Spine surgery continues to evolve as surgeons expand minimally invasive and motion-preserving techniques, adopt new technologies and develop approaches to treating complex spinal conditions.
The following 15 spine surgeons are advancing the specialty through clinical innovation, research, education and leadership.
Editor’s note: This is not a comprehensive or ranked list. Becker’s does not endorse any individual featured. To nominate a physician for a future list, please contact Sophie Eydis at seydis@beckershealthcare.com.
- Jason Alder, MD. Baylor Scott & White Health (Dallas): Dr. Alder specializes in degenerative spine conditions, scoliosis, spinal deformity and complex spinal disorders. His practice includes surgical and nonsurgical treatment of herniated discs, spinal stenosis and degenerative disc disease, with an emphasis on conservative care and minimally invasive techniques when appropriate.
Dr. Alder serves as director of spinal surgery at Baylor Scott & White Medical Center – Frisco (Texas) and Baylor Scott & White Medical Center – Centennial, also in Frisco. He has received multiple recognitions from D Magazine, including Best Doctors and Best Doctors in Collin County, and was named a Texas Monthly Rising Star.
- Puya Alikhani, MD. Tampa (Fla.) General Hospital: Dr. Alikhani is chief of neurosurgery at Tampa General Hospital and director of the spine division and fellowship program at the Tampa-based University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine. He specializes in complex and minimally invasive spine surgery, including spinal deformity, scoliosis, revision surgery, spinal tumors and complex cervical conditions.
In 2026, Dr. Alikhani became the first surgeon worldwide to earn Surgical Review Corp.’s Master Surgeon in Neuro Spine Surgery recognition. Under his leadership, Tampa General also became the first hospital to receive the organization’s Center of Excellence in Neuro Spine Surgery designation. He has authored more than 100 peer-reviewed publications and leads initiatives focused on surgical quality, multidisciplinary care and patient outcomes.
- Jason Billinghurst, MD. IntegraMed Orthopedics, Spine & Wellness (Boynton Beach, Fla.): Dr. Billinghurst specializes in minimally invasive procedures and motion-preserving techniques. His clinical expertise includes cervical and lumbar artificial disc replacement, spinal fusion, decompression and treatment of vertebral compression fractures. He also offers nonsurgical interventions for patients with spinal conditions.
Dr. Billinghurst has conducted spine research at New York City-based Hospital for Special Surgery and biomechanics research at Erasmus University in the Netherlands. He collaborates with medical device companies on the development of surgical instruments and regularly speaks at national medical conferences. He is also a member of the North American Spine Society and J. Robert Gladden Orthopaedic Society.
- Keven Burns, MD. Spine Institute of Arizona (Scottsdale): Dr. Burns specializes in surgical and nonsurgical treatment of cervical, thoracic and lumbar spine conditions. His expertise includes minimally invasive and motion-preserving spine surgery, with an emphasis on conservative treatment when appropriate.
Dr. Burns has conducted spinal biomechanics research at Phoenix-based Barrow Neurological Institute and collaborated with biomedical engineers as a design surgeon on next-generation spinal implants. He is also involved in spine fellow education and has experience in both orthopedic and neurosurgical approaches to spine surgery.
- Carrie Diulus, MD. Crystal Clinic Orthopaedic Center (Akron, Ohio): Dr. Diulus specializes in degenerative and sports-related spinal conditions. Her clinical expertise includes minimally invasive spine surgery, spinal injections and surgical treatment of sacroiliac joint dysfunction and osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures. She incorporates both surgical and nonsurgical approaches into individualized treatment plans.
Dr. Diulus holds several committee appointments with the North American Spine Society and has contributed to textbook chapters and research publications covering orthopedics, wellness, pathology and biomaterials. She has also presented at national and international medical conferences.
- Michele Johnson, MD. Atlanta Brain and Spine Care: Dr. Johnson specializes in complex and minimally invasive spine surgery. Her clinical expertise includes degenerative spinal conditions, spinal deformity, spinal tumors, fractures and spinal cord injuries. She also performs artificial disc replacement and complex spinal instrumentation procedures.
Before joining Atlanta Brain and Spine Care, Dr. Johnson was an assistant professor of neurosurgery at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, where she served as medical director and director of spinal trauma at the Houston-based Mischer Neuroscience Institute. She has published research in several peer-reviewed journals and serves on the executive committee of the Joint Section on Disorders of the Spine and Peripheral Nerves.
- Patrick Kim, MD. Tampa (Fla.) General Hospital: Dr. Kim is a neurosurgeon specializing in minimally invasive and endoscopic spine surgery. He is an assistant professor of neurosurgery at the University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine and has helped expand Tampa General’s endoscopic spine surgery capabilities. His research includes comparisons of endoscopic and traditional minimally invasive approaches, surgical outcomes and postoperative recovery.
Dr. Kim serves as vice chair of the International Spinal Endoscopy Research Foundation and previously chaired its education initiatives. In 2026, he co-chaired the North American Spine Society’s Frontiers of Endoscopic Spine Surgery course and directed the Society for Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery’s Lab of the Future. He also teaches endoscopic techniques through national and international surgical courses.
