Here are 33 spine surgeons who perform artificial disc replacement procedures.
If you would like to recommend another surgeon for inclusion on this list, please contact Anuja Vaidya at avaidya@beckershealthcare.com.
Paul A. Anderson, MD (University of Wisconsin, Madison). Dr. Anderson is a professor of orthopedic surgery at the University of Wisconsin and a member of International Society for the Advancement of Spine Surgery. He has a professional interest in complex cervical spine disorders and has research focusing on the development of an artificial cervical disc. His additional research interests include the advancement of spinal fixation implants and disc regeneration. Throughout his career, Dr. Anderson has published articles in professional journals about several topics, including a comparison of the short-term results between total joint arthroplasty and cervical spine decompression and fusion. Dr. Anderson earned his medical degree at Wayne State University Medical School, where he also completed his residency. His additional training includes a fellowship in spine surgery at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland.
Hyun Bae, MD (Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles). Dr. Bae is the co-director of the spine fellowship program at the Cedars-Sinai Spine Center. He has a professional interest in minimally invasive surgery, motion preservation technology, non-fusion technologies and artificial disc replacement. Dr. Bae was among the first surgeons to use multi-level artificial disc replacements for both the lumbar and cervical spine. His research is also on the cutting edge of using growth factor tissue engineering for intervertebral discs. Dr. Bae earned his medical degree from Yale University School of Medicine in New Haven, Conn., and he completed his orthopedic surgery residency at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City. His additional training includes a spine fellowship at Case Western Reserve Hospital in Cleveland.
Gordon Bell, MD (Cleveland Clinic). Dr. Bell is the director for the Center for Spine Health at the Cleveland Clinic. He performs cervical artificial disc replacement surgery, as well as procedures such as cervical deformity surgery, lumbar fusion, spine decompression and complex spinal surgery. He has held leadership positions in the North American Spine Society and International Society for the Study of the Lumbar Spine. Dr. Bell is the co-editor of two spine textbooks and the associate editor for Spine and the associate board member of The Spine Journal. Dr. Bell completed his internship and residency at Cleveland Clinic. He served a spine fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania Hospital in Philadelphia.
Scott Blumenthal, MD (Texas Back Institute, Plano). Dr. Blumenthal is a co-director of Texas Back Institute's Center for Disc Replacement, along with Richard Guyer, MD, and Jack Zigler, MD. He played a key role in the country's first trial of the Charite artificial disc and was among the first surgeons to perform a total disc replacement in the United States. He recently published research on the two- and five-year follow-up results of the total disc replacements he performed, and he lectures widely on both lumbar and cervical disc replacement procedures. In addition to his practice, Dr. Blumenthal also serves as a spine consultant for the Dallas Mavericks and is a clinical assistant professor of orthopedic surgery at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School in Dallas. Dr. Blumenthal earned his medical degree at Northwestern Medical School in Evanston, Ill., and completed his residency in orthopedic surgery at the University of Texas Health Science Center in Dallas. His additional training includes a trauma fellowship at Midwest Regional Spinal Cord Injury Care System at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago.
Robert S. Bray Jr., MD (DISC Sports & Spine Center, Marina Del Rey, Calif.). Dr. Bray is the CEO and founding director of DISC Sports & Spine Center, which includes two surgery centers. Dr. Bray performs artificial disc replacement. He has participated with data collection and outcomes efforts and published several articles throughout his career. Prior to founding DISC, Dr. Bray founded The Institute for Spinal Disorders at Cedar Sinai in Los Angeles and spent 20 years of active and reserve duty in the United States Air Force. Dr. Bray completed his medical education at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston.
Matt P. Cubbage, MD (Advanced Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine, Houston). Dr. Cubbage performs lumbar total disc replacements as well as minimally invasive surgery and endoscopic techniques. His clinical interests include scoliosis, complex spinal deformities, spinal stenosis and herniated discs. He is a fellow of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons and a member of the American Medical Association and Southern Orthopedic Association. He earned his medical degree at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. He completed his orthopedic residency at Scott & White Healthcare, and has completed a spine surgery fellowship at The Spine Institute at Beth Israel Medical Center in New York.
