Dean Chou, MD

Specialties:
Neurological Spine Surgery, Neurological Surgery

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Overview
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Credentials & Experience
Research

Overview

Dr. Chou is the Chief of the Spine Division, Professor, and Vice Chair of Neurosurgery at the Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons. Dr. Chou has many years of experience and expertise in scoliosis, spinal deformity, spinal tumors, and degenerative conditions?of the spine. He has pioneered many minimally invasive surgical techniques to treat these complex conditions, and is also an expert in traditional open surgery. When possible, he uses the least-invasive treatment techniques, providing an individualized, thoughtful approach to every patient.?
Dr. Chou attended medical school at the University of California, San Francisco, completed his residency in Neurosurgery at The Johns Hopkins Hospital, and undertook a fellowship in complex spinal surgery at The Barrow Neurological Institute under one of the legendary pioneers of spine surgery, Dr. Volker Sonntag. He is board certified by the American Board of Neurological Surgery.
Prior to Columbia, he was on faculty at the University of California of San Francisco, rising to the rank of full Professor of Neurosurgery and Orthopedics, and eventually the Associate Director of the UCSF Neurospine Center.? He is a Castle Connolly Top Doctor and has been elected by his peers for 10 consecutive years to the “Best Doctors in America”?list, according to Best Doctors, Inc.
To date, Dr. Chou has authored more than 290 peer-reviewed publications in a wide variety of neurosurgery and spine journals. He sits on the editorial boards of the following journals; Journal of Neurosurgery: Spine, Neurosurgery, and PLOS ONE.?He is on the advisory board of the journal, Spine. He serves as Treasurer and on the Board of Directors for the Lumbar Spine Research Society (LSRS) and serves on the Membership Committee for the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS).? He also sits on the Executive and Scientific Program Committees of the AANS/Congress of Neurosurgeons Section on Disorders of the Spine and Peripheral Nerves, and he has served as an abstract reviewer for many organized meetings. He is a two-time recipient of the Harold Rosegay Resident Teaching Award and has been awarded the Alumni Achievement Award from The Johns Hopkins Department of Neurosurgery.? He has served as abstract reviewer and faculty member for such organizations as the Scoliosis Research Society (SRS), the North American Spine Society (NASS), the Congress of Neurological Surgeons (CNS), the AANS, the LSRS, the Global Spine Congress, and the International Meeting for Advanced Spinal Techniques (IMAST).

Areas of Expertise / Conditions Treated

Cervical and Lumbar Spine Surgery
Cervical Spine Surgery
Complex Spinal Surgery
Complex Spine Surgery
Degenerative Spinal Disorder
Degenerative Spine Disease
Minimally Invasive Cervical Spinal Surgery
Minimally Invasive Procedures
Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery
Minimally Invasive Spine Techniques
Reconstructive Spine Surgery
Revision Spine Surgery
Scoliosis
Spinal Surgery
Spine (all aspects)
Spine Deformity
Spine Tumors

Academic Appointments

Professor and Vice Chair of Neurological Surgery

Administrative Titles

Chief, Division of Spine Surgery, Department of Neurosurgery
Director, Spine Fellowship, Department of Neurosurgery
Co-Director, Minimally Invasive Scoliosis Surgery
Co-Site Chief, New York Presbyterian-Allen Hospital

Hospital Affiliations

NewYork-Presbyterian / Columbia University Irving Medical Center

Gender

Male

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Phone Appointments

New and Existing Patients: 212-305-6987

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Location(s)

NewYork-Presbyterian Allen Hospital
5141 Broadway

New York, NY 10034





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ColumbiaDoctors - Midtown
51 West 51st Street

New York, NY 10019





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Insurance Accepted

Emblem/HIP

Essential Plan
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Vytra

Empire Blue Cross/Blue Shield

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Medicare

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Oxford Health Plans

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Special Needs

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*Please contact the provider’s office directly to verify that your particular insurance is accepted.

Credentials & Experience

Education & Training

University of California San Francisco
Internship: The Johns Hopkins Hospital
Residency: The Johns Hopkins Hospital
Fellowship: Barrow Neurological Institute

Board Certifications

Neurological Surgery

Honors & Awards

2022, 2019, 2017 San Francisco & Marin County Top Doctors, Marin Magazine?
2020 Hibbs Award Nominee, Scoliosis Research Society
2020 Alumni Achievement Award, The Johns Hopkins Department of Neurosurgery
2009-2019 Best Doctors in America
2015, 2007 Harold Rosegay Neurosurgery Resident Teaching Award
2015, 2014, 2010, 2009, 2004 Cover Article, Journal of Neurosurgery: Spine
2014 Becker's Spine Review: Named one of "230 spine surgeons to know"
2013 Becker's Spine Review: Spine Surgeon Leader to Know
2012 Becker's Orthopedics & Pain Management, Named one of "208 Spine Surgeons & Specialists to Know."
2010 Outcomes Committee Award, AANS/CNS Joint Section on Disorders of the Spine and Peripheral Nerves
2007 Who's Who in American Teachers and Educators
2007 Who's Who in Science and Engineering
2000 AANS Neurosurgery Research and Education Foundation (NREF) Grant


America's Top Doctor


NY Top Doctor

Research

Selected Publications

Chou D, Lafage V, Chan AY, Passias P, Mundis GM, Eastlack RK, Fu KM, Fessler RG, Gupta MC, Than KD, Anand N, Uribe JS, Kanter AS, Okonkwo DO, Bess S, Shaffrey CI, Kim HJ, Smith JS, Sciubba DM, Park P, Mummaneni PV, International Spine Study Group (ISSG)?;?Patient outcomes after circumferential minimally invasive surgery compared with those of open correction for adult spinal deformity: initial analysis of prospectively collected data.;?Journal Of Neurosurgery. Spine;?2021
Chan AK, Mummaneni PV, Burke JF, Mayer RR, Bisson EF, Rivera J, Pennicooke B, Fu KM, Park P, Bydon M, Glassman SD, Foley KT, Shaffrey CI, Potts EA, Shaffrey ME, Coric D, Knightly JJ, Wang MY, Slotkin JR, Asher AL, Virk MS, Kerezoudis P, Alvi MA, Guan J, Haid RW, Chou D;?Does reduction of the Meyerding grade correlate with outcomes in patients undergoing decompression and fusion for grade I degenerative lumbar spondylolisthesis?;?Journal Of Neurosurgery. Spine;?2021
Xi Z, Duan PG, Mummaneni PV, Liu J, Guinn JMV, Wang M, Li B, Wu HH, Rivera J, Burch S, Berven SH, Chou D;?Posterior Displacement of L1 May be a Risk Factor for Proximal Junctional Kyphosis After Adult Spinal Deformity Correction.;?Global Spine Journal;?2021
Vargas E, Lockney DT, Mummaneni PV, Haddad AF, Rivera J, Tan X, Jamieson A, Mahmoudieh Y, Berven S, Braunstein SE, Chou D;?An analysis of tumor-related potential spinal column instability (Spine Instability Neoplastic Scores 7-12) eventually requiring surgery with a 1-year follow-up.;?Neurosurgical Focus;?2021
Chou D, Chan AY, Park P, Eastlack RK, Fu KM, Fessler RG, Than KD, Anand N, Uribe J, Okonkwo DO, Kanter AS, Nunley P, Wang MY, Mundis GM, Mummaneni PV, International Spine Study Group;?Revision Surgery Rates After Minimally Invasive Adult Spinal Deformity Surgery: Correlation with Roussouly Spine Type at 2-Year Follow-Up?;?World Neurosurgery;?2021
Duan PG, Mummaneni PV, Berven SH, Mayer R, Ruan HB, Chang CC, Chou D;?Revision Surgery for Adjacent Segment Degeneration after Fusion for Lumbar Spondylolisthesis: is there a Correlation with Roussouly Type?;?Spine;?2020
Duan PG, Mummaneni PV, Rivera J, Guinn JMV, Wang M, Xi Z, Li B, Wu HH, Ames CP, Burch S, Berven SH, Chou D;?The association between lower Hounsfield units of the upper instrumented vertebra and proximal junctional kyphosis in adult spinal deformity surgery with a minimum 2-year follow-up.;?Neurosurgical Focus;?2020
Wang M, Mummaneni PV, Xi Z, Chang CC, Rivera J, Guinn J, Mayer R, Chou D;?Lower Hounsfield units on CT are associated with cage subsidence after anterior cervical discectomy and fusion.;?Journal Of Neurosurgery. Spine;?2020
Amara D, Mummaneni PV, Ames CP, Tay B, Deviren V, Burch S, Berven SH, Chou D;?Treatment of only the fractional curve for radiculopathy in adult scoliosis: comparison to lower thoracic and upper thoracic fusions.;?Journal Of Neurosurgery. Spine;?2019
Chou D, Mummaneni P, Anand N, Nunley P, La Marca F, Fu KM, Fessler R, Park P, Wang M, Than K, Nguyen S, Uribe J, Zavatsky J, Deviren V, Kanter A, Okonkwo D, Eastlack R, Mundis G, International Spine Study Group?;?Treatment of the Fractional Curve of Adult Scoliosis With Circumferential Minimally Invasive Surgery Versus Traditional, Open Surgery: An Analysis of Surgical Outcomes.;?Global Spine Journal;?2018


For a complete list of publications, please visit PubMed.gov