Doctor Spotlight: Kenneth Pugar, DO

Dr. Kenneth Pugar has always been a self-starter, someone who is driven to succeed. This determination helped him create Dayton Center for Neurological Disorders 35 years ago.

“The personality of our practice is consistent. We are independently owned and have a great culture,” he said.

Dr. Pugar grew up outside of Pittsburgh, PA and went to college at Gannon University in Erie. This is where he played soccer and met his wife of more than 40 years, Marianne.

Toward the end of his fourth year there, he wasn’t completely sold on medical school and decided to take a year and pursue his MBA.

With business skills in hand, he landed at Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, one of the nation’s oldest medical schools. He was leaning toward Obstetrics or Family Medicine until his college decided to make a neurology rotation mandatory for the first time in their history. That’s when he realized the brain and spine were right up his alley.

“It was like Star Trek. The Final Frontier. We needed to learn so much about it. The future was unlimited,” said Dr. Pugar.

Thanks to some great mentors paired with his drive, he excelled through his neurology residency in Michigan.

But how he ended up in Dayton was serendipitous.

“I didn’t even know where Dayton was on a map. I was heading to a conference in Cincinnati and decided to stop by my old college roommate’s place in Dayton. He happened to be a doctor working at Grandview. “

He met Dr. Brian Ceccarelli at the hospital but also met several members of the hospital administration.

“They said, we’ve been recruiting a neurologist. We think you should come here,” said Dr. Pugar.

He decided to start his own neurology practice in Dayton after that meeting.  

“My first week in practice I was booked 4 months in advance. There was a big need here.”

DCND now employs more than 100 people and has been exclusively run by doctors since day one.

“We know what the patient needs more than a business administrator. We have very strict controls on who becomes a provider. We have culture, a family. The personality of the practice is consistent,” he said.

To this day Dr. Pugar still has a big passion for neurology and his patients.

“I still feel like I’m making a difference.”

His favorite part of the job is making connections, interacting, and teaching residents while continuing to watch the practice he built grow.

His added pride is getting to watch two of his kids follow in his footsteps. His son Doug is a doctor at the practice and daughter Sarah is a Physician Assistant.

“I was thrilled! I never pushed them into medicine, but they are both cut out for it,” he said.

Dr. Pugar loves to travel with his wife, family dinners and playing golf. He has 5 kids and 11 grandchildren.

“I love it best when we are all together,” he said.