Dr. Plunkett, a graduate of Indiana University School of Medicine, completed his neurosurgical residency training at Vanderbilt University Hospital. He then spent four years at the National Institutes of Health, primarily doing research on surgical treatments for Parkinson’s disease. In Buffalo, he developed stereotaxic surgery at Buffalo General Medical Center and co-founded the Comprehensive Movement Disorder Center. His surgical expertise includes Deep Brain Stimulation for Parkinson’s disease and tremor and implantation of pumps to deliver Intrathecal Baclofen to treat spasticity. Dr. Plunkett has been on the medical advisory staff for the National Parkinson’s Foundation of Western New York for the past 15 years.

Dr. Plunkett is also on the Neurosurgical Staff at Roswell Park Cancer Institute where he performs Gamma Knife Radiosurgery to treat brain tumors, trigeminal neuralgia and tremor. His laboratory at Roswell studies novel approaches to treat brain tumors, radioprotection agents, and growth factors to promote nerve cell regeneration.