Dr. Patrick Rhoten was born and raised in Texas before making his journey to Southern California to practice Neurosurgery. After graduating from his hometown Texas Tech University’s School of Medicine, Dr. Rhoten selected the prestigious Cleveland Clinic for his post-graduate residency training in neurological surgery.

At the Cleveland Clinic, Dr. Rhoten completed two in-folded fellowships, one being a basic science, post-doctoral research fellowship focused on genetic therapies at Case Western Reserve University. There he studied the effects of cells that line blood vessels and their protein-mediated, vasoactive components and how these molecules affect the blood vessels of the brain, both normal and abnormal. An extensive fellowship followed this training with Dr. David Cahill at the University of South Florida in Tampa, where he pursued further clinical training in neurosurgical trauma and in particular, complex spinal surgery.

Following this extensive training regimen in neurosurgery, Dr. Rhoten moved to Southern California and began his career at Kaiser Permanente’s flagship hospital in Los Angeles. There he served as the Director of the Neurosurgical Division of the Spine Surgery Program, as well as Co-Director of the Brachial Plexus program. Dr. Rhoten was then recruited and went into private practice for himself at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in West Los Angeles, CA.

At Cedars-Sinai, Dr. Rhoten’s clinical practice began as a co-founding staff surgeon and the Director of Research and Education when Cedars’ debuted their famous spine center in 1998. He proceeded to thrive in his private practice at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center for 17 years. Dr. Rhoten was then recruited by a fellow Cleveland Clinic alumnus to San Diego in 2015. Having joined a corporate medical environment when he first entered San Diego contrasted sharply to his previous private practice atmosphere. He yearned to return to individualized patient care, as he had done so successfully in Los Angeles and Beverly Hills for over 17 years. Dr. Rhoten, therefore, returned to private practice in 2017.

Dr. Rhoten has been in neurosurgical practice for over 25 years. This decades-long experience gives him a wide breadth of knowledge in treating most neurosurgical disorders. First and foremost, Dr. Rhoten is conservative in his approach to treating patients with spinal pathology. He believes in pursuing all treatment options, not just the surgical solution. His goal is to have his patients enjoy a quality of life during their care, often using multiple treatments to help heal patients with complex spinal disorders. Dr. Rhoten takes an active role in treating the whole patient from diagnosis through appropriate treatment and ideally, eventually to a cure.

Dr. Rhoten is Board-Certified in Neurological Surgery by the American Board of Neurological Surgeons. He is currently an active member of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons and has previously served as a Board Member, Regional Director and Vice-President of the California Association of Neurological Surgeons. Additionally, Dr. Rhoten has served on the boards of several non-profit organizations, including the West Coast Sports Medicine Foundation, helping to treat youth athletes in underserved Los Angeles area high schools. He also served on the board of Physician Advocates for Veterans, assisting veterans in need here in San Diego County. He also has traveled as a physician volunteer on East African medical missions to teach other surgeons modern surgical techniques and help to treat patients in need.

Dr. Rhoten is married and has four children. He enjoys spending most of his free time with his family and playing the occasional round of golf. Dr. Rhoten treats all patients over 18 years old in his practice. Dr. Rhoten is excited to be joining UMD of Southern California.

Board Certifications
Board-Certified in Neurological Surgery by the American Board of Neurological Surgeons

Medical Education
Texas Tech University’s School of Medicine

Residency
Cleveland Clinic-Neurological Surgery

Fellowship Training
Case Western Reserve University-Cleveland
University of South Florida-Tampa

Office Locations
Encinitas – T: (858) 909-9033 | 477 N. El Camino Real, Ste. C204, Encinitas, CA 92024
La Jolla – T: (858) 909-9033 | 4150 Regents Park Row, Ste. 345, La Jolla, CA 92037
Temecula – T: (858) 909-9033 | 31170 Temecula Pkwy Ste. 100, Temecula, CA 92592