Research Summary

Professor of Clinical Neurological Surgery and Orthopaedic Surgery
Director of Spinal Deformity & Spine Tumor Surgery
Co-director, Spinal Surgery and UCSF Spine Center
Director, California Deformity Institute
Director, Spinal Biomechanics Laboratory

Dr. Ames is the director of spinal deformity and spine tumor surgery and co-director of the combined high risk spine service, the Neurospinal Disorders Program, and the UCSF Spine Center. He is board certified in neurosurgery. He was named to the 2015-2022 Top Doctors lists in San Francisco Magazine, and among America’s Top Doctors for both neurosurgery and cancer from 2010 to 2022. His tumor practice focuses on en bloc tumor resection for chordoma, chondrosarcoma, giant cell tumor, soft tissue sarcoma, sacral tumors, and other primary and metastatic tