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Han Jo Kim, MD

Spine Surgery
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About Dr. Kim

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Dr. Han Jo Kim is an Attending Spine Surgeon and Professor of Orthopedic Surgery specializing in Cervical Spine and Scoliosis Surgery. After his residency at HSS, he completed a spine fellowship in adult and pediatric spinal deformity and scoliosis surgery followed by a subspecialized fellowship in cervical spine surgery at Barnes-Jewish Hospital at Washington University in St. Louis. He has also visited and operated with leading spine surgeons in the US and around the world. Currently serving as the Director of the Spine Fellowship and Chair of the Fellowship Committee at HSS, he is also the lead investigator for numerous research studies and has won multiple awards in the national and international arena. He is also actively involved in the education of residents, fellows, and physician assistants.

Dr. Kim believes in a comprehensive approach to patient care. Working with internists, anesthesiologists, neurologists, radiologists, physiatrists and pediatricians, all avenues for alternatives to surgery are explored before surgery is considered. With individual patient goals in mind, if surgery is necessary, he will perform spine surgery utilizing the most effective and safe techniques tailored for each person in an effort to minimize complications, recovery time and optimize outcomes. He has a particular interest in surgery relating to adult and pediatric spinal deformity and scoliosis. With regard to the cervical spine, he specializes in cervical deformities and motion preserving (disc replacement, laminoplasty) procedures.

Dr. Kim has dedicated his time as a volunteer surgeon at the FOCOS hospital in Ghana, West Africa where he has treated some of the most rare and complex spinal deformities in pediatric and adult patients, performing hundreds of successful operations.

Dr. Kim has authored more than 200 peer-reviewed scientific articles and more than 35 book chapters, including his own textbook which he co-authored with Dr. K. Daniel Riew on cervical spine surgery titled The Riew-Kim Manual for Cervical Spine Surgery. Through the AO Spine Foundation, he has been invited by international leaders in spine surgery to author surgical reference guides that teach other spine surgeons performing scoliosis surgery. He was also selected by the Scoliosis Research Society for the prestigious Edgar G. Dawson Fellowship in 2013 and subsequently was selected for the Scoliosis Research Society Traveling Fellowship in 2017 and has also served as the IMAST Chair in 2020. He is also an active member of the Cervical Spine Research Society.

Profile Video

Departments

Special Expertise

Cervical Deformity
Cervical Radiculopathy
Cervical Myelopathy
Cervical Spondylosis
Cervical Stenosis
Atlantoaxial Instability
Atlantoaxial  and Occipitocervical Pathology
Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis
Early Onset Scoliosis
Late Onset Scoliosis
Congenital Scoliosis
Scoliosis
Os-Odontoideum
Adult Degenerative Scoliosis
Adult Idiopathic Scoliosis
Scheuermann’s Kyphosis
Congenital Kyphosis
Spondylolisthesis
Radiculopathy
Sagittal Imbalance
Ankylosing Spondylitis
Diffuse Idiopathic Skeletal Hyperostosis (DISH)
Klippel-Feil
Spinal Stenosis
Spine Tumors
Spine Trauma
Flat Back

Procedures

Anterior Cervical Decompression and Fusion
Anterior Cervical Corpectomy and Fusion
Posterior Cervical Foraminotomy
Posterior Cervical Laminoplasty
Posterior Cervical Decompression and Fusion
Cervical Disc Arthroplasty
Atlantoaxial Fusion (C1-2 Fusion)
Occipitocervical Fusion
Vertebral Column Resection
Pedicle Subtraction Osteotomy
Smith-Peterson Osteotomy
Scoliosis Correction
Kyphosis Correction
Sagittal and Coronal Plane Deformity Corrections
Lumbar Decompression and Fusions

Patient Stories

Videos

Patient ratings for Dr. Kim

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Insurance

If your insurance is not listed, please call our office if you have questions regarding your insurance coverage. If you have out-of-network benefits, then your insurance may reimburse you for a portion of your office visit. We will work with you and your insurance to minimize your out-of-pocket costs. Financial assistance may be available for patients in need.

