Christopher Wolfla was born in Fayetteville, North Carolina, graduated with High Honors from Indiana University, and received his medical degree from Indiana University School of Medicine. He completed his Neurosurgery residency at Indiana University Medical Center under the direction of Drs. Robert L. Campbell and Paul B. Nelson. After residency, Dr. Wolfla completed a Fellowship in Spinal Neurosurgery at the Medical College of Wisconsin under the direction of Drs. Sanford J. Larson and Dennis J. Maiman. Upon completion, he joined the faculty of the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center Department of Neurosurgery, where he held the Greenberg Endowed Chair.
In 2005, Dr. Wolfla returned to the Department of Neurosurgery at the Medical College of Wisconsin where he is currently Professor of Neurosurgery and Director of the Musculoskeletal Clinical Service Unit at Foroedtert Menomonee Falls Hospital. Dr. Wolfla has an active clinical practice centered on spinal neurosurgery. He has authored more than 35 scientific articles and chapters in medical texts. His research interests have focused on spine biomechanics and spinal cord physiology. Dr. Wolfla is a member of Beta Theta Pi, Phi Beta Kappa and Alpha Omega Alpha. Dr. Wolfla served on the Executive Committee of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons Executive Committee from 2000 to 2013 and has held the offices of Member at Large, Education Committee Chair, Scientific Program Chair, Annual Meeting Chair, Secretary, Vice President, President-Elect, President, and Past President.
He is currently CNS Historian. In addition, Dr. Wolfla has served on the Executive Committee of the AANS/CNS Joint Section on Disorders of the Spine and Peripheral Nerves, where he has held the offices of Member at Large, Treasurer, Chair Elect, Chair, and Future Sites Chair. Dr. Wolfla has a variety of hobbies and outside interests. He lives in Brookfield, Wisconsin and has two children.