Assistant Clinical Professor of Orthopedic Surgery
New York University, Langone Medical Center
Dr. Passias, MD, FAANS is a world leader in the surgical treatment of spinal disorders. His clinical practice focuses on the treatment of both degenerative conditions of the spine, with an emphasis on complex spinal deformities including thoracolumbar revision procedures and scoliosis. He has a particular interest in the management of complex cervical spine disorders, and is widely recognized as a pioneer in this field.
Dr. Passias completed an accelerated medical school program and masters in mechanical engineering, graduating Summa Cum Laude and top of his class of over 250 medical students. After completion of his residency at the Tuft’s Combined Program in Boston, he took time to perform both a clinical fellowship in the surgical treatment of Spinal Tumors and Spinal Trauma at the Harvard Combined Spine Fellowship at Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham and Women’s Hospital, which was followed by a post-doctoral in biomechanical engineering research of spinal disorders at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. This was followed by a second clinical fellowship in Scoliosis and degenerative Spinal Surgery at Cornell University New York Presbyterian Hospital and the Hospital for Special Surgery.
He joined New York Spine Institute and NYU Langone Medical Center-Hospital for Joint Disease as Faculty in 2010. He is board certified in the treatment of neurological disorders with focus on the spine, and serves as a key member of many of the leading societies for spine care and research, including the Scoliosis Research Society, Cervical Spine Research Society, International Spine Study Group, North American Spine Society, to name a few, and serves on several key committees on theses societies.
Over the course of his career, he has received multiple research grants related to the treatment of spinal disorders, published more than 100 original and review articles, and has had more than 200 presentations at scientific conferences, and served as faculty on numerous spinal surgery courses worldwide. The focus of his research ranges from critically analyzing patient outcomes of our current treatment modalities, to the advanced study of the realignment of spinal deformities, and the harnessing of patient’s own stem cells to help them overcome certain spinal diseases. He has edited several textbooks on spinal deformity and cervical spine surgery, and serves as an editor or reviewer for such notable medical journals as Spine, The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, The Spine Journal, The Journal of Spinal Disorders & Techniques and Neurosurgery.
He also remains committed to the education of medical students, researchers, residents, and fellow surgeons. He is intricately involved in teaching basic principles of spine care on the spine rotation of the Orthopedic and Neurosurgery residency programs at NYU Langone Medical Center, and for those interested in pursuing a career in spinal surgery, he has trained countless surgeons in advanced spinal techniques.
Dr. Passias offers both the latest and safest surgical techniques, giving extra attention to neurologic issues, for surgical correction of even the most complex cervical disorders and spinal deformities, with an ultimate focus on providing the best individualized care to patients.