About
Dr. Russ P. Nockels is a board-certified neurological surgeon, who specializes in spine surgery, and serves as Vice Chairman for the Department of Neurosciences and Chief of Spine Surgery at NorthShore Neurological Institute (NNI) at Northwest Community Healthcare (NCH). He is located at the NCH Spine and Pain Center in Arlington Heights.
For more than 30 years, Dr. Nockels has dedicated himself to providing exceptional care to patients of all ages with spinal disorders, ranging from routine to complex care. Having performed more than 10,000 surgeries, he brings the latest advancements in spine surgery innovation to NNI at NCH. Areas of expertise include scoliosis, complex spinal deformity correction, spinal revision surgery, spinal trauma, spinal tumors and degenerative disease and disc herniations, among others.
He graduated Cum Laude from Loyola University of Chicago, and he attended medical school at Loyola Stritch School of Medicine, during which he carried out research on the central nervous system. Dr. Nockels completed a residency in Neurosurgery at New York University Medical Center and Bellevue Hospital and was an Honorary House Officer at the Queen’s Square Hospital for Nervous System Diseases in London, England.
He became an Assistant Professor at the University of San Francisco California (UCSF) where he founded the Neurospine program. After travelling and working with orthopedic surgeons around the world, he joined the Senior Staff at Henry Ford Hospital and worked as spine surgeon for the Detroit Lions and Detroit Red Wings. Most recently, Dr. Nockels moved back to Chicago and joined the department of Neurosurgery at Loyola University Medical Center with a joint appointment in the department of Orthopedic surgery. He rose from Associate Professor and Program Director to Full Professor as well as Vice Chair and Complex Spinal Surgery Fellowship Director.
Dr. Nockels’ clinical and basic research has culminated in over 70 publications and over 150 presentations, as well as presiding as chair of several spinal surgery courses worldwide. He was principal investigator of clinical trials in the treatment of spinal cord injury and has a funded basic science laboratory exploring Activity Dependent Plasticity following experimental stroke and spinal cord injury. He also led the discovery and clinical application of innovative spinal implants that have been used successfully on a global basis.
Learn more about Dr. Russ P. Nockels ›
Experience: 33 Years in Practice
Board Specialty: Neurological Surgery
Education
Medical School: Loyola Stritch School of Medicine
Internship: Loyola University Medical Center - GME
Residency: New York University School of Medicine
NCH Facilities
Northwest Community Hospital
Northwest Community Day Surgery Center
Accepted Insurance
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- AARP - United Healthcare - Medicare Advantage HMO/PPO/POS Plans - exclude Focus Plans
- AARP - United Healthcare - Medicare Complete Assure PPO (Cook County)
- AARP Medicare Advantage Access (HMO-POS)
- AARP Medicare Advantage Choice (PPO)
- AARP Medicare Advantage Patriot (PPO)
- AARP Medicare Advantage Plan 1 (HMO-POS)
- AARP Medicare Advantage Plan 2 (HMO-POS)
- AARP Medicare Advantage Walgreens (PPO)
- Aetna NorthShore Employee Tier 1 (NS University Health Systems)
- BCBS MMAI
- BCBS Medicare/Medicaid (MMAI)
- Blue Choice PPO℠
- Blue High Performance Network (Blue HPN)
- Cigna Fundamental Medicare (2022)/ Cigna Courage Medicare (2023)
- Cigna Fundamental Medicare (HMO) Cigna Preferred Plus (HMO) Cigna Preferred Savings Medicare (HMO) (Formerly HealthSpring)
- Cigna TotalCare (HMO D-SNP) Cigna Achieve Medicare (HMO C-SNP) (Formerly HealthSpring)
- Cigna True Choice Core Medicare (Group Plans) (2023)
- Cigna True Choice Courage Medicare (2023)
- Cigna True Choice Medicare (Group Plans) (2023)
- Cigna True Choice Medicare (PPO) (Formerly HealthSpring)
- Cigna True Choice Plus Medicare (2023)
- Cigna True Choice Savings Medicare (2023)
- Coventry Auto-Medical
- Coventry Workers Compensation
- Coventry- First Health
- CoventryOne PPO
- First Health - Coventry
- First Health CCN
- First Health PPO
- First Health Personal Care
- HFN EPO
- HFN PPO
- HFN PPO/EPO/WC
- HFN Workman's Comp
- HPPO Humana Select HMO
- Humana COT National POS - Open Access
- Humana Choice POS
- Humana ChoiceCare Network PPO
- Humana ChoiceCare+ Network
- Humana EPO PPO Open Access
- Humana GE Healthcare Preferred
- Humana Gold Choice Network
- Humana HMOX
- Humana Hospira Premier HMO
- Humana ICP
- Humana IPA
- Humana Illinois Coordinated Care Network (ICCN)
- Humana Illinois Platinum HMO
- Humana Medicare + Employer PPO
- Humana Medicare Advantage FFS
- Humana Medicare Advantage HMO
- Humana Medicare Advantage PPO
- Humana Medicare/Medicaid (MMAI)
- Humana National EPO
- Humana National HMO
- Humana National POS - Open Access
- Humana National POS - Open Access Plus
- Humana P&G National POS
- Humana Preferred Kroger Lou
- Humana Preferred POS Open Access
- Humana Preferred PPO
- Humana Premier HMO
- Humana Select HMO
- Humana US Bank
- HumanaPPO
- NorthShore Employee Tier 1 (NS University Health Systems)
- Oxford Plan - Freedom with Choice Plus
- Oxford Plan - Liberty with Choice Plus
- Surest (formerly Bind Benefits)
- UHC - Choice - Level Funded Health Plans
- UHC - Choice / UHC -Choice Advanced
- UHC - Choice HMO / UHC - Choice HMO Advanced
- UHC - Choice Plus - Level Funded Health Plans
- UHC - Choice Plus / UHC - Choice Plus Advanced
- UHC - Choice Plus HMO Premier
- UHC - Choice Plus Premier
- UHC - Choice Plus with Harvard Pilgrim
- UHC - Choice Premier
- UHC - Choice with Harvard Pilgrim
- UHC - Doctors Plan / UHC - Doctors Plan Plus
- UHC - Doctors Plan HMO / Doctors Plan Plus HMO
- UHC - Heritage Plus
- UHC - Heritage Select Advantage
- UHC - Heritage Select Advantage - IA
- UHC - Heritage Select EPO
- UHC - Heritage Select POS/HMO
- UHC - IL Individual Exchange Benefit Plan Eff 1/1/2023
- UHC - Options PPO / UHC - Options PPO Premier
- UHC - Options PPO with Harvard Pilgrim
- UHC - Passport Connect Choice
- UHC - Passport Connect Choice Plus
- UHC - Select / UHC - Select HMO
- UHC - Select Plus / UHC - Select Plus Premier
- UHC - Select Premier
- UHC - SelectColorado
- UHC - UnitedHealthcare Freedom EPO
- UHC - UnitedHealthcare Freedom PPO
- UHC - W500 Emergent Wrap (ER visit allowed)
- UnitedHealth One
- UnitedHealthcare Choice Plus - Medica Choice
- UnitedHealthcare Chronic Complete Assure (PPO C-SNP)
- UnitedHealthcare Group Medicare Advantage (HMO)
- UnitedHealthcare Group Medicare Advantage (PPO)
- UnitedHealthcare MedSelect
- UnitedHealthcare Options PPO
Independent Practitioner
NCH Spine and Pain Center
880 W. Central Rd.
2nd Floor
Arlington Heights, IL 60005-2355