Timothy Witham, M.D.

Timothy Francis Witham, M.D.

Headshot of Timothy Witham
  • Director, the Johns Hopkins Neurosurgery Spinal Fusion Laboratory
  • Professor of Neurosurgery
Male

Expertise

Aneurysmal Bone Cyst, Back Disorders, Back Pain, Cauda Equina Syndrome, Cavernous Angioma, Cervical Degenerative Disc Disease, Cervical Degenerative Disc Herniation, Cervical Disc Herniation, Cervical Myelopathy, Cervical Radiculopathy, Cervical Spine Trauma, Cervical Spondylosis, Chiari Malformations, Chordomas, Chrondrosarcoma, Complex Cervical Spine Reconstruction Surgery, Complex Spinal Reconstructions, Cranio-cervical Junction Pathology, Degenerative Disc Disease, Degenerative Spine Disease, Disc Pain, Giant Cell Tumor, Hemangioblastoma, Hemangiomas, Kyphosis, Lumbar Degenerative Disease, Lumbar Disc Herniation, Lumbar Radiculopathy, Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery, Minimally Invasive Surgery, Myxopapillary Ependymoma, Neck Pain, Nerve Sheath Tumor, Neurosurgery, Neurosurgical Oncology, Osteoblastoma, Osteoid Osteoma, Radiculopathy, Sacral Tumors, Sarcoma, Schwannoma, Sciatica, Spinal Column Tumors, Spinal Cord Injury, Spinal Cord Malformation, Spinal Cord Tumors, Spinal Decompression, Spinal Deformities, Spinal Dural Fistula, Spinal Ependymoma, Spinal Fixation, Spinal Fusion, Spinal Infection, Spinal Instability, Spinal Meningioma, Spinal Metastases, Spinal Neurofibroma, Spinal Pain, Spinal Reconstruction, Spinal Schwannoma, Spinal Stenosis, Spinal Trauma, Spinal Tumors, Spine and Spinal Deformities, Spine Surgery, Spine Tumors, Spondylolisthesis, Spondylosis, Tarlov Cysts, Thoracic Disc Herniation ...read more

Research Interests

Improving spinal fusions; Instrumentation in the Aging Spine; Spinal Oncology ...read more

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Insurance Information

Main Phone

Outside of Maryland & Washington D.C.

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International Patients

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Locations

The Johns Hopkins Hospital

Appointment Phone: 410-955-4424
600 N. Wolfe Street
Meyer Building 7-109
Baltimore, MD 21287
Phone: 410-955-4424 | Fax: 410-500-4260
The Johns Hopkins Hospital - Google Maps

Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center

Appointment Phone: 410-550-0465
4940 Eastern Avenue
301 Building, Suite 2100
Baltimore, MD 21224
Phone: 410-550-0100
Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center - Google Maps

Johns Hopkins Medicine - Green Spring Station

Appointment Phone: 410-955-4424
10753 Falls Road
Pavilion II, Suite 115
Lutherville, MD 21093
Phone: 410-955-4424
Johns Hopkins Medicine - Green Spring Station - Google Maps

Background

Dr. Timothy Witham is a professor of neurological surgery and orthopaedic surgery at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. His interests include the surgical treatment of degenerative conditions of the cervical and lumbar spine, including instrumented fusion  procedures. He also has an expertise in the treatment of spinal tumors, spinal trauma and spinal deformity.

Dr. Witham serves as director of the Johns Hopkins Neurosurgery Spinal Fusion Laboratory, director of Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center's Spine Program and co-program director of the Johns Hopkins Neurosurgery Residency Program.

Dr. Witham received his B.S. in biochemistry from the Pennsylvania State University. He earned his M.D. from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. He completed his residency at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. He  performed a fellowship in spinal neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins. Dr. Witham joined the Johns Hopkins faculty in 2005.

Prior to joining Johns Hopkins, Dr. Witham was chief neurosurgeon at Keesler Medical Center at Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi, Mississippi.

Dr. Witham's research interests include finding novel ways to achieve spinal fusion and improving surgical techniques in the aging spine.

A co-author of more than 170 peer-reviewed articles and abstracts, Dr. Witham has been featured as a “Top Doctor” in Baltimore magazine and was a recipient of a United States Air Force meritorious service medal in 2005. He is a member of various professional organizations, including the American College of Surgeons and American Association of Neurological Surgeons.

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Titles

  • Director, the Johns Hopkins Neurosurgery Spinal Fusion Laboratory
  • Director, Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center's Spine Program
  • Associate Program Director, Neurosurgery Residency Program
  • Professor of Neurosurgery
  • Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery

Departments / Divisions

Centers & Institutes

Education

Degrees

  • MD; Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine (1994)

Residencies

  • Neurosurgery; University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (2001)

Board Certifications

  • American Board of Neurological Surgery (Neurosurgery) (2003)

Additional Training

Fellowship, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine / Neurosurgery (Pittsburgh PA ) (2001)

Research & Publications

Research Summary

Dr. Witham’s research focuses on the surgical treatment of degenerative conditions of the cervical and lumbar spine, dynamic stabilization procedures, and artificial disc surgery. He is conducting a trial to assess the efficacy of dynamic lumbar stabilization on the prevention of segment disease. He focuses on long-term outcome studies assessing the efficacy of various surgical approaches to degenerative spine diseases. Dr. Witham is a member of the Tarlov Cyst Initiative, which seeks to develop new treatments for patients with this condition.

