Functional Neurosurgeon | Neuroprosthetics Researcher
David Brandman
David Brandman, MD, PhD, FRCSC is an Associate Professor of Neurological Surgery at UC Davis. He is a fellowship-trained functional neurosurgeon who specializes in helping patients with movement disorders, epilepsy, chronic pain, and spasticity. He is a world-leader in the use of intracortical brain-computer interfaces to restore communication. His work in neuroprosthetics has been recognized as one of the Top 10 clinical contributions in America. In 2026, he was named to TIME's TIME100 Health list of the 100 most influential people in health. His work has been covered in outlets including The New York Times, the Washington Post, and the BBC.
Clinical Practice
Dr. Brandman is the Director of the adult surgical epilepsy program for California's largest sEEG surgical epilepsy program.
He provides comprehensive surgical care through The UC Davis Parkinson's Foundation Center of Excellence.
An expert in the use of neuromodulation and minimally invasive surgery, Dr. Brandman strives to make sure his patients feel heard and respected through their therapeutic journey.
Research
Together with scientist Sergey Stavisky, Dr. Brandman co-directs the UC Davis Neuroprosthetics Lab. The goal of the group is to use fundamental insights of the human brain to develop next generation technologies helping people living with paralysis.
The capstone project of our group is the development of a speech neuroprosthesis designed to restore communication to people living with paralysis.
As Featured In
Clinical Trial
Dr. Brandman is the UC Davis site-PI for the BrainGate2 clinical trial, focusing on developing a neural interface to restore communication and movement to people with paralysis.
Their work was awarded the 2024 Sean M. Healey International Prize for Innovation in ALS.
Dr. Brandman is the Study-PI for the Connect-One early feasibility study from study sponsor Paradromics. The goal of this study is to characterize the safety of a novel neuroprosthesis focusing on restoring communication.
