Dr. Tumialan is a board certified neurosurgeon in Scottsdale, AZ. He specializes in in minimally invasive spine surgery, cervical and lumbar arthroplasty.
When Luis M. Tumialán graduated from Georgetown University School of Medicine, he had every intention of becoming an orthopedic surgeon. However, during an internship at the Naval Medical Center in San Diego, he saw neurosurgery in depth for the first time and realized his surgical career would not be in orthopedics after all. He knew he had to be a neurosurgeon. “I simply could not forgo the privilege of diagnosing and treating diseases of the central nervous system.”
As a Naval officer, he was obliged to follow the path the Navy set for him and his neurosurgery plans were temporarily altered to accommodate the needs of the Navy. Following six months of Navy diver training, he received orders to serve as the Diving Medical Officer (DMO) assigned to the Naval Special Warfare Unit in Guam. With the events of 9/11, the sleepy outpost of Guam transformed into a busy center of operations for the War on Terror. Dr. Tumialán spent the next two years supporting missions for various Navy SEAL platoons around Southeast Asia and was tasked with doing everything from running a recompression chamber aboard a submarine to setting up battalion aid stations in jungles. He received a Naval and Marine Corps Commendation Medal for service in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and a Navy Humanitarian Medal for the search and maritime rescue of a foreign national.
His experience as a physician in the military helped Dr. Tumialán understand the importance of keeping operational forces battle-ready, particularly when it came to getting service members back to active duty following spine injuries. His interest in minimally invasive surgery and motion preservation found new footing at the Naval hospital, as both of these techniques minimized hospital stays and expedited patients’ return to duty.
Dr. Tumialán applies this same dedication and innovation to his BNA patients as he did as a Navy neurosurgeon. According to Dr. Tumialán, “Several of the SEALs and divers with whom I served years ago later became my patients. I am committed to treating all of my patients with the respect and compassion I would show my fellow servicemen and women.”
Interestingly, Dr. Tumialán is the third BNA neurosurgeon on staff with a background in the Navy. While stationed overseas, he met Dr. Nicholas Theodore during medical evacuations of patients from the Pacific theater to the Naval Hospital in San Diego. Later, when he returned to the Naval Medical Center in San Diego, he worked with Dr. John Wanebo, who joined BNA in 2009.
Dr. Tumialán is married with three sons and one daughter. He enjoys spending time with them and exploring all that the Phoenix area has to offer.
