FORT COLLINS, Colo. (March 11, 2026) – Banner Health is expanding access to advanced surgical care in Northern Colorado through the new Banner neurosurgery department at Banner Fort Collins Medical Center.
The program will be led by 5280 Top Doctor, neurosurgeon Eric Arias, MD, and physician assistant Jocelyn Grigsby, PA-C. Dr. Arias and Grigsby will expand Banner’s neurosurgical services across Northern Colorado, treating patients in Fort Collins several days a week at the new location.
The Banner neurosurgery department will focus on evaluating and treating conditions such as herniated discs, spinal stenosis and instability, offering highly specialized care within the region. Dr. Arias is one of the first neurosurgeons in Northern Colorado performing disc replacements, which produce improved outcomes compared to the more traditional spinal fusion approach. While spinal fusions change the biomechanics of the spine, causing wear and tear on the segments above and below the fusion, disc replacements preserve the normal motion and biomechanics of the spine.
“Our goal is to give patients in Fort Collins and across Northern Colorado the feeling that they’re receiving the best spine care in the state, without having to travel to Denver,” Dr. Arias said.
Dr. Arias graduated from Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York City in 2010, and completed his residency and fellowship at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. Grigsby graduated with her masters in health science in physician assistant studies from South College in Knoxville, Tenn., in 2020. They have worked side by side for five years, building a high-volume neurosurgery practice in the Denver metropolitan area and helping establish services at Banner North Colorado Medical Center in Greeley. They will continue their work with CarePoint in Denver and Greeley while expanding services for Banner patients in Fort Collins through this partnership.
Outside the hospital, both Dr. Arias and Grigsby are highly active, from long-distance cycling and snowboarding to running and triathlons. They say that perspective informs how they approach patient care.
“We understand how important it is to stay active because we live that ourselves,” Grigsby said. “Helping someone return to skiing, running or simply living without pain is incredibly meaningful.”
“My goal is to get patients back to doing the things they love,” Dr. Arias added.
That commitment underscores the expertise Dr. Arias brings to Northern Colorado. He has been named a 5280 Magazine Top Doctor in neurological surgery, an honor based on nominations and votes from fellow physicians across the Denver metropolitan area.
In addition to serving patients in Fort Collins and the surrounding region, Dr. Arias and Grigsby are both licensed in Wyoming, allowing them to offer telemedicine consultations to patients who may otherwise need to travel long distances for specialty care.
“Patients in surrounding rural communities shouldn’t have to drive hours just for an initial consultation,” Dr. Arias said. “Telehealth allows us to extend subspecialty expertise beyond the Front Range and into Wyoming.”
By bringing clinic visits, advanced imaging, surgery and follow-up care together at Banner Fort Collins Medical Center, the team is creating a more seamless experience for patients from diagnosis through recovery. The new neurosurgery department will have an official dedication ceremony along with Banner’s new Joint Replacement Center and cancer services at Banner Fort Collins Medical Center on March 31, at 4 p.m.
For more information about services at Banner Fort Collins Medical Center, visit bannerhealth.com/fortcollins.
About Banner Fort Collins Medical Center
Banner Fort Collins Medical Center is a nonprofit, acute-care hospital offering emergency services, medical imaging, surgery, intensive care, obstetrics, and medical/surgical beds equipped with telemedicine technology. It is part of Banner Health, one of the largest nonprofit health care systems in the country with 33 hospitals located in six states. For more information, please visit bannerhealth.com/fortcollins.