1977 | The Neurosurgery Department Is Formed

In October of 1919, medicine reached a significant milestone. A meeting of the American College of Surgeons declared Neurological surgery a specialty, and it was officially recognized by the medical community. Although this was a huge step forward, Neurosurgery was not as prominent as other specialties in its infancy. This was often because surgeons were not as readily available across the country.

Pinehurst Surgical Clinic has always been on the front lines of cutting edge medicine and it was no different when they brought this important specialty to the area. In 1977, with the arrival of Dr. Anthony Hucks-Folliss, they created the Neurosurgery department. Few, if any, other rural regions with private practices in the Southeast had access to this specialty so early on.

Not only was the addition of Neurosurgery another way to underscore the clinic’s consistent approach, but it also continued their focus on adopting advanced procedures and committing to truly specialized surgical expertise. Dr. Severt Jacobson arrived shortly after to join Dr. Hucks-Folliss, which completed the start of the department.

The next step in the department’s history came with Dr. Malcolm Shupeck’s arrival in 1990. This allowed the Neurosurgery department to continue to grow and expand. Not only did Dr. Shupeck spearhead new advancements within his department, but he also provided leadership to the clinic as a whole serving as President in the late 1990s and as Medical Director from 1997 to 1999. This was all in addition to participating on numerous committees including finance, executive, and retirement. He was joined by Dr. Moyle, who was a Neurosurgery partner with Dr. Shupeck, as well.

Pinehurst Surgical Clinic remains proud of the many surgical specialties and the advanced surgical treatments it has been instrumental in bringing to our patients since 1947.  This is particularly true for Neurosurgery which had its beginning at Pinehurst Surgical Clinic and remains a strong and integral specialty in the advanced and complex collection of recognized medical specialists that practice at FirstHealth Moore Regional Hospital.