Daniel R. Klinger, M.D.
Inspired to Serve
Six Years in the U.S. Army imparted lessons that are serving one Broward Health neurosurgeon well during his medical career.
Growing up in San Diego, fellowship-trained skull base neurosurgeon Daniel R. Klinger, M.D., FAANS, didn’t feel pressured to follow in the footsteps of his father, an Army infantry officer. Dr. Klinger forged his own path by becoming the first in his family to attend medical school. Still, he wanted to serve his country, which led him to complete the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps program during college.
Dr. Klinger served on active duty from 2016 to 2022, a period that included several months spent in Baghdad, Iraq, as part of a head and neck surgical detachment. He and his colleagues provided surgical care to American soldiers, contractors and Iraqi soldiers.
"Throughout the military and in military healthcare, particularly in the deployed setting, individuals and teams are often called on to do more with less to accomplish the mission,” Dr. Klinger said. “Anyone in healthcare can relate to this at some point, and I think building resilience from these experiences is helpful.”
Military service also taught Dr. Klinger the value of being part of a team. In the military, as in healthcare, when the whole team understands and buys into the mission, he said, the chances for success increase.
Collaborating to Treat Skull Base Tumors
These days, Dr. Klinger leverages his experience, including a fellowship in complex cranial and skull base neurosurgery, in the operating room, where he specializes in treating meningiomas, pituitary adenomas, vestibular schwannomas, chondrosarcomas and other tumors that arise from the base of the skull. “Often, we’ll work with otolaryngologists who specialize in middle ear surgical approaches as well as endoscopic approaches to the anterior skull base and nasal sinuses,” Dr. Klinger said. “It’s rewarding working with experienced co-surgeons because I feel like I’m always learning something from my colleagues, and I truly believe patient outcomes are better for it.”
About Daniel R. Klinger, M.D.
Medical School: University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, 2008
Residency Program: University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, 2015
Fellowship Program: Swedish Neuroscience Institute, Seattle, Washington, 2016
Outside of medicine, Dr. Klinger devotes his energy to family, physical activity and learning. He loves spending time with his wife and three young children, reading, traveling, playing and watching sports and following current events.
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