Dr. Brackmann was raised in a small town in Central Illinois. After a year of internship and residency in Chicago, he served in the United States Air Force as a flight surgeon.
After completing military duty, Dr. Brackmann completed his residency in otolaryngology—head and neck surgery at the University of Southern California at Los Angeles. He then completed a fellowship in neurotology at the House Clinic and joined that practice where he spent his entire career in the practice of otology and neurotology.
In addition to his clinical work, Dr. Brackmann has been active in clinical research. His current interests are in management of Neurofibromatosis Type II and the auditory brainstem implant. He is the author or co-author of more than 300 publications and is the editor of 5 textbooks.