In Ronald Young's case, it really was brain surgery. The former Chief of Neurosurgery at the University of California Irvine Medical Center, an authority on neurological intervention for pain management, and a pioneer in gamma knife technology, passed away in October. This marked the end of a story equally full of professional accomplishments, intellectual growth, and cultural immersion. Dr. Young enhanced countless lives and made the most of his own.Dr. Les Cahan of the California Gamma Knife Center at Los Robles Hospital in Thousand Oaks had known Dr. Young since 1980. Dr. Cahan cited Dr. Young's early understanding of the gamma knife's potential. "He took his expertise in the neurosurgical treatment of pain to the gamma knife. He used the instrument to treat patients with chronic, intractable pain by targeting areas of the thalamus." (Despite its name, a gamma knife [GK] makes no incision. It uses focused radiation.)Dr. Cahan said that Dr. Young was one of the first to use GK to treat trigeminal neuralgia, a nerve disorder that causes facial pain. "(This was) a revolution in our treatment of that condition that is now recognized universally as a useful, safe method that can often replace a more difficult open surgery," said Dr. Cahan, adding, "His contributions to neurosurgery in terms of new ways to treat chronic pain and movement disorders and bringing the gamma knife to international acceptance far outweigh and outlast many of the 'big name' professors that worked at the 'big name' institutions.""He was also a careful surgeon in the operating room," Dr. Cahan continued. "He brought a calm demeanor to traditional surgery. Other neurosurgeons could be loud, angry and temperamental in the operating room. He was always calm, careful, deliberate—this created an atmosphere in which all in the O.R. were more at ease and yet careful at the same time."Dr. Young's interests reached well beyond medicine. Golf, running, and skiing, all of which he did from the 1970s to the 1990s, are not surprising for a doctor. But competing in horse reining? Riding Harleys into his 60s?
Ron turned interests into pursuits. He cultivated and achieved a deep knowledge of classical music, opera, theater, classic literature, painting, sculpture, dance, photography, and history. He picked up some Spanish and worked hard at learning French. He traveled extensively, and not in the "If it's Tuesday, this must be Belgium" fashion. He would revisit places and stay at length, digesting music, history, art, and great food and drink whether at a hole in the wall with overturned boxes as stools or at a Michelin Star restaurant. He favored San Miguel de Allende in Central Mexico and Paris and Menton France.
Born and raised in Buffalo, Ron graduated from its branch of the State University of New York (SUNY) with an MD in 1965. The Vietnam War interrupted his surgery residency. Ron joined the Air Force, preferring some degree of self-determination over the randomness of the draft. He served from 1967 to 1969, with much of his time spent in the E.R. at Travis AFB in California.
After leaving the service as a captain, Dr. Young completed a residency in neurosurgery at SUNY Syracuse and subsequently served as a professor of neurosurgery there from 1973 to 1977. In those days, upstate New York was losing tens of thousands of people annually to locales with more jobs or better weather or both. The Youngs chose California. Dr. Young climbed the academic ladder, first at UCLA (1977 to 1986) and then at UC Irvine (1986-1993). He also went global, acting as visiting professor in West Germany, Italy, Switzerland, China, and Canada. He was particularly proud of having presented papers in French in Lyon, Grenoble, and Paris.
Dr. Young thoroughly enjoyed training residents at UCLA and UCI. But in 1993, he left to head Northwest Hospital's Gamma Knife Center in Seattle. He subsequently held similar positions with various GK practices in Southern California. He retired in 2018. Dr. Young's list of scholarly journal articles, book chapters, presentations, professional memberships, and awards runs for pages. Most of his papers addressed pain mitigation, with brain stimulation and even robotics taking the forefront in the mid-1980s. He made international news with the use of a robot to guide a neurosurgical procedure. His publications extended into he 2000s when Dr. Young was in his 60s.
Befitting his intellect, Ron loved to play - and continue to get better at - bridge, the gold standard of strategy card games. Ironically, the act of winning via a trump card stood in contrast to his political opinions. In fact, Ron moved abroad in January 2025 to avoid the political climate n the United States.
Dr. Young was predeceased by his brother, David Young, and his wife of 28 years, Sheila Panepinto Young. He is survived by his sister, Suzanne Young Gallagher, son Scott Young, daughters Anne Burns and Karen Frier, and six grandchildren: Sydney Young, Bella Young, Kevin Burns, Kelsey Burns, Lucie Frier, and Alden Frier.
Ron turned interests into pursuits. He cultivated and achieved a deep knowledge of classical music, opera, theater, classic literature, painting, sculpture, dance, photography, and history. He picked up some Spanish and worked hard at learning French. He traveled extensively, and not in the "If it's Tuesday, this must be Belgium" fashion. He would revisit places and stay at length, digesting music, history, art, and great food and drink whether at a hole in the wall with overturned boxes as stools or at a Michelin Star restaurant. He favored San Miguel de Allende in Central Mexico and Paris and Menton France.
Born and raised in Buffalo, Ron graduated from its branch of the State University of New York (SUNY) with an MD in 1965. The Vietnam War interrupted his surgery residency. Ron joined the Air Force, preferring some degree of self-determination over the randomness of the draft. He served from 1967 to 1969, with much of his time spent in the E.R. at Travis AFB in California.
After leaving the service as a captain, Dr. Young completed a residency in neurosurgery at SUNY Syracuse and subsequently served as a professor of neurosurgery there from 1973 to 1977. In those days, upstate New York was losing tens of thousands of people annually to locales with more jobs or better weather or both. The Youngs chose California. Dr. Young climbed the academic ladder, first at UCLA (1977 to 1986) and then at UC Irvine (1986-1993). He also went global, acting as visiting professor in West Germany, Italy, Switzerland, China, and Canada. He was particularly proud of having presented papers in French in Lyon, Grenoble, and Paris.
Dr. Young thoroughly enjoyed training residents at UCLA and UCI. But in 1993, he left to head Northwest Hospital's Gamma Knife Center in Seattle. He subsequently held similar positions with various GK practices in Southern California. He retired in 2018. Dr. Young's list of scholarly journal articles, book chapters, presentations, professional memberships, and awards runs for pages. Most of his papers addressed pain mitigation, with brain stimulation and even robotics taking the forefront in the mid-1980s. He made international news with the use of a robot to guide a neurosurgical procedure. His publications extended into he 2000s when Dr. Young was in his 60s.
Befitting his intellect, Ron loved to play - and continue to get better at - bridge, the gold standard of strategy card games. Ironically, the act of winning via a trump card stood in contrast to his political opinions. In fact, Ron moved abroad in January 2025 to avoid the political climate n the United States.
Dr. Young was predeceased by his brother, David Young, and his wife of 28 years, Sheila Panepinto Young. He is survived by his sister, Suzanne Young Gallagher, son Scott Young, daughters Anne Burns and Karen Frier, and six grandchildren: Sydney Young, Bella Young, Kevin Burns, Kelsey Burns, Lucie Frier, and Alden Frier.
To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Ronald Frederick Young, MD, please visit our flower store.
Ronald Frederick Young, MD's Guestbook
Visits: 68
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the
Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Service map data © OpenStreetMap contributors