Dr. David Spencer, MD
Not yet claimedNeurologist · Physician (MD)
Portland, OR
Dr. David C. Spencer is a neurologist at OHSU in Portland who works in the epilepsy program. He cares for people with seizures.
About Dr. David Spencer, MD
Updated Sep 20, 2026 · next review Dec 19, 2026Another clinician shares this name; we matched by specialty and location.
Dr. David C. Spencer, MD is a neurologist in Portland, Oregon who focuses on epilepsy and seizure disorders. He is a Professor of Neurology at Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) and directs the OHSU Comprehensive Epilepsy Center, which OHSU describes as Oregon's only Level 4 epilepsy center with a video-EEG epilepsy monitoring unit. He also directs the OHSU epilepsy fellowship program.
On his OHSU provider page, he lists his clinical interests as treatment of seizure disorders and video EEG monitoring. He earned his medical degree in 1993 from the University of Minnesota, completed an internal medicine internship at Kaiser Permanente in Oakland, and did his neurology residency and clinical neurophysiology fellowship at Stanford. US News lists his hospital affiliations as OHSU Hospital and the Portland VA Medical Center.
He wrote a book for patients and families, Navigating Life with Epilepsy, published by Oxford University Press in 2016 as part of the American Academy of Neurology's Brain & Life series. He is listed as a Fellow of the American Academy of Neurology (FAAN).
Federal Open Payments records for 2021-2025 show $7,307.82 in industry payments across 19 records, with the largest amounts from Jazz Pharmaceuticals and NeuroPace. Payments from drug and device companies are common and legal, and are reported publicly.
- Directs OHSU Epilepsy Center
- He is director of the OHSU Comprehensive Epilepsy Center, which OHSU describes as Oregon's only Level 4 epilepsy center with a video-EEG monitoring unit. ohsu.edu
- Professor of Neurology
- OHSU lists him as a Professor of Neurology in the School of Medicine. ohsu.edu
- Epilepsy and video EEG focus
- On his OHSU provider page he names treatment of seizure disorders and video EEG monitoring as his clinical interests. ohsu.edu
- Stanford neurology training
- He completed neurology residency (1994-1997) and a clinical neurophysiology fellowship (1997-1998) at Stanford, after an internal medicine internship at Kaiser Permanente in Oakland. doximity.com
- Medical degree 1993
- He received his medical degree in 1993 from the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. ohsu.edu
- Book for patients
- He wrote Navigating Life with Epilepsy, published by Oxford University Press in 2016 in the American Academy of Neurology Brain & Life series. global.oup.com
- Fellow of the AAN
- OHSU and his publisher biography list him as a Fellow of the American Academy of Neurology (FAAN). ohsu.edu
- Directs epilepsy fellowship
- He is listed as director of the OHSU Epilepsy Fellowship Program. brainandlife.org
- Hospital affiliations
- US News lists his hospital affiliations as OHSU Hospital and the Portland VA Medical Center. health.usnews.com
- Industry payments 2021-2025
- CMS Open Payments records show $7,307.82 across 19 records, led by Jazz Pharmaceuticals ($3,691.49) and NeuroPace ($3,010.29). Such payments are common and legal. openpaymentsdata.cms.gov
Worth knowing
- A professional directory describes him as a board-certified neurologist, but no primary-source certification record (such as ABPN or ABMS) was found, so the specific certificate and dates are unconfirmed. doximity.com
- A third-party aggregator lists the same NPI (1962419895) at an address in Coos Bay, Oregon, which conflicts with the Portland/OHSU address in a health plan directory. The aggregator record is unverified. insiderx.com
- Two separate Doximity listings appear under the same name and city; it is unresolved whether this is a duplicate record or a different physician with the same name. doximity.com
Industry payments (CMS Open Payments)
Open the CMS recordFederal law requires drug and device companies to report what they pay clinicians: meals, travel, speaking, consulting, and research. Payments are common and legal; the point is that you can see them.
2021 to 2025
$7,308
19 payments
| 2021 | $126 |
| 2022 | $181 |
| 2023 | $5,001 |
| 2024 | $1,039 |
| 2025 | $961 |
Top payers
- Jazz Pharmaceuticals Inc.$3,691
- NEUROPACE, INC.$3,010
- UCB, Inc.$271
- JAZZ PHARMACEUTICALS INC.$180
- SK Life Science, Inc.$135
Payment types
- Consulting Fee$6,128
- Food and Beverage$1,161
- Grant$19
A word of caution about these numbers
A payment does not mean your doctor is compromised or acting unethically. Most of these entries are drug samples left for patients, or lunch brought in for the office staff, and the amounts are usually small. Research funding and speaking at medical meetings are also normal parts of a clinical career.
As a rough guide, a total under $15,000 a year is usually not a concern. Much larger sums, especially from one company whose product your doctor recommends to you, are worth asking about. You are allowed to ask.
Sources: ohsu.edu · ohsu.edu · ohsu.edu · ohsu.edu · ohsu.edu · doximity.com · doximity.com · phppd.providence.org. Something wrong or out of date? Tell us and we will correct it.
Summary prepared with AI assistance from the public sources linked above, reviewed every three months. It is not a review, a rating, or an endorsement.
Practice location
OHSU Department of Neurology
3181 Sw Sam Jackson Park Rd
Portland, OR 97239
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