Christopher Ames, MD, is the director of spinal tumor and spinal deformity surgery at University of California San Francisco Medical Center. He also serves as the co-director of the neurospinal disorders program and the UCSF Spine Center. He is a professor of neurological surgery and has an active interest in research.
In 2005, Dr. Ames won the International Society for Study of the Lumbar Spine research award for his work on spinal fusion in tumor reconstructions requiring radiation therapy. He is credited with developing the transpedicular approach to removing cervical and cervical thoracic tumors, which he successfully employed in 2009. He has written extensively about spinal biomechanics and the use of resorbable polymers for spinal reconstruction. His work has been published in a number of peer-reviewed journals, such as Journal of Neurosurgery: Spine and Spine.
Dr. Ames is certified by the American Board of Neurological Surgery and focuses on spinal reconstructive surgery for trauma, tumors and degenerative disease. He also has a professional interest in scoliosis, kyphosis, flat back, chin on chest deformity in ankylosing spondylitis, postoperative deformity and spondylolisthesis. He also performs percutaneous fusion procedures.
Dr. Ames earned his medical degree at the University of California, Los Angeles. He completed his residency in neurological surgery at the University of California, San Diego and a spine fellowship at the Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix.
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