Robert Wharen Jr., M.D., receives Mayo Clinic Distinguished Alumni Award
Emeritus professor of neurosurgery
Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science in Florida
Mayo Clinic in Florida: Professor of neurosurgery, 2006-2020; joint appointment, Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery/ Audiology, 2018-2020; director of surgery, St. Luke’s Hospital, 2002-2003; associate professor of neurosurgery, 2000-2006; chair, Neurology and Neurosurgery Practice Team, St. Luke’s Hospital, 1993-2004; assistant professor of neurosurgery, 1991-2000; consultant, Department of Neurosurgery, 1986-2020; chair, Department of Neurosurgery, 1986-2016; instructor of neurosurgery, 1986-1991
Residency: Neurologic surgery, Mayo Clinic School of Graduate Medical Education, Rochester, Minnesota; Chief resident, neurologic surgery, Grady Memorial Hospital, Atlanta, Georgia
Internship: Surgery, Mayo Clinic School of Graduate Medical Education
Medical school: The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania
Undergraduate: University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
Leader in functional neurosurgery
In 1986, Robert Wharen Jr., M.D. (S ’80, NS ’85), and his colleague Ronald Reimer, M.D. (NS ’86), were charged with building the neurosurgery program at the newly established Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida. They were cautioned that the department “might not work out.”
Today, it’s considered a premier neurosurgery department with a world-class functional neurosurgery program, thanks in large part to Dr. Wharen’s leadership.
Dr. Wharen is an emeritus professor of neurosurgery and was the inaugural chair of the Department of Neurosurgery at Mayo Clinic in Florida. Over his 30 years as chair, the department grew to include 13 neurosurgeons, several named lectureship series and national continuing medical education courses. In that time, the program introduced new neurosurgical technologies and cutting-edge therapies, including deep brain stimulation (DBS), intraoperative MRI surgical procedures such as MRI-guided stereotactic laser ablation, and responsive brain neurostimulation for intractable seizures. Dr. Wharen was instrumental in the establishment of a multidisciplinary brain tumor program, a multidisciplinary epilepsy program, and a Gamma Knife radiosurgery program at Mayo Clinic in Florida.
Trained by neurosurgery legend Thoralf Sundt Jr., M.D. (N ’64), Dr. Wharen refined and advanced the use of DBS for management of Parkinson’s disease and other brain disorders, including Tourette’s syndrome. His successful surgery on a challenging spinal tumor case led to a $10 million donation in Dr. Wharen’s honor — which he subsequently guided toward the establishment of a neurosurgery residency program. This dedication to education never wavered, and he has a strong legacy in generously mentoring and training future neurosurgeons — both through the residency program and through training numerous international neurosurgical fellows in DBS, which led to the development of new DBS programs in their home countries.
In addition, Dr. Wharen is the former president of the Southern Neurosurgical Society and the former vice-president of the Neurosurgical Society of America. He was recognized as a Mayo Clinic Distinguished Clinician in 2003. He has authored 20 book chapters and over 120 published peer-reviewed articles, including in leading neurosurgery journals such as the Journal of Neurosurgery.
His legacy extends into the community; he led a multiyear effort to establish well-defined protocols for the safe return to play after head injury for local student athletes.
The Mayo Clinic Distinguished Alumni Award was established in 1981 by the Mayo Clinic Board of Trustees to acknowledge and show appreciation for the exceptional contributions of Mayo alumni to the field of medicine, including medical practice, research, education, and administration. Individuals receiving this award are recognized nationally — and often internationally — in their fields. Read about the other 2024 recipients here.