- Eric Klineberg, MD. UTHealth Houston: Dr. Klineberg is chief of orthopedic spine surgery, vice chair of the department of orthopedic surgery and holder of the Milton “Chip” Routt Endowed Chair of Spinal Surgery at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston. He specializes in complex spinal deformity surgery and previously led the spine service at University of California, Davis, where he treated adult spinal deformity patients and pediatric patients at the Sacramento-based Shriners Hospital for Northern California.
Dr. Klineberg has authored more than 300 publications and 20 book chapters. He serves on the Scoliosis Research Society’s board of directors and chairs AO Spine North America. He is also an executive committee member of the International Spine Study Group.
- Rebecca Kuo, MD. University of Chicago Medicine: Dr. Kuo specializes in complex spinal conditions, including degenerative disorders, spinal stenosis, deformity, tumors and trauma. She performs minimally invasive and traditional spine procedures, including cervical and lumbar disc replacement and spinal deformity correction for adults and adolescents.
Before joining UChicago Medicine, Dr. Kuo spent 18 years in private practice. She transitioned to academic medicine to focus on teaching and mentoring the next generation of surgeons. A former practicing attorney, she brings a background in law to her medical career and emphasizes patient communication, education and individualized treatment planning.
- Eren Kuris, MD. The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University (Providence, R.I.): Dr. Kuris specializes in complex adult and pediatric spinal conditions, including scoliosis, spinal deformity, tumors, infections and revision surgery. His practice incorporates robotic navigation, minimally invasive techniques and motion-preserving procedures, including disc replacement.
Dr. Kuris is an assistant professor of orthopedic surgery at Brown University’s Warren Alpert Medical School, where he directs acute spine care and the spine surgery fellowship program. He also serves as associate program director of the orthopedic residency program. He has contributed to more than 100 research abstracts, publications and book chapters and serves on committees for national spine surgery organizations.
- Sean McCance, MD. Spine Associates of NYC (New York City): Dr. McCance is founder and director of Spine Associates of NYC. He also serves as co-director of spine surgery at New York City-based Mount Sinai Hospital and has performed more than 7,000 spine procedures, including complex spinal reconstruction.
Dr. McCance’s research interests include long-term outcomes of lumbar fusion, cervical spine fixation and surgical innovation. He has authored numerous publications on spine surgery and presented research nationally and internationally. He has also held academic appointments at Mount Sinai and New York City-based New York University and has been recognized by New York Magazine and Castle Connolly.
- James Mok, MD. Stanford Medicine (Palo Alto, Calif.): Dr. Mok is chief of spinal endoscopy at Stanford Medicine. He specializes in minimally invasive treatment of degenerative spinal conditions, including disc herniations, spinal stenosis, myelopathy and spondylolisthesis. His surgical expertise includes endoscopic techniques, minimally invasive spinal fusion, decompression and artificial disc replacement.
Dr. Mok is also a clinical associate professor of orthopedic surgery at Stanford (Calif.) University School of Medicine. Previously, he held academic and clinical positions at the University of Chicago and Evanston, Ill.-based NorthShore Orthopaedic and Spine Institute. He served as a major in the U.S. Army Medical Corps, including deployment to Iraq as an orthopedic surgeon and spine surgery consultant.
- Blake Montgomery, MD. Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia: Dr. Montgomery is a pediatric orthopedic spine surgeon specializing in complex spinal deformities, including adolescent idiopathic scoliosis, congenital scoliosis, neuromuscular scoliosis and early-onset scoliosis. His expertise also includes growth-friendly spinal instrumentation, revision spine surgery and pediatric fracture care.
Dr. Montgomery is an attending orthopedic surgeon at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and an assistant professor at the Philadelphia-based Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. His research interests include improving treatment for severe early-onset scoliosis and understanding spinal autofusion associated with growing rods.
- Lauren Seo, MD. Pacific Crest Orthopedics (San Francisco): Dr. Seo specializes in minimally invasive and endoscopic procedures. Her practice emphasizes nonsurgical treatment when appropriate, with a focus on reducing surgical invasiveness for patients requiring spine surgery.
Dr. Seo completed a combined orthopedic and neurosurgical spine fellowship at Durham, N.C.-based Duke University, followed by advanced training in uniportal and biportal endoscopic spine surgery at three hospitals in South Korea. She has authored book chapters on minimally invasive spine techniques and presented internationally on the subject. Her clinical approach incorporates endoscopic techniques and individualized treatment planning.
- Gbolabo Sokunbi, MD. Hospital for Special Surgery (New York City): Dr. Sokunbi specializes in degenerative spinal conditions, spinal deformities and traumatic spine injuries. He treats patients across a broad age range, incorporating minimally invasive surgery, motion-preserving procedures, robotic technology and surgical navigation into his practice.
Dr. Sokunbi is an assistant professor of orthopedic surgery at New York City-based Weill Cornell Medical College. He previously served as interim network chair of orthopedic surgery and section chief of orthopedic spine surgery at Bethlehem, Pa.-based St. Luke’s University Health Network. He has authored peer-reviewed research and book chapters on spine surgery and serves on the editorial review boards of the North American Spine Society Journal and Asian Spine Journal.
At the Becker’s 32nd Annual Meeting: The Business and Operations of ASCs, taking place October 29-31 in Chicago, ASC leaders, surgeons and healthcare executives will explore strategies to drive growth, enhance operational performance, navigate reimbursement challenges and prepare for the future of ambulatory surgery. Apply for complimentary registration now.