Credentials

Appointments

Attending Orthopedic Surgeon, Hospital for Special Surgery
Spine Fellowship Director, Fellowship Committee Chair, Hospital for Special Surgery
David B. Levine MD Chair in Scoliosis, Hospital for Special Surgery
Attending Orthopedic Surgeon, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital
Professor of Orthopedic Surgery, Weill Cornell Medical College

Affiliations

American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgery
American Orthopaedic Association
Cervical Spine Research Society
North American Spine Society
Scoliosis Research Society
Alpha Omega Alpha

Certification

American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery

Awards

2020 Whitecloud Award Winner – IMAST 2020 “Intravenous Ketorolac Substantially Reduces Opioid Use Following Lumbar Spinal Fusion: Early Results of a Randomized, Double-Blinded, Placebo Controlled Trial”
2016 Whitecloud Award Nominee – IMAST 2016 “The Posterior use of BMP-2 in Cervical Deformity surgery does not Result in Increased Complications: a prospective multicenter study”
2016 Hibbs Award Nominee – SRS 2016 “Neurological Complications in Adult Cervical Deformity Surgery”
2015 Whitecloud Award Nominee – IMAST 2015 “Neurologic Complications in Adult Spinal Deformity Surgery: Incidence, Risk Factors and Outcomes in 558 Patients”
2014 CSRS Best Paper Session Nominee “High Post-Operative C2-7 SVA is associated with Proximal Junctional Kyphosis”
2013 Edgar G. Dawson Fellowship Award
2012 CSRS Meeting Best Paper Award “Physical Exam Findings in Patients with Cord Signal Change on MRI”
2012 CSRS Best Poster Award Nominee for 2012 Meeting “Occipital Incidence – a Novel Morphometric Parameter for Understanding Occipitocervical Spinal Alignment”
2012 Hibbs Award Nominee at SRS Meeting 2012 for podium presentation “High Dose BMP-2 in adults: Major and minor complications in 502 cases.”
2012 Whitecloud Award Nominee at IMAST 2012 for podium presentation “Occipital Incidence – a Novel Morphometric Parameter for Understanding Occipitocervical Spinal Alignment”
2011 Lewis Clark Wagner Award – for excellence in Orthopaedic Clinical and Translational Research
2009 Swanson Scholarship Award
2008 Eastern Orthopaedic Association Resident/Fellow Research Award
2005 Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honors Society

Education

Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons

Internship

NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, Weill Cornell

Residency

Hospital for Special Surgery, New York, NY

Fellowship

Adult and Pediatric Spinal Deformity and Reconstruction Surgery, Washington University in St. Louis, Barnes Jewish Hospital, St. Louis, MO
Cervical Spine Surgery, Washington University in St. Louis, Barnes-Jewish Hospital, St. Louis, MO

State Licensure

Languages

English, Spanish, Korean

For My Patients

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Directions to The Pavilion

My office is located at The Pavilion, 541 East 71st Street. The main entrance to The Pavilion is on the north side of 71st Street underneath the sky bridge that connects the main hospital to the Belaire Building.

Pavilion map

Publications by Dr. Kim

Patient Education

Selected Journal Articles

Editorial Appointments

Reviewer, The Spine Journal
Reviewer, Global Spine Journal
Reviewer, SPINE
Editorial Board, HSS Journal

Selected Books/Chapters

1. K Daniel Riew, MD, Han Jo Kim, MD, Riew-Kim Manual for Cervical Spine Surgery – in process – contracted with World Scientific Publishers
2. Han Jo Kim, MD, Jin Sup Yeom, MD, PhD, Ron Lehman, MD; K. Daniel Riew, MD Atlantoaxial and Occipitocervical Fusions – AO The Spine
3. Han Jo Kim, MD, K. Daniel Riew, MD, Revision Anterior and Posterior Cervical Spine Surgery – AO The Spine
4. Han Jo Kim, MD, Keith H. Bridwell, MD, Sacropelvic fixation in the Spine Masters Techniques in Spine Surgery
5. Han Jo Kim, MD, Lawrence Lenke, MD, Posterior Spinal Instrumentation Techniques for Spinal Deformity Masters Techniques in Spine Surgery
6. Han Jo Kim, MD, Keith H. Bridwell, MD, Severe Kyphoscoliosis of the High thoracic spine with Neurofibromatosis treated with traction and posterior surgery Complex Spine Surgery
7. Han Jo Kim, MD, Jacob M. Buchowski, MD, Posterior Only Resection and Instrumentation for a Tumor Complex Spine Surgery

