Frank P. Cammisa Jr., MD

Dr. Frank Cammisa, Chief of the Spine Service at Hospital for Special Surgery, specializes in the surgical treatment of spinal disorders. His areas of expertise include minimally invasive spinal surgery, computer-assisted spinal surgery, microsurgery, athletic spinal injuries and motion-preserving procedures, including artificial disc replacement.

In addition to treating patients as an Associate Attending Surgeon at Hospital for Special Surgery, Dr. Cammisa is an Associate Professor of Clinical Orthopedic Surgery at Weill Cornell Medical College.

Dr. Cammisa has long been active in working with professional, scholastic and recreational athletes. Many professional athletes including members of the Giants and Jets football teams and Knicks basketball team are among the pro-athletes who consult with Dr. Cammisa for expert diagnosis and treatment, including surgery, if necessary. He is also the spine consultant for the National Hockey League Player Association.

In surveys of his peers, Dr. Cammisa is consistently named as one of the best doctors in his field. He is listed among a select group of surgeons in New York magazine’s “Best Doctors” issue year after year. He is also named in the Castle Connolly Medical Guide, How To Find The Best Doctors in New York and is among the physicians named as America’s Top Doctors.

Dr. Cammisa is often called on by the media for his expertise and he has appeared in countless print and broadcast reports. He was recognized by New York magazine as one of "12 Doctors Who are Reinventing Medicine” in an article focusing on his research in artificial discs to relieve debilitating back pain.

Dr. Cammisa engages in research to advance the diagnosis and treatment of complex spine conditions. Recognized as a pioneer in the use of new surgical techniques, procedures and modalities, he often participates as the principal investigator in major research studies. His areas of investigation include computer-assisted image guidance, demineralized bone matrix, minimally invasive spinal surgery, and the artificial disc as an alternative to spinal fusion for debilitating back pain.

He has received a number of prestigious research grants. He was one of the lead investigators of a seven-year, multi-center national study funded by a $21 million dollar grant by the National Institutes of Health. The study was one of the first to directly compare the effectiveness of surgical versus nonsurgical approaches to treat herniated disc, spinal stenosis, and degenerative spondylolisthesis.

Dr. Cammisa has published over 100 research articles and manuscripts in dozens of prestigious medical journals, including The Journal of American Medical Association (JAMA). One such study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, was a multi-center trial to compare treatments for degenerative spondylolisthesis, which is caused when a vertebra slips out of alignment. The study followed 601 patients in 11 states over two years to compare surgical and nonsurgical treatments. Dr. Cammisa and his colleagues around the country found that surgery was twice as effective as nonsurgical approaches in reducing pain and restoring function.

Dr. Cammisa has co-authored more than 30 chapters in medical textbooks, held numerous editorial appointments, and is a reviewer for several respected medical journals. He is the recipient of many awards and honors, and has lectured both nationally and internationally. Dr. Cammisa created The National Spinal Research Foundation and has been affiliated with the Miami Project to Cure Paralysis.

Dr. Cammisa is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, and a Diplomate of the American Board of Orthopedic Surgery. He is a member of such distinguished medical societies as the North American Spine Society, Cervical Spine Research Society, Scoliosis Research Society, International Society for the Study of Lumbar Spine, American Spinal Injury Association and Spine Arthroplasty Society.

Appointments

Associate Attending Orthopaedic Surgeon, Hospital for Special Surgery
Assistant Scientist, Research Division, Hospital for Special Surgery
Chief, Spine Service, Hospital for Special Surgery
Associate Professor of Surgery (Orthopaedics), Weill Cornell Medical College
Assistant Attending Surgeon, New York Hospital
Consultant, Spinal Cord Injury Unit

Specialty

Orthopedic Surgery

Subspecialty

Spine

Special Expertise

Minimally Invasive Spinal Surgery
Laparoscopic Spinal Surgery
Computer Assisted Spinal Surgery
Microsurgery
Athletic Spinal Injuries

Awards

North American Traveling Fellowship, American Orthopaedic Association
Spinal Research Award, Eastern Orthopaedic Association
Fellow Scholar Award, Eastern Orthopaedic Association
"Best Doctors in New York," New York magazine, 2009, 2010, 2011

Affiliations

American Spine Society
International College of Surgeons
Fellow American College of Surgeons
Cervical Spine Research Society
International Society for the Study of Lumbar Spine

Specialized Centers

Spine Care Institute

Industry Relationships

One of the goals of Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) is to advance the science of orthopedic surgery, rheumatology, and related disciplines for the benefit of patients. Physicians at HSS may collaborate with outside companies for education, research and medical advances. HSS supports this collaboration in order to foster medical breakthroughs; however HSS also believes that these collaborations must be disclosed.

As part of the disclosure process, this website lists physician collaborations with outside companies if payments were received during the prior year, or if the HSS physician currently receives payment. The disclosures are provided by information provided by the physician and other sources and are updated regularly. Further information may be available on individual company websites.

Below are the healthcare industry relationships reported by Dr. Cammisa as of May 01, 2012.

Alphatec Spine, Inc. - Scientific Advisory Board
Centinel Spine, Inc. (formerly Raymedica, LLC) - Corporate Medical Advisory Board
HealthPoint Capital, LP, IIA LP, and III LP (research-based private equity firm focused on orthopedic and dental devices) - Scientific Advisory Board
Ivy Capital Partners LLC (private equity firm focused solely on the musculoskeletal and orthopedic sector of the healthcare industry) - Scientific Advisory Board
Mazor Surgical Technologies, Ltd. - Scientific Advisory Board
NuVasive, Inc. - Consultant; Receives royalties for design/development of screw device system
Paradigm Spine, LLC - Corporate Medical Advisory Board; Consultant
Spinal Kinetics, Inc. - Scientific Advisory Board
Spinal Partners III - Medical Advisory Board
Synthes, Inc. - Consultant
Vertebral Technologies, Inc. - Consultant
Viscogliosi Brothers, LLC (non-publicly traded investment company) - Spine Advisory Board; Consultant

By disclosing the collaborations of HSS physicians with industry on this website, HSS and its physicians make this information available to their patients and the public, thus creating a transparent environment for those who are interested in this information. Further, HSS’ Conflicts of Interest Policy does not permit physicians to collect royalties on products developed by him/her that are used on patients at HSS.

Patients should feel free to ask their HSS physicians questions about these relationships.

Education

MD, College of Physicians & Surgeons, New York

Residency

Hospital for Special Surgery, Orthopedic Surgery, New York
The Presbyterian Hospital and Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center, General Surgery, New York

Fellowship

University of Miami, Jackson-Memorial Medical Center, Fellow in Spinal Surgery

Certification

National Board of Medical Examiners
American Board of Orthopedic Surgery, ABOS

State Licensure

New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Washington DC, Vermont, California