Clinical Trial Keywords

Lumbar Disc Herniation

Selected Publications

View all on PubMed

Bydon M, Xu R, Santiago-Dieppa D, Macki M, Sciubba DM, Wolinsky JP, Bydon A, Gokaslan ZL, Witham TF. “Adjacent-segment disease in 511 cases of posterolateral instrumented lumbar arthrodesis: floating fusion versus distal construct including the sacrum.” J Neurosurg Spine. 2014 Jan 31. [Epub ahead of print]

Parker SL, Amin AG, Santiago-Dieppa D, Liauw JA, Bydon A, Sciubba DM, Wolinsky JP, Gokaslan ZL, Witham TF. “Incidence and clinical significance of vascular encroachment resulting from free hand placement of pedicle screws in the thoracic and lumbar spine: Analysis of 6,816 consecutive screws.” Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 2014 Jan 29. [Epub ahead of print]

Puvanesarajah V, Lina IA, Liauw JA, Hsu W, Burger PC, Witham TF. “Desmoid tumor formation following posterior spinal instrumentation placement.” Evid Based Spine Care J. 2013 Oct;4(2):137-42. doi: 10.1055/s-0033-1357356.

Lina IA, Puvanesarajah V, Liauw JA, Lo SF, Santiago-Dieppa DR, Hwang L, Mao A, Bydon A, Wolinsky JP, Sciubba DM, Gokaslan Z, Holmes C, Witham TF. “A quantitative study of parathyroid hormone (1-34) and bone morphogenetic protein-2 on spinal fusion outcomes in a rabbit model of lumbar dorsolateral intertransverse process arthrodesis.” Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 2013 Dec 20. [Epub ahead of print]

“A novel method of anterior lumbosacral cage reconstruction.” Mathios D, Kaloostian PE, Bydon A, Sciubba DM, Wolinsky JP, Gokaslan ZL, Witham TF. J Neurosurg Spine. 2014 Feb;20(2):204-8. doi: 10.3171/2013.11.SPINE13518. Epub 2013 Dec 6.

Activities & Honors

Honors

  • Alpha Omega Alpha, 1994
  • Resident Research Scholarship of The Warren and Clara Cole Fund, American College of Surgeons (ACS), 1998
  • Spine Faculty, AO/ASIF, 2007
  • Top Doctors, Baltimore Magazine, 2007
  • Student Marshal, College of Science Commencement, 1990
  • Scholarship Winner, Golden Key National Honor Society, 1987
  • First Team at Large Academic All-America, GTE-Cosida, 1990
  • Phi Beta Kappa, 1990
  • Phi Kappa Phi, 1990
  • Pittsburgh Foundations Copeland Grant, The Development of Vaccines for Central Nervous System Tumors, 1998
  • Ernest B. McCoy Award, The Pennsylvania State University, 1990
  • Department Honors, The Pennsylvania State University, 1990
  • Department of Biochemistry Scholarship, The Pennsylvania State University, 1989
  • Shigley Award, The Pennsylvania State University, 1989
  • Department of Biochemistry Scholarship, The Pennsylvania State University, 1988
  • Meritorious Service Medal, United States Air Force, 2005
  • Health Professions Scholarship, United States Air Force, 1990
  • Resident Teaching Award, University of Pittsburgh Department of Neurological Surgery, 2000
  • Health Professions Officer Indoctrination Course Distinguished Graduate, 1990

Memberships

  • American Association of Neurological Surgeons, 2001
    Member
  • American Association of Neurological Surgeons, 1995 - 2001
    Resident member
  • American Association of Neurological Surgeons/Congress of Neurological Surgeons Joint Section on Tumors, 1998
    Member
  • American Association of Neurological Surgeons/Congress of Neurological Surgeons Section on Neurotrauma and Critical Care, 1998
    Member
  • American College of Surgeons, 1998 - 2005
    Candidate and Associate Fellow
  • American College of Surgeons, 2005
    Fellow
  • American Medical Association, 1994
  • Congress of Neurological Surgeons, 2001
    Member
  • Congress of Neurological Surgeons, 1995 - 2001
    Resident Member
  • The Johns Hopkins Medical and Surgical Society, 1994
    Member
  • The North American Spine Society, 2009
    Member

Professional Activities

  • Registration Committee, Congress of Neurological Surgeons, 1997
  • Scientific Review Committee, AANS/CNS Spine Section, 2010
  • Scientific Review Committee, AANS/CNS Spine Section, 2009
  • Sergeant-at-Arms Committee, Congress of Neurological Surgeons, 1997
  • Sergeant-at-Arms Committee, American Association of Neurological Surgeons, 1996 - 1999

Videos & Media

Recent News Articles and Media Coverage

Johns Hopkins Performs Its First Augmented Reality Surgeries in Patients, NeuroLogic (2/16/21)

A ‘Game-Changer’: Johns Hopkins Uses Augmented Reality To Perform Major Surgeries, WJZ-TV (6/13/20)

The Big Trends, Issues in Spine Sparing Practices Today SPINEREVIEW (9/12/2019)

Recorded online seminar, The Aches and Pains of the Aging Back

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