Expert brain and spine surgeons have already performed a lifesaving pediatric craniotomy and
Bozeman’s first motion-preserving TOPS spine procedure.
Bozeman, Montana — October 26, 2026
Bozeman Health has launched its first neurosurgery program, giving patients across Southwest Montana and beyond access to high-quality brain, advanced spine, and complex neurosurgical care without leaving the region.
The new Bozeman Health Neurosurgery and Spine Clinic brings neurosurgical and orthopedic spine expertise together under one coordinated team. Based at Bozeman Health Deaconess Regional Medical Center, the clinic is now seeing patients for conditions ranging from brain tumors and traumatic head injuries to chronic back pain, spinal deformity and degenerative spine disease.
“Adding neurosurgery is a significant milestone for Bozeman Health, our community and our state,” Dr. Kathyrn Bertanay, Bozeman Health CEO, said.“ By continuing to invest in specialized services and exceptional people, we are building a stronger future for high-quality health care in our region.”
Until now, patients in Gallatin County and the surrounding region who needed neurosurgery often had to travel to hospitals outside the area, including facilities in Utah, for both emergency and planned care. For time-sensitive conditions like bleeding in the brain, that travel can mean the difference between life and death.
“Just in the last few months, we’ve cared for patients who needed critical neurosurgical treatment and helped them achieve positive outcomes,” Bozeman Health neurosurgeon Dr. Joseph Sramek said. “Lives have already been saved through this program, and I am so proud to serve our community in this way.”
Three-year-old Milo arrived at the Deaconess Regional Medical Center Emergency Department after a playground swing struck him in the head. A CT scan showed a life-threatening collection of blood on the right side of his brain that was causing the brain to shift inside his skull. Transfer to Utah was initially planned, but the clinical team determined Milo could not safely wait. He was taken directly to the operating room for an emergency craniotomy to relieve the pressure on his brain. Today he is back to his active, playful self. Milo’s aunt, Bozeman Health nurse Kaitlin Drake, shares his story in her own words.
“Milo’s story is exactly why neurosurgeons go into this, to be able to help and affect real families at the worst moments of their lives,” said Dr. James Kalyvas, a Bozeman Health neurosurgeon. “Providing lifesaving care like this requires carefully coordinated care from the Emergency Department and Trauma Services to the operating room and recovery team. It’s a carefully orchestrated dance, and it wouldn’t be possible without the collaboration and culture we have at Bozeman Health.”
This month, Kalyvas performed Bozeman’s first TOPS procedure. The motion-preserving surgery relieves pressure on spinal nerves and uses an implanted device to stabilize the spine without fusing the vertebrae. The patient had lived with significant back and leg pain. He was up and walking the day of surgery, went home the next day and is looking forward to returning to an active lifestyle.
An Experienced Surgical Surgeon
The neurosurgery program is led by two board-certified neurosurgeons who joined Bozeman Health this year, Dr. James Kalyvas and Dr. Joseph Sramek. The team also includes advanced practice providers Scott Grimm, PA; Danielle Crawford, PA-C; and Virginia Jeppesen, NP.
Dr. James Kalyvas, MD, FAANS, is a nationally recognized neurosurgeon who comes to Bozeman from New Orleans, where he served as medical director of neurosurgical spine and spine fellowship director at Tulane University School of Medicine, and as medical director of the Joy and Boysie Bollinger Advanced Spine Center and director of neurosurgical spine at Ochsner Health. He is certified by the American Board of Neurological Surgery and is a Fellow of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons. In addition to general neurosurgery and cranial trauma, Kalyvas treats everything from common conditions such as herniated discs and pinched nerves to tumors of the spine and spinal cord, spinal vascular disorders, and complex surgical revision cases. He has a particular interest in endoscopic spine surgery done through very small incisions and in motion-preserving options, including artificial disc and facet joint replacement.
Dr. Joseph Sramek, MD, a board-certified neurosurgeon with more than 25 years of experience, brings deep Rocky Mountain roots to the program. He most recently served as chairman of the Department of Surgery at Logan Health in Kalispell, where he practiced for more than a decade. Before that, he spent more than 10 years in Casper, Wyoming, where he performed the state’s first deep brain stimulation procedure. A graduate of Rush Medical College in Chicago, Sramek completed his neurosurgical residency at Rush-Presbyterian St. Luke’s Medical Center and is a past president of the Rocky Mountain Neurosurgical Society. His practice spans trauma, degenerative spine disease, functional neurosurgery, cranial and spinal tumors, and peripheral nerve surgery.
The Neurosurgery and Spine Clinic was developed with Dr. Ben Smith, DO, a board-certified orthopedic spine surgeon and medical director of the Bozeman Health Spine + Joint Institute, Montana’s first certified Orthopedic and Spine Center of Excellence. Smith, who has practiced in Bozeman for over a decade, helped envision the clinic and joined Bozeman Health in-house full time in January 2026. Known for advanced techniques including custom patient-specific spinal rods, he works side by side with the neurosurgeons providing high-quality and highly specialized orthopedic-spine surgical care.
How to Access Care
Patients can be referred by their primary care provider or call the Bozeman Health Neurosurgery and Spine Clinic to schedule a consultation. The clinic is located at Bozeman Health Deaconess Regional Medical Center. Bozeman Health accepts Medicare, Medicaid and most major commercial insurance plans. Learn more at www.bozemanhealth.org/neurosurgery.
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About Bozeman Health
Bozeman Health is an integrated health care delivery system serving an eleven-county region in Southwest Montana. As a nonprofit organization, governed by a volunteer community board of directors, we are the largest private employer in Gallatin County, with 3,000 employees, including more than 300 medical providers representing over 40 clinical specialties. It is our privilege to deliver expert, compassionate health and wellness services across the care continuum, designed to meet the diverse health care needs of the communities we serve. Learn more about Bozeman Health at BozemanHealth.org.
