David A. Purger, MD, PhD

Bio

David A Purger, MD, PhD is an Assistant Professor of Neurological Surgery, Adjunct Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, and an IU Health Foundation Master Clinician. He joined IU in September 2024 after completing his neurosurgical training at the Stanford University School of Medicine.

Dr Purger’s clinical practice focuses on stereotactic, functional, epilepsy, and peripheral nerve neurosurgery, with a special emphasis on brain stimulation for psychiatric disorders. Dr Purger has extensive experience with deep brain stimulation (DBS) and focused ultrasound (FUS) for movement disorders; open and minimally-invasive craniotomies, DBS, responsive neurostimulation (RNS), robot-assisted stereoelectroencephalography (sEEG), and vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) for epilepsy; microvascular decompression (MVD) surgery for trigeminal neuralgia, hemifacial spasm, glossopharyngeal neuralgia, and geniculate neuralgia; percutaneous rhizotomy for trigeminal neuralgia; spinal cord stimulation (SCS) for failed back syndrome; decompressions, nerve repairs, and nerve transfers for a variety of peripheral nerve disorders throughout the body; and general neurosurgical procedures for brain and spine tumors, spinal disorders, and hydrocephalus.

Dr Purger is the Principal Investigator of the Indiana University Center On Novel Investigations of Consciousness (ICONIC), where his research focuses on elucidating the neural mechanisms of consciousness and understanding patient-specific network dysfunction in order to develop personalized neuromodulation strategies for psychiatric disorders. Together with his colleagues in the Department of Psychiatry, Dr Purger is working to establish Indiana’s first psychedelic-assisted treatment center and to understand the mechanisms underlying the effects of psychedelic-assisted therapy. His research has resulted in more than 50 peer-reviewed publications, presentations at national conferences, and book chapters. Dr Purger also has a strong interest in brain-computer interfaces and restorative neurotechnology.

Dr Purger grew up in and around Washington, DC and studied Brain and Cognitive Sciences at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology before moving to California to complete his MD and PhD at the Stanford University School of Medicine. Outside of work, Dr Purger enjoys exploring Indiana with his wife, playing piano and guitar, traveling, hiking, photography, and caring for his plant collection.