Arash Emami, MD (University Spine Center, Wayne, N.J.). Dr. Emami has a professional interest in treating patients with complex spinal disorders and has expertise in minimally invasive spine surgery. He was among the first spine surgeons to perform a total disc replacement in the lumbar and cervical spine. He is a consulting team physician for the New York Rangers and a physician with University Spine Center. Dr. Emami serves as the director of spine surgery at Saint Joseph's Regional Medical Center in New York City. In addition to his clinical work, Dr. Emami serves as a clinical assistant professor at NYU/Hospital for Joint Disease and is a member of North American Spine Society, Scoliosis Research Society and American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. Dr. Emami earned his medical degree at the University of Chicago, where he also completed his residency. His additional training includes a fellowship at the University of California in San Francisco.
Rolando Garcia, Jr., MD (Orthopedic Care Center, Aventura, Fla.). Dr. Garcia is a member of the International Society for the Advancement of Spine Surgery and North American Spine Society. He has participated in several studies about total disc replacement surgery, including the FDA Charite trial and a comparison of the clinical outcomes for lumbar artificial disc replacement and fusion procedures. In addition to his journal articles, he has authored a book chapter on the history of the artificial disc. Dr. Garcia earned his medical degree at Tulane University School of Medicine in New Orleans, where he also completed his residency in orthopedic surgery. His additional training includes a fellowship in spine surgery at North Carolina Spine Center.
Jeff L. Garr, MD (Orthopedic Physician Associates, Seattle). Dr. Garr performs several procedures, including disc replacement, X-Stop, lateral lumbar interbody fusion and anterior, posterior and transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion. He is a member of many professional organizations, including the North American Spine Society and the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. He is also a volunteer medical provider for local high school athletic teams. Dr. Garr earned his medical degree at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn., and completed his residency at the University of Washington in Seattle. His additional training includes a fellowship with the Spine Care Medical Group in Daley City, Calif.
Jeffrey A. Goldstein, MD (NYU Langone Medical Center's Hospital for Joint Diseases). Dr. Goldstein is the director of the spine service and the associate director of spine fellowship at NYU Hospital for Joint Diseases in New York City. He has an expertise in minimally invasive surgical techniques and his current research involves clinical trials for lumbar and cervical disc replacements. In addition to his clinical work, Dr. Goldstein serves on the editorial board for The Spine Journal and The Journal of the Spine Arthroplasty Society. Throughout his career, Dr. Goldstein has instructed several other surgeons on disc replacement techniques and served in an advisory capacity to news media outlets. He is a member of several professional societies, including the North American Spine Society and Society of Nucleus Arthroplasty. Dr. Goldstein earned his medical degree from State University of New York Downstate Medical Center at Brooklyn and completed his training in orthopedic surgery at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine in Cleveland. He also completed a fellowship in spinal disorders at Johns Hopkins University Medical Institute in Baltimore.
Richard Guyer, MD (Texas Back Institute, Plano). Dr. Guyer has a professional interest in artificial disc replacement, spinal fusions and minimally invasive surgical procedures. He is the founder and chairman of the board for the Texas Back Institute Research Foundation. He has also served as an editorial board member for Spine and The Spine Journal. In addition to his clinical practice, Dr. Guyer serves as an associate clinical professor at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School in Dallas. During his career he has served as the president of the North American Spine Society and earned the Volvo Award in Low Back Pain Research. Dr. Guyer earned his medical degree at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine in Philadelphia, where he also completed his residency in orthopedic surgery. His additional training includes spine fellowships at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland and under Leon Wiltse, MD, in Long Beach, Calif.
