Innovative spirit, commitment to surgical excellence are hallmarks of Dr. William Tobler's career

Neurosurgeon to retire after 39 years at Mayfield

During his distinguished 39-year career at Mayfield Brain & Spine, Dr. William Tobler has kept his sights firmly set on the horizon – the next neurosurgery frontier.

The Mayfield Spine Surgery Center. The Center for Surgical Innovation. The Mayfield Education & Research Foundation. The pioneering advances in spine surgery tools and techniques. And most important of all, the generations of patients on the operating table or sitting with him in clinic.

As he retires from Mayfield June 30, Dr. Tobler has not lowered his sights one bit. Personally, that will mean more travel with his wife Terri and time with his three children and five grandchildren. He's also looking forward to writing several academic papers. Professionally, he has invested a lifetime in Mayfield and holds great hopes for its future.

"The defining vision of Mayfield has always been innovation," Dr. Tobler said. "At the nexus of clinical care, education, research and innovation is that 'secret sauce' that has allowed us to serve patients with excellence for more than 85 years. I have been privileged to play a role in it. I can't wait to see what Mayfield does next."

Dr. Tobler will stay involved in the Mayfield Education & Research Foundation as board chair and as medical director of development, helping to generate support for the clinical research and training that is the lifeblood of Mayfield excellence. One example is the recently launched David & Wendy Herche Lectureship, designed to promote innovation in spine surgery. David Herche supported the project after surgery with Dr. Tobler to remove a spinal tumor.

Another top priority of the foundation is recruiting top talent and regional collaborators to the Brain Tumor Institute at Mayfield, which aims to make Greater Cincinnati a destination for leading-edge brain tumor care. And Dr. Tobler will remain involved with the Winter Clinics for Cranial & Spinal Surgery, among the premier educational events for neurosurgery clinicians and researchers. The continuing medical education event is held every year in Snowmass Village, Colo., with co-sponsors including Mayo Clinic and Cleveland Clinic, and jointly provided by the American Association for Neurological Surgery.

"Dr. Tobler personifies both our distinguished legacy and our ambitious plans for the future," said Dr. Andrew Ringer, chair of Mayfield's Board of Directors. "As a mentor and friend to so many of us, he has always carried and nurtured the spirit of excellence, innovation and collegiality that has been a hallmark of our independent practice. His contributions to Mayfield will endure."

Dr. Tobler joined what was then called the Mayfield Neurological Institute in 1985, establishing his practice at The Christ Hospital. He had previously earned his medical degree at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine in 1978, completed internships in internal medicine and general surgery at Good Samaritan Hospital, and served a residency in neurosurgery at UC Medical Center and Mayfield starting in 1980.

During his storied career, Dr. Tobler has performed more than 18,000 surgical cases. He has collaborated on approximately two dozen peer-reviewed articles and a similar number of book chapters. He has given more than 30 international presentations, and been invited three times to perform surgeries in other countries. He has led nearly 30 clinical trials as principal investigator or co-investigator.

He also helped train nearly 70 residents and nearly 20 fellows, including many of Mayfield's current neurosurgeons. And he is one of a select few Mayfield physicians to become a full professor at the University of Cincinnati, until Mayfield separated from UC's Department of Neurosurgery in 2017.

Dr. Tobler's innovations and accomplishments include:

• He has been instrumental in the launching and growth of the Mayfield Spine Surgery Center, including serving as its first medical director from 2006-2009 and as chairman of the Board of Managers since 2010.

• Served as board chairman of the Mayfield Education & Research Foundation since 2008. During his tenure there, assets have more than quadrupled, and he initiated the concept that became the Mayfield Surgical Innovation Center. MERF is now embarking on an ambitious project of developing a regional brain tumor institute.

• Developed and launched the Pelorus stereotactic surgical system that used the arc-centered ball-and-socket targeting system. Nearly 100 systems were marketed and sold.

• Developed the Mayfield ACCISS computer-based image-guided system. This system uses optical tracking with the ball and socket concept targeting lesions in the brain. This concept is currently used worldwide. Ohio Medical Instrument Co. obtained a patent on the system, evolved from the Pelorus system and since licensed to Medtronic. Royalties were directed to the Mayfield Education & Research Foundation.

• Developed the first electro-magnetic tracking device for image-guided surgery, collaborating with scientists from the Charité Hospital in Berlin.

• Launched the Mayfield MobileSCAN CT, a mobile CT scanner that required the development of specialized tables by Ohio Medical Instrument Co. (Schaerer Medical USA) to position patients for the use of image-guided spine and brain surgery.

Dr. William Tobler

Dr. William Tobler - Milestones

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