Dr. Jean Louis Benae is a triple board-certified neurosurgeon with extensive experience in both brain and spine (minimally invasive spine) surgery. Born in Cameroon, and raised in Paris, France, Dr. Benae came to the United States at the age of 20 to attend the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). He pursued a degree in Physiological Sciences and graduated with honors. He continued his education at the David Geffen UCLA School of Medicine, where he obtained his Doctorate in Medicine. During his graduate medical education, his fascination for neuroscience led him to a neurotrauma research fellowship with the UCLA Brain Injury Research Center. After completing his research fellowship, Dr. Benae began his neurosurgery residency at the Medical College of Wisconsin Affiliated Hospitals in Milwaukee.

Throughout his extensive training and professional experience, Dr. Benae has accrued remarkable versatility with complex spine and minimally invasive spine surgery. His expertise and patient outcomes have led to numerous prestigious awards both in the United States and Internationally. He has been awarded D Magazine Best Doctors by his fellow physicians as a top neurosurgeon for 11 consecutive years! Dr. Benae has also been awarded by LIVING Magazine as the best neurosurgeon in Collin County according to the readers of LIVING Magazine for 11 years in a row!

Dr. Benae is beloved by his patients and this is evidenced by the numerous 5-start reviews on Google. “The foundation of my practice has always been to look for and find the origin of the patient’s problem,” Dr. Benae said. “There are often many treatments we can try to find relief before we resort to surgery. When surgery is the best option, robotic surgery and microsurgical techniques — among others — allows me to operate with a minimum of cutting, less bleeding, less trauma to the body, less risk of infection, and much shorter recovery times. It also makes surgery more precise for greatly improved outcomes for all kinds of surgery. Being able to provide the least invasive option means patients recover faster and better.”

“Pain is scary and debilitating and can come from different sources,” Dr. Benae said. “I partner with my patients to investigate and find the source of that pain.” Because of this forward-thinking mindset, Dr. Benae can make decisions about a plan of action that won’t simply mask his patient’s symptoms but address the root cause and correct the problem. Since minimally invasive spine surgery doesn’t require the long incisions associated with traditional, open surgery, the muscles surrounding the spine don’t suffer extensive tissue damage. Minimally invasive techniques have been used for decades, and the results are typically faster recovery times and a substantially reduced amount of pain and scarring.

Dr. Benae is a member of various distinguished national and international neurosurgical societies, such as the Congress of Neurological Surgeons, the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, the North American Spine Society, and AO Spine.

PAYING IT FORWARD

Dr. Benae is also very committed to his philanthropic work beyond the walls of his practice aimed at providing free surgical and medical procedures for economically disadvantaged communities near and far. At the forefront is the Brain Project Africa Foundation, a non-profit he co-founded in 2016 to empower Africa’s healthcare system. Dr. Benae and his team spend two weeks a year in Africa treating patients with a variety of services such as complex brain and spine surgery, general surgery, dental surgery, and many more.

According to Dr. Benae, the Brain Project has donated large quantities of medical equipment and supplies gathered from the kind donations of many of the hospitals in North Texas. When not in the hospital, Dr. Benae can be found playing soccer with his sons and spending time with his wife Barbara.