Richard A. Rowe, MD


Dr. Richard Rowe has more than 20 years of experience in neurosurgery – many of which occurred while serving as an active duty Neurosurgeon with the United States Navy; he is recognized as an expert in both complex spine disease and trauma as well as in complex tumors of the brain and skull base – skills he developed and perfected during both his naval service and as a faculty member at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS).

After completing medical school and internship at Emory University in Atlanta, Dr. Rowe trained in neurosurgery at the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta. During this time, he pioneered the use of computers for training neurosurgeons in anatomy, authoring two computer atlases in neuroanatomy. Upon completing his residency, he began his active duty at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, MD continuing his Naval service in both Okinawa, Japan and at the Naval Medical Center in Portsmouth, Virginia. Additionally, while in Japan, Dr. Rowe served on the staff of the commanding general of the Third Force Service Support Group, a US Marine Corps. Throughout his service he continued research into computer applications – specifically, developing virtual reality training tools for neurosurgery.

In addition, Dr. Rowe completed a fellowship in skull base neurosurgery at UAMS under the direction of a world-renowned skull base pioneer, developing skills in removal of the most complex tumors of the brain and skull. He was invited to join the faculty at UAMS and served as an Associate Professor of Neurosurgery. In a poll by the Arkansas Times, Dr. Rowe was chosen by Arkansas physicians as one of the state’s top neurosurgeons. He continued his academic research into computer applications while there and was appointed an adjunct faculty member to the College of Information Science and Applied Engineering at the University of Arkansas Little Rock.

Experienced Neurosurgeon

A native of Georgia, Dr. Rowe moved to Macon in 2009, where he began practicing at Georgia Neurosurgical Institute, performing both complex spine and complex cranial procedures at the Medical Center of Central Georgia, Navicent Health. He serves as an Associate Professor of Neurosurgery, Department of Surgery, Mercer University School of Medicine.

  • Board-Certified: American Board of Neurological Surgery, 1998
  • Fellowship: Skull Base Neurosurgery, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR, 1999–2000
  • Residency: Neurosurgery, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta, GA, 1994
  • Medical School: MD, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, 1987
  • BS: Chemistry, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, 1983
  • Military Service:
    • Captain, USNR (Ret.), Medical Corps
    • Staff Neurosurgeon, National Naval Medical Center, Bethesda, MD, 1994–1996
    • Staff Neurosurgeon, Naval Hospital Okinawa, Okinawa, Japan, 1997–2002
    • Group Surgeon, Third Force Service Support Group, Okinawa, Japan, 2002–2003
    • Staff Neurosurgeon, Naval Hospital Portsmouth, Portsmouth, VA, 2003–2004
  • Academic Appointments:
    • Associate Professor of Neurosurgery, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR, 2004–2009
    • Adjunct Professor, College of Information Science and Applied Engineering, University of Arkansas Little Rock, Little Rock, AR, 2004–2009