Dr. Gary VanderArk was born and raised in western Michigan. He holds a Bachelors of Science degree from Calvin College and a medical degree from the University of Michigan. Dr. VanderArk spent three years serving his country at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, DC, and moved to Denver in 1970 to start the neurosurgery program at Denver Health.
Over the course of thirty years of neurosurgical practice in south Denver, Dr. VanderArk organized the Colorado Neurological Institute, the Colorado Coalition for the Medically Underserved, and Doctors Care. He has received multiple accolades for his work in the medical field, including The Pride in the Profession award from the American Medical Association. Dr. VanderArk now spends his time as a full-time community volunteer. He and his wife, Phyllis, have two children, four grandchildren, and two great grandchildren. He has spent the last twenty years as a volunteer teaching medical students and Bible classes.