Spine Surgery | Q&A with Hamid Hassanzadeh, M.D.
Background
Hamid Hassanzadeh, M.D., is an orthopaedic surgeon specializing in spine conditions and disorders. He treats patients with back and neck pain due to degenerative disk disease, complex and simple spinal deformities such as scoliosis and kyphosis, spinal infections, spinal tumors and spinal trauma. He is experienced in a variety of spine procedures, including minimally invasive and robotic spine surgery and disk replacement.
A Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery and division chief of Johns Hopkins orthopaedic surgery in the National Capital Region, Dr. Hassanzadeh came to Johns Hopkins from the University of Virginia, where he was a tenured associate professor of orthopaedic surgery, director of the spine surgery fellowship, co-director of the UVA Spine Center and director of spine research.
Dr. Hassanzadeh received his medical degree from the University of Hamburg, Germany, followed by a two-year neurosurgery residency at Westküstenklinikum Heide. He went on to complete his orthopaedic internship and residency at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, followed by a spine surgery fellowship at Rush University Medical Center and a pediatric spine surgery fellowship at Shriners Hospital in Chicago, Illinois.
In addition to treating patients, Dr. Hassanzadeh is dedicated to educating the next generation of orthopaedic spine specialists. He accomplished this in his previous role as director of a spine surgery fellowship, as a mentor to several postdoctoral fellows, as an instructor of multiple national and international training courses, and as an author of numerous talks and research publications.
Dr. Hassanzadeh’s research interests include improving outcomes of spinal surgeries in adult and elderly patients, motion preservation, and outcomes after minimally invasive procedures. He is an award-winning researcher, has published more than 150 peer-reviewed papers and 40 textbook chapters and presented in many conferences and invited talks in the U.S. and internationally. His clinical care excellence earned him a spot on the Best Doctors in America list in 2019–20.