ChristophPaulHofstetterMDPhD

Overview of Dr. Hofstetter

Christoph Hofstetter, MD, PhD, Associate Professor in the Department of Neurological Surgery at the University of Washington, is a neurosurgeon specializing in complex spine surgery with an emphasis on minimally invasive techniques. His primary clinical focus is on the surgical treatment of degenerative spinal disorders, including disc herniation, lumbar spondylolisthesis, and cervical myelopathy, as well as spinal oncology.
Dr. Hofstetter received his MD from the University of Vienna, Austria, and earned his PhD at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden, focusing on experimental treatment strategies for traumatic spinal cord injuries. He then completed a surgical internship and neurosurgery residency at New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Dr. Hofstetter completed clinical fellowship training at the Mayo Clinic, and a spine fellowship focusing on complex minimally invasive spine surgery at the University of Miami. Dr. Hofstetter is a faculty member in the UW Institute for Stem Cell & Regenerative Medicine. His research lab investigates various experimental treatment strategies to enhance nerve fiber plasticity and regeneration following spinal cord injury, including electrical stimulation to enhance signaling of remaining nerve fibers, replacement of lost neural cells via stem cell-based transplantation, and the promotion and guidance of nerve fiber regeneration utilizing scaffolds. Dr. Hofstetter’s clinical research focuses on the development of novel minimally invasive motion preserving spinal procedures. In particular he is investigating the use of endoscopic techniques for the treatment of disc herniations and foraminal stenosis. His research efforts strive to improve surgical tools as wells as to study clinical outcomes following these procedures.