Rated Top 1% of US Neurosurgeons
Dr. Mark Liker is a board-certified, fellowship-trained spine and neurosurgeon who is widely respected as Santa Clarita’s leading expert in his field and among the top 1% of US Neurosurgeons (2011 U.S. News & World Report). With over 20 years of experience performing 400-500 successful surgeries annually, he is accomplished in treating a wide spectrum of complex spine and brain disorders employing leading-edge minimally invasive and open techniques.
- Castle Connolly Top Doctor - 15 Years
- Southern California Super Doctors 2013-2022
- U.S. News & World Report Top 1% of US Neurosurgeons
Dr. Liker specializes in cervical, thoracic and lumbar spine surgery, but is also highly skilled at peripheral nerve surgery, brain surgery, functional neurosurgery, stereotactic neurosurgery and radiosurgery. Some of his most routine procedures include artificial disc replacement, microdiscectomies and minimally invasive spinal fusions.
Meet Dr. Mark Liker
A problem-solver at heart, Dr. Liker approaches spine with an engineer’s perspective, drawing from his unique background to diagnose and educate his patients on the root causes of their pain. As such, he commonly uses a SPECT-CT scan, among other tools, to get a precise look at what’s happening and help clarify the most effective, least invasive treatments for each case.
Before medical school, Dr. Liker earned a degree in mechanical and aerospace engineering from Princeton University. He also spent four years on Wall Street, where he was awarded the prestigious distinction of “Chartered Financial Analyst.” When it became clear that medicine was his true calling, Dr. Liker attended the State University of New York, graduating Summa Cum Laude in 1995 with his medical degree and a distinction in research. He trained at USC’s Keck Medical Center and Los Angeles County Medical Center, where he completed a fellowship in complex spine surgery.
Since then, Dr. Liker has authored over 40 peer-reviewed manuscripts and chapters, edited three journal special editions, and has given over 40 national and international presentations on a variety of neurosurgical topics. As part of a continuing pursuit of new ways to shorten patient recovery and lower pain, he remains active in academic research, serving as an assistant professor and faculty member at the Keck School of Medicine of USC.
Dr. Liker is proud to have founded California Neurosurgical Institute, with locations in Bakersfield, Encino and Valencia, California.
During his free time, Dr. Liker enjoys outdoor hobbies such as golf, tennis, scuba diving and downhill skiing and enjoys travelling, especially to foreign countries, for professional conferences or special events with his children. He is a European soccer fan whose recent travels have included a trip with his son to the FIFA World Cup in Qatar. Dr. Liker also enjoys Lakers games and classical concerts and tries to fit in a few minutes of Duolingo every day to grow his knowledge of languages.
