Jonathan Forbes, MD

Award-Winning Neurosurgeon Specializing in Cranial Base Pathology

Dr. Forbes is a fellowship-trained, board-certified neurosurgeon with expertise and interest in open and minimally invasive approaches for the treatment of pathology of the cranial base. He has conducted extensive research and provides expert treatment of tumors involving the central and peripheral nervous system, including pituitary adenomas, meningiomas, schwannomas, glioblastomas, acoustic neuromas, chondrosarcomas, chordomas, craniopharyngiomas, epidermoid cysts, and neurofibromas.

He has a long and distinguished history of academic recognition, commitment to excellence, and service to our country. As an undergraduate at Grove City College, he was a recipient of the Trustee Scholarship and was named Sportsman of the Year after his senior season of varsity football. Following the events of 9/11, he enrolled in the Health Professions Scholarship Program with the United States Air Force (USAF). In medical school at the University of Pittsburgh, he was a recipient of the David Glasser Honors Award for academic performance.

During his neurosurgical residency at Vanderbilt University, he received numerous national accolades including the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) Synthes Craniofacial Award for Research in Neurotrauma as well as the AANS Top Gun Award. His score on the American Board of Neurological Surgery (ABNS) written board examination during his fourth year of residency was recognized in the top 3% nationwide.

Exceptional Military Service and Humanitarian Care

After completing his chief year of neurosurgical residency at Vanderbilt in 2013, Dr. Forbes went on to fulfill a 4-year commitment with the U.S. Air Force that included a 6-month deployment to Bagram Air Force Base in Afghanistan. Humanitarian care he provided at the Craig Joint Theater Hospital in Bagram has been featured in numerous neurosurgical journals including the Journal of Neurosurgery, World Neurosurgery, and Neurosurgical Focus, and recognized on a national level by the USAF as part of the Through Airmen’s Eyes series.

Fellowship in Minimally Invasive Skull Base Surgery

After an honorable discharge from the military, he completed a minimally invasive skull base fellowship at Weill Cornell Medical Center in New York City prior to joining the UC Gardner Neuroscience Institute’s Department of Neurosurgery.

University of Cincinnati Department of Neurosurgery

Since joining UC in 2018, Dr. Forbes has been recognized as a “UC Top 1% of Patient Experience” award winner and a finalist for the Congress of Neurological Surgeons “Innovator of the Year” Award. During his time at UC, Dr. Forbes has been involved in the creation of 6 patents and has received 5 research grants from highly competitive entities such as North American Skull Base Society, AO Spine, and UC Pilot. In 2023, he received Cincinnati Business Courier’s Health Care Hero Award: Innovation Category.

To date, Dr. Forbes has contributed to over 80 peer-reviewed publications.