As part of The Center’s neurosurgical team, Dr. Tien leverages his extensive expertise in the areas of stroke treatment, spinal cord injuries, and brain trauma to help patients of all ages. He enjoys the interactions with patients who place almost unimaginable trust in his judgment, training, and ability. At The Center, he continues his passion for research and has completed numerous studies.
Dr. Tien studied Marine Biology in college, and pursued a PhD to do field research in the Antarctic. After completing his graduate work he started focusing on medicine with the intention of going into Internal Medicine or something similar where he could continue to do research. But once he started his surgery rotation, he was hooked, and completed his neurological surgery residency at OHSU in Portland. He went on to complete a two year fellowship in Interventional Neuroradiology.
Dr. Tien has lived in Bend since 2004 and loves photography, as well as all the year round outdoor activities in the region.
Fellowship: Oregon Health & Sciences University, Portland
Residency: Oregon Health & Sciences University, Portland
Medical School: University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
Graduate Education: University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, PhD
Undergraduate Education: University of Miami, Coral Gables, Florida
“I had an emergency spinal fusion after a climbing accident and became a paraplegic. My life as I knew it changed forever. My love of outdoor recreation was never diminished though and I moved from Seattle, Washington to Bend, Oregon in 2018. After experiencing new pain in my chest and upper arms, I met with Dr. Tien and underwent a second spinal surgery to relieve the symptoms, allowing me to return to the activities I love.” – Josh Hancock
“I liked that he saw me as a whole person and was willing to try the procedure with the minimally invasive amount that needed to be done. The procedure was 4.5 hours and the three month recovery was tough, but I completed all my rehab and recovered really fast. I would have still been in a back brace if I had gone ahead with the fusion, but now I am back to skiing, yoga, and all the other things I love to do.” – Daisy Layman
“I am forever grateful to my friends for insisting that Dr. Tien was the best surgeon as they both had stellar outcomes from their surgeries with him. Three plus weeks out from a removal of a synovial cyst that was pressing on my nerves, causing excruciating pain and debilitation, I am now walking three miles a day. My initial consultation with Dr. Tien went so well that within nine days I was in surgery with him. He reviewed all my x-rays, MRI, etc, and took a holistic approach to my current condition, how I was prior and where I wanted to be in eight months. He was kind, compassionate and listened. I also want to give a shout out to his staff. I was seen in a very timely manner, Shelley, Marc, and Cody are all wonderful. Thank you again for a most positive experience.” – Susan Richman
“Dr. Tien, his staff, and the Center have been excellent over the 2 1/2 years I have been going. Would not want another neurosurgeon.”
“We are so grateful for your skill to remove Doug’s tumor. We’ve learned what it takes to become a doctor like you. My brother is an operating room nurse in Portland and he told us that a surgeon like you has not only invested 14+ years in school and residency, but had to be in the top of his class – all the time. He had to be respected and approved at every turn. As stated in Northwestern’s website, ‘The road to becoming a neurosurgeon is necessarily a long one to train highly motivated, confident, compassionate, and technically skilled surgeons.’ We are very grateful for your commitment to being the best and both we and Bend are blessed to have you as our surgeon managing our hopes and concerns during very difficult times. Saying the name, ‘Dr. Tien’ in this community continually brings nothing but, ‘he’s the best and he really helped me.’ Bless you in your continued work.”
&nbs/- Julie & Doug Ward
“The nightmare of my illness slowly became a dream of recovery. Now my life is filled with smiles and laughter instead of pain and sorrow. The surgery gave my life a new beginning and the secret to my awesome recovery is a doctor who is simply EXTRAORDINARY like you. An endless thankssssss.” – Annabelle Alarcon-Oatman
