As the son of a diplomat, Dr. Tushar Patel grew up traveling the world. Today as an orthopaedic spine specialist, he enjoys helping patients return to travel and the activities they love. After earning his medical degree from the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, Dr. Patel completed his orthopaedic surgery residency at George Washington University Medical Center in Washington, DC. He then went on to do a fellowship in Spinal Surgery at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation in Cleveland, Ohio.
Dr. Patel enjoys caring for patients of all ages and getting to know them as individuals. Intrigued by the complexity and delicacy of the procedures, he was drawn to the specialty of spinal surgery because of his fascination with its ever changing technologies and treatments and because it allows him to restore performance and function to peoples’ lives. As a pioneer in disk replacement surgery in the Washington, DC area, Dr. Patel specializes in complex cervical spine surgery and minimally invasive spinal procedures—an area of orthopaedics for which he has developed special tools and instruments. His practice areas include all aspects of spine care—including scoliosis, trauma, neck, and back surgery.
Before joining Ortho Virginia in 2000 Dr. Patel served as Chief of the Section of Spine Surgery and as Assistant Professor in the Department of Orthopaedics at Yale University. He holds six patents for spinal implants that make spinal surgery safer and improve patient outcomes. Additionally Dr. Patel is internationally renowned as a researcher in the field of tissue regeneration as it applies to spinal surgery serves as Section Editor for the Orthopedics Knowledge Update published by the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons and participates in various leadership roles in the professional societies to which he belongs.
Dr. Patel’s wife also practices medicine as a cardiologist who specializes in heart failure and transplantation. She has served on the faculties of Columbia and Duke Universities.