Selected Presentations

1. Han Jo Kim, MD; Lawrence G. Lenke, MD; Addisu Mesfin, MD; Stuart Hershman, MD; Jeremy Fogelson, MD; K Daniel Riew, MD, Cervical Lordosis Actually Increases with Aging and Progressive Degeneration in Spinal Deformity Patients SRS Meeting 2012
2. Han Jo Kim, MD;, Keith H. Bridwell, MD; Lawrence G. Lenke, MD; Moon Soo Park, MD, PhD; Azeem Ahmad, BA; Kwang-Sup Song, MD; Chaiwat Piyaskulkaew, MD; Stuart Hershman, MD; Jeremy Fogelson, MD, Proximal Junctional Kyphosis results in Inferior SRS Pain Sub-Scores in Adult Deformity Patients SRS Meeting 2012 and NASS 2012
3. Han Jo Kim, MD; Lawrence Lenke, MD; K Daniel Riew, MD; Yasushi Oshima, MD, PhD; Addisu Mesfin MD; Jeremy Fogelson MD; Stuart Hershman MD; Brenda Sides Occipital Incidence – a Novel Morphometric Parameter for Understanding Occipitocervical Spinal Alignment IMAST Meeting 2012 – Whitecloud Award Nominee
4. Mesfin A, Buchowski JB, Aronson AB, Bakhsh WR, Fogelson JL, Hershman S, Kim HJ, Zebala L, Ahmad A, Bridwell KH. High Dose BMP-2 in adults: Major and minor complications in 502 cases. Hibbs Award Nominee, Scoliosis Research Society, Chicago, IL September 2012
5. Hershman S, Lenke LG, Bridwell KH, Kim HJ, Fogelson JL, Mesfin A, Sides B. Minimum 5 Year Follow-up of Posterior Only Surgery for Thoracic and Thoracolumbar Kyphosis. Accepted as Podium, Scoliosis Research Society, Chicago, IL September 2012
6. Fogelson JL, Lenke LG, Bridwell KH, Roth M, Koester L, Kim HJ, Hershman S, Mesfin A. Preventing Spinal Cord Deficits in Adult Spinal Surgery with Intraoperative Monitoring: A Single Institution Experience. Accepted as Podium, Scoliosis Research Society, Chicago, IL September 2012
7. Mesfin A, Lenke LG, Bridwell KH, Fogelson J, Hershman S, Kim HJ, Koester L. Does preoperative narcotic use persist after spinal deformity surgery? A comparison of non-narcotic and narcotic using groups. Accepted as Podium, International Meeting on Advanced Spine Technologies, Istanbul, Turkey, July 2012
8. Mesfin A, Lenke LG, Bridwell KH, Fogelson J, Hershman S, Kim HJ, Koester L. Weight Change and Clinical Outcomes Following Adult Spinal Deformity Surgery in Overweight and Obese Patients. Accepted as Podium, International Meeting on Advanced Spine Technologies, Istanbul, Turkey, July 2012.
9. Matthias Pumberger, MD; Han Jo Kim, MD;, Dara Froemel, MD; Alexander P Hughes, MD; Andrew A Sama, MD; Frank P. Cammisa, MD; Federico P. Girardi, MD Nurick Grade based Surgical Intervention in Cervical Spondylotic Myelopathy Affects Improvement in Symptoms AAOS 2012 Meeting Podium
10. Han Jo Kim, MD; Oheneba Boachie-Adjei, MD; Francisco Sanchez Perez-Grueso, MD; Baron Lonner, MD; Kenneth Paonessa, MD; W. Fred Hess, MD; Cristina Sacramento, MD; Ferran Pellise, MD; Juan Bago, MD; Munish Gupta, MD; Matthew E. Cunningham, MD, PhD; Complex Spine Study Group; FOCOS et al Radiographic and Clinical Outcomes of Posterior Spinal Fusion for Idiopathic Scoliosis in African Patients: A Comparison of All Pedicle Screw vs Hybrid Instrumentation NASS Podium 2011

Research

Research Interests

Proximal Junctional Kyphosis
Cervical Spine Alignment
Global Sagittal Balance
Cervicothoracic Deformity

Patient Registries

Industry Relationships

Industry Relationships

HSS has a long history of supporting appropriate relationships with industry because they advance HSS's mission to provide the highest quality patient care, improve patient mobility, and enhance the quality of life for all, and to advance the science of orthopedic surgery, rheumatology, and their related disciplines through research and education.

Below are the healthcare industry relationships reported by Dr. Kim as of March 01, 2023.

  • Acuity Surgical - Royalties
  • Aspen Medical Products - Advisory Board
  • HS2, LLC - Ownership Interest
  • International Spine Study Group (ISSG) - Research Support
  • K2 Medical, LLC - Royalties; Speakers' Bureau
  • NuVasive, Inc. - Scientific Board
  • SPINE STUD - Ownership Interest
  • Vivex Biologics - Advisory Board
  • ZIMMER BIOMET - Consultant; Royalties

HSS and its physicians make this information available to patients and the public, thus creating a transparent environment for those who are interested in this information. Further, the HSS Conflicts of Interest and Commitment Policy prohibits physicians from collecting royalties on products they develop that are used on patients at HSS.

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

Dr. Kim in the News