Stephen Hochschuler, MD (Texas Back Institute, Plano). Dr. Hochschuler is a fellowship-trained spine surgeon with the Texas Back Institute. He is board-certified in orthopedic surgery, and a past president of the Spine Arthroplasty Society. He is also a founding member of the board of directors for the organization. He has published more than 30 studies on lumbar and cervical total disc replacement. Dr. Hochschuler received his medical degree from Harvard Medical School in Boston, where he also completed his surgical residency. He completed his orthopedic surgery residency at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School in Dallas.
Paul Jeffords, MD (Resurgens Spine Center, Atlanta). Dr. Jeffords performs lumbar artificial disc replacements, and his clinical interests also include adult spine disorders, reconstructive spine surgery, cervical spine surgery and minimally invasive spine surgery. He is chief of orthopedics at Saint Joseph's Hospital of Atlanta and is the former co-medical director of Resurgens Spine Center. He is a member of the North American Spine Society and Society for Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery. He has a degree in biomedical engineering and is involved in the research and development of spinal implants and devices. He earned his medical degree at Tulane University in New Orleans and completed his residency in orthopedic surgery at Emory University in Atlanta. He has received additional training in spine surgery at the Texas Back Institute in Plano.
Donald R. Johnson II, MD (Southeastern Spine Institute and Ambulatory Surgery Center, Mount Pleasant, S.C.). Dr. Johnson, along with Steven Poletti, MD, performed the first artificial disc replacement in South Carolina. His clinical interests include endoscopic discectomy, epidural steroid injections, laminectomy and percutaneous fusions. He is the founder of Southeastern Spine Institute and clinical instructor at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston. He is actively involved in research and spinal instrumentation. Dr. Johnson, along with Dr. Poletti, developed the minimally invasive Globus Percutaneous spine fixation system. He earned his medical degree at the Medical University of South Carolina, where he also completed his orthopedic surgery residency. He has completed three spine surgery fellowships — at the South Texas Spinal Clinic in San Antonio, St. Mary's Spine Center in San Francisco and the Spine Surgery University of Hong Kong.
Sanjay K. Khurana, MD (DISC Sports & Spine Center, Marina Del Rey, Calif.). Dr. Khurana has performed more than 1,700 spine surgeries in his career and earned national distinction for his research. He is a member of the Society of Lateral Access Surgery and performs minimally invasive procedures as well as artificial disc replacement. Previously, Dr. Khurana was the chief of spine surgery at Permanente Group San Diego. He earned his medical degree at Stanford University Medical School and completed a fellowship in spinal reconstruction at Jackson Memorial Hospital in conjunction with the University of Miami/Project to Cure Paralysis.
Richard B. Kim, MD (DISC Sports & Spine Center, Marina Del Rey, Calif.). Dr. Kim is a neurosurgeon at DISC Sports & Spine and program director of Hoag Epilepsy Center at Hoag Neurosciences Institute. He performs artificial disc replacement procedures and has a special interest in complex spine surgery. Dr. Kim earned his medical degree from St. Louis University School of Medicine and completed his residency at New York University Medical Center. His additional training includes a fellowship in epilepsy surgery at Yale University School of Medicine.
James Lynch, MD (SpineNevada, Nev.). Dr. Lynch was the first neurosurgeon in Reno to perform both cervical and lumbar artificial disc replacements. He also has a professional interest in cervical disorders, degenerative spine, spinal deformities and trauma. He is a spinal neurosurgeon and founder of SpineNevada in Reno. He also serves as a partner and director of spine services at Regent Surgical Health and is a fellow of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons. He earned his medical degree from Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland. He completed his residency at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. He is one of only a handful of surgeons who have completed three fellowships in spine surgery. Dr. Lynch has completed a spine fellowship at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery in Queens Square, London, U.K., at Mayo Clinic and at Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix.
Hooman M. Melamed, MD (DISC Sports & Spine Center, Marina Del Rey, Calif.). Dr. Melamed is the director of scoliosis at Marina Del Rey Hospital and member of DISC Sports & Spine Center. He performs artificial disc replacements, stem cell therapies and motion-sparing procedures. Dr. Melamed has been the lead author on several published papers in peer-reviewed journals. He earned his medical degree at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and completed his residency at the University of Illinois at Chicago. His additional training includes a spine fellowship at the Institute for Spinal Disorders at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.
Kenneth Pettine, MD (The Spine Institute, Loveland, Colo.). Dr. Pettine is a fellowship-trained spine surgeon who performs spine procedures and research, including on artificial disc replacement, as well as non-fusion spine technologies. He is a co-inventor and designer of the Maverick Artificial Disc, a device for lumbar spine replacement. Dr. Pettine has also been the principal investigator into more than 15 FDA studies on non-fusion technology. He founded the Rocky Mountain Associates in Orthopedic Medicine and The Spine Institute, where he currently practices. He is the founder of the Society for Ambulatory Spine Surgery and Orthopedic Stem Cell Institute. Dr. Pettine received his medical degree from the University of Colorado School of Medicine in Denver and completed his residency at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. He completed his spine fellowship at the Institute for Low Back Care in Minneapolis.
Frank Phillips, MD (Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush, Chicago). Dr. Phillip has expertise in motion preserving techniques and was a principle investigator in U.S. Food and Drug Administration trials on cervical disc replacement. He also focuses on cervical and lumbar reconstructive surgery and his research interests include minimally invasive spinal surgery, cervical reconstruction and intervertebral disc biology and regeneration. He co-founded the Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush Minimally Invasive Spine Institute in Chicago, and serves as section director of minimally invasive spine surgery at Rush University Medical Center. He is the founder, board member and past president of the Society of Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery. He earned his medical degree at the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa. He completed his orthopedic residency at The University of Chicago Medical Center and completed a fellowship at Case Western Reserve University.
Steven C. Poletti, MD (Southeastern Spine Institute and Ambulatory Surgery Center, Mount Pleasant, S.C.). Dr. Poletti, along with Donald R. Johnson, MD, performed the first artificial disc replacement in South Carolina. He has a professional interest in bone transplantation, cervical herniated discs, cervical spine disorders and lumbar degenerative disc disease. He practices with Southeastern Spine Institute in Charleston, and is on the teaching staff of the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston. He has served as president of both the South Carolina Spine Society and South Carolina Orthopedic Association. He earned his medical degree at the University of California in Irvine and completed his residency in orthopedic surgery at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, N.C. He has also completed a fellowship with Dallas Spine Group.
James Rappaport, MD (Sierra Regional Spine Institute, Reno). Dr. Rappaport was the principle investigator for the Kineflex Lumbar and Cervical Disc Replacement clinical trials at St. Mary's Regional Medical Center in Reno, and he has authored a professional article based on the results. Dr. Rappaport is a fellow of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons and a member of several other professional societies. He is also a team physician for the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association and has been a spine surgeon representative to the U.S. Department of Defense. Throughout his career, Dr. Rappaport has given several presentations on minimally invasive spine surgery techniques. Dr. Rappaport earned his medical degree at the University of California School of Medicine in San Francisco, where he also completed his residency in orthopedic surgery. His additional training includes spine surgery fellowships at the Texas Institute for Spinal Disorders in Houston and at London (England) Clinic.
Faheem Sandhu, MD (MedStar Georgetown University Hospital, Washington, D.C.). Dr. Sandhu is the director of spine surgery and a neurosurgeon at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital. He performed the first two-level artificial disc replacement in Washington, D.C., using the Mobi-C artificial cervical disc. His practice focuses on minimally invasive spinal surgery and brain surgery. Dr. Sandhu earned his medical degree from the University of Rochester School of Medicine and completed a complex minimally invasive spine fellowship at the University of Chicago.
Rick Sasso, MD (Indiana Spine Group, Indianapolis). Dr. Sasso is a founding member and president of the Indiana Spine Group. He is also the co-medical director of the St. Vincent Spine Center in Indianapolis and the chief of spine surgery at Indiana University School of Medicine. His research interests include cervical and lumbar arthroplasty, cervical spine biomechanics and intraoperative spinal image navigation. Throughout his career, Dr. Sasso has published articles in professional journals on several topics, including his research into the Bryan Artificial Disc. Dr. Sasso is a member of several professional organizations, such as International Society for the Advancement of Spine Surgeons, North American Spine Society and American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. Dr. Sasso earned his medical degree at Indiana University School of Medicine in Indianapolis and completed his residency at the University of Texas in Houston. His additional training includes fellowships in spine surgery at Northwestern University in Chicago, Baylor University in Houston and AO Spine in Switzerland.
Thomas Schuler, MD (Virginia Spine Institute, Reston). Dr. Schuler is the CEO of Virginia Spine Institute. He performed the first hybrid multi-level cervical artificial disc replacement with fusion in the country in January 2013. The Bryan cervical artificial disc was used in the procedure. In addition to his clinical practice, Dr. Schuler is the spine consultant to the Washington Redskins and is a fellow with the American College of Spine Surgery. Dr. Schuler earned his medical degree at Indiana University School of Medicine and completed his residency in orthopedic surgery at William Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, Mich. His additional training includes a fellowship at Kerlan-Jobe Orthopaedic Clinic in Los Angeles.
Lali Sekhon, MD (Sierra Neurosurgery Group, Reno, Nev.). Dr. Sekhon is double fellowship-trained spine neurosurgeon at Sierra Neurosurgery Group. He specializes in degenerative disc disease, as well as cervical myelopathy, spondylolisthesis, spinal tumors and trauma. Dr. Sekhon performs artificial disc replacement procedures and started performing arthroplasties outside of the U.S. in 2001. He conducts research in cervical and lumbar disc prostheses, spinal implant designs and bone morphogenic proteins. He is a member of the North American Spine Society and American College of Surgeons. Dr. Sekhon is a fellow of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons and on the editorial board for the Journal of Spinal Disorders & Techniques. He earned his medical degree from the University of Sydney in Australia and completed additional training at Yale-New Haven (Conn.) Hospital. Dr. Sekhon also completed a fellowship at Mayo Clinic and another at Toronto Western Hospital in Canada.
Saqib Siddiqui, MD (The Spine Center, Houston). Dr. Siddiqui is the president and CEO of The Spine Center. He has a professional interest in minimally invasive solutions for spine surgery and disc replacement. He has published several articles based on orthopedic and spine surgery in professional journals and written a text book chapter on lumbar spinal arthroplasty. Dr. Siddiqui is a member of several professional societies, including the North American Spine Society and International Society for the Advancement of Spine Surgery. Dr. Siddiqui earned his medical degree at the University of New South Wales Medical School in Sydney, Australia, and completed additional training at St. Vincent's Medical Center/Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center in New York City. He also completed fellowships in spine surgery at Texas Back Institute in Plano and Texas Orthopedics & Sports Medicine in Tomball.
David Tahernia, MD (Desert Orthopedic Center, Rancho Mirage, Calif.). Dr. Tahernia was the first surgeon in Coachella Valley to perform a lumbar artificial disc replacement. He is the director of the comprehensive spine center at Desert Orthopedic Center. He has coauthored numerous articles and delivered regional and national presentations. He earned his medical degree and completed his internship at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, where he received the Stanley Chung Award for Excellence in Orthopedic Research. He has also completed a spine surgery fellowship at Boulder-based University of Colorado.
Brett Taylor, MD (Washington University Medical School, St. Louis) Dr. Taylor performs artificial disc replacements, cervical laminoplasty, lumbar decompression and microdiscectomy/lumbar disc herniation. He practices with the Orthopedic Center of St. Louis and serves as an assistant professor of orthopedic spine surgery at Washington University Medical School. His hospital affiliations include SSM St. Clare Health Center in Fenton, Miss., and Missouri Baptist Medical Center in St. Louis. He has previously served as chief of spine surgery in the United States Air Force Medical Corps. He is a member of the American Association of Orthopaedic Surgeons and North American Spine Society. He earned his medical degree at Harvard Medical School and completed his residency at Massachusetts General Hospital, both located in Boston. He has completed a fellowship in spine surgery at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia.
Richard Wohns, MD (Neospine, Puyallup, Wash.). Richard N.W. Wohns, MD, is the founder, president and neurosurgeon at Neospine in Puyallup, Wash. Dr. Wohns specializes in neurosurgery including outpatient and minimally invasive spine surgery. His subspecialties include complex spine surgery and cervical and lumbar disc arthroplasty. Dr. Wohns has performed more than 130 cervical disc arthroplasties and is one of the first neurosurgeons in the United States qualified to perform the revolutionary XLIF technique for minimally invasive lumbar fusions. He is a member of American Association of Neurological Surgeons, Society of Lateral Access Surgeons and Washington State Association of Neurological Surgeons. He earned his medical degree at the Yale School of Medicine in New Haven, Conn. He completed a postgraduate fellowship in neuroradiology at National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery in London, England and his residency at the University of Washington in Seattle.
Christopher A. Yeung, MD (Desert Institute for Spine Care, Phoenix). Dr. Yeung has been the principal investigator in several FDA studies, including the Cervicore cervical artificial disc replacement and DASCOR total nucleus replacement and a subinvestigator for the Flexicore lumbar artificial disc replacement. He has a professional interest in minimally invasive spine surgery. In addition to his clinical practice at Desert Institute for Spine Care, Dr. Yeung is Team Spine Surgeon and Consultant for the AZ Diamondbacks, AZ Rattlers, and many Cactus League teams during Spring Training, including the LA Dodgers, Cincinnati Reds, Kansas City Royals, Seattle Mariners, and Colorado Rockies. He is a member of several professional organizations, including the North American Spine Society and American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. Dr. Yeung earned his medical degree at the University of Southern California School of Medicine and completed his orthopedic residency at the University of California Irvine Medical Center. His additional training includes a spine surgery fellowship at the USC Center for Orthopedic Spine Surgery/Los Angeles Spine Surgery.
Jim Youssef, MD (Spine Colorado, Durango). Dr. Youssef has a professional interest in lumbar artificial disc replacement, minimally invasive procedures and scoliosis surgery. He is a member of several professional organizations, including the North American Spine Society, International Society for the Advancement of Spine Surgery and the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. During his career, he has published several professional articles on spine topics, including revision strategies in lumbar total disc arthroplasty, and he participated in a poster presentation comparing cervical total disc replacement to anterior cervical discectomy and fusion. Dr. Youssef also serves on the editorial board and review committees for multiple professional publications, including Spine. He earned his medical degree at the University of California in Irvine and completed his residency in orthopedic surgery at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, N.H. His additional training includes a fellowship in spine surgery at the University of California in Sacramento.
Jack Zigler, MD (Texas Back Institute, Plano). Dr. Zigler's clinical interests include artificial disc replacement and treatments for spinal cord injury, spinal fractures and spinal disorders. He is an orthopedic spine surgeon at Texas Back Institute and serves as president of the American Spinal Injury Association. He serves on the editorial board of the Journal of Spinal Disorders & Techniques and as the orthopedic section editor of The Journal of Spinal Cord Medicine. He is also a foreign correspondent for a Portuguese language spine journal called Coluna. He earned his medical degree at SUNY Upstate Medical Center in Syracuse, N.Y. He completed his orthopedic surgery residency at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York and has completed a spine surgery fellowship at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland.
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