation: technical description and report of 22 cases. Neurosurgery, 32(6), 948-54; discussion 954-5. (Read full article)

    Review

    1. Stillerman CB, Chen TC, Couldwell WT, Zhang W, Weiss MH (1998). Experience in the surgical management of 82 symptomatic herniated thoracic discs and review of the literature. [Review]. J Neurosurg, 88(4), 623-33. (Read full article)