Glen Jeffrey Poffenbarger, M.D.

Dr. Poffenbarger served his country for 22 years in the United States Army, acting as the Chief of Neurosurgery at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas, as well as Theatre Chief of Neurosurgery in Baghdad, Iraq. Along with many other military decorations, the United States of America awarded Dr. Poffenbarger for his skill and bravery with the Bronze Star Medal. Prior to becoming a neurosurgeon, he served in the Green Berets and Airborne Rangers. He joined the US Army in 1983 as a private and left 22 years later as a Lieutenant Colonel. He has about 100 airborne operations to his credit and served in Iraq for 14 consecutive months as well as shorter stints in Panama, Central America, Thailand and other locations. 

When Dr. Poffenbarger left the Army in 2005, he considered job opportunities nationwide, settling on Fredericksburg, Virginia. However, he soon began to feel the need to get “farther away,” leaving the traffic jams of the DC area to serve a more rural setting.

“Bringing Neurosurgery out of the big city and into rural communities is very important to me as a neurosurgeon,” Dr. Poffenbarger says. “It’s why I was on the front lines in Baghdad for 14 months. I like to take what I do out of the big cities and stuffy Universities and move it to the regular people where they have access to it.”

When Dr. Poffenbarger heard about a job opportunity in Cody, he “jumped all over it,” determined to find a way to make it work. He already shared a special connection with the town of Cody, dating back to before his days as a surgeon to when he earned his way as a Yamaha motorcycle mechanic.

“When you’re working in a motorcycle shop, you take your vacation in the fall,” Dr. Poffenbarger explains. “I would do a motorcycle tour of the U.S., and I loved Yellowstone. Of the five gates, the east entrance is the most motorcycle friendly, so I would come through Cody almost every year.”

When he first met with the three original orthopedic surgeons at Bighorn Medical Center, Dr. Poffenbarger felt an instant sense of camaraderie.

“We sat there for over two hours talking about guns, cattle, horses and aviation. We were fast friends,” Dr. Poffenbarger says. “Your partners are like your spouse, you have to get along. We all got along, and they seemed like my kind of people.”

Having a Board Certified neurosurgeon in the Bighorn Basin means closer, better care for patients.

“When people travel or are transported long distances for care, outcomes are sometimes less because every time there’s a handoff and a chance for something to be missed,” says Dr. Poffenbarger. “Keeping care right here with a face-to-face handoff means a real benefit to the patients. They are fortunate not to have to travel to Billings, Casper, or Salt Lake.”

Yet Dr. Poffenbarger feels he is “equally blessed from the equation.”

“I’m just as benefitted because I’m lucky to be here. I’m dealing with healthy, hardworking, diligent, salt of the earth people. The ones who made America what it is,” Dr. Poffenbarger says. “On the east coast, I worked in a huge trauma patient center where people shot each other, drove while intoxicated or some other poor decision process. Here when I see trauma, it’s someone thrown from a horse or exited from a four-wheeler at high speed. It’s healthy people having fun outdoors.”

Dr. Poffenbarger has four older children, all attended Brigham Young University.  He has two younger children that are growing up in Cody. In addition to his family, his other loves include reading the scriptures, flying his plane, shooting guns, practicing archery, and riding horses as well as his motorcycle.  He is trying hard to learn snowmobiling as well!

“I love my motorcycle,” says Dr. Poffenbarger. “It’s freedom, just flying down the road. And the plane is the same. You hop in and 5 minutes later you are thousands of feet above the earth, with an unparalleled view.”

As for horses, he enjoys saddling up and simply “pointing it in one direction.” The family horses are kept at his In-laws property on South Fork and he believes that horses and dogs are proof that God loves you. 

Dr. Poffenbarger believes in proactivity in all aspects of life, especially in patient care.

“My model is an extremely interactive team approach, and my clinic is a place for people who are willing to play on a team where we are co-equals,” the physician explains. “Patients are informed, making decisions and suggesting things. They are truly team participants in getting better, and they have better ownership of their health. My job is not to tell them what to do but rather to educate and suggest ways to wellness that they can take and develop into what works for them”

Patient empowerment and taking the time to ensure it is paramount to Dr. Poffenbarger’s practice. The nervous system affects the health and vitality of every other bodily system, and people are not mentally, intellectually and emotionally right, the body cannot heal.

“In my humble view, the central nervous system is who you are,” Dr. Poffenbarger says. “You can’t treat your brain and spine in isolation. My mantra is, ‘I’m going to treat the whole patient.’”

He invites his patients to take a journey together to a healthier, happier, more active life.