Dr. Boop graduated from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in 1983 followed by neurosurgical residency at the University of Texas San Antonio. Following fellowships in epilepsy surgery at the University of Minnesota and pediatric neurosurgery at Arkansas Children’s Hospital, he joined the faculty at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in 1989 where he served as chief of pediatric neurosurgery for 9 years. He relocated to the University of Tennessee Health Sciences Center in 1999, serving as Professor and the St Jude endowed Chair of pediatric neurosurgery and the JT Robertson endowed Chair of the Department of Neurological Surgery from 2011-2021. He is currently the Emeritus Chair. He served as Co-director of the LeBonheur Neurosciences Institute from 2004-2021.
Dr. Boop has served neurosurgery as the Chair of the Council of State Neurosurgical Societies (CSNS), CNS representative to the AMA relative value update committee (RUC), member of the Washington Committee, president of the American Society of Pediatric Neurosurgeons (ASPN), president of the Southern Neurosurgical Society (SNS), and president of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS).
He just completed his term as the neurosurgical subspecialty governor to the American College of Surgeons (ACS) Board of Governors, is a Director and Chair of the American Board of Neurological Surgeons (ABNS), neurosurgical representative to the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS), serving on the Continuing Certification Committee (3C) of the ABMS. He is Past-Chair of the American Board of Pediatric Neurological Surgeons (ABPNS) and President of the International Society of Pediatric Neurosurgery (ISPN). He also represents North America as the Second Vice-President of the World Federation of Neurological Surgeons (WFNS). He has over 250 peer-reviewed publications and currently works in the St Jude Global Program. He has been married 35 years to Lee Ann Boop and has two children, Sarah Boop BS, RN, MPH, a Public Health nurse in Johnson City Tennessee, and Scott Boop MD, MPH, a third-year neurosurgery resident in Seattle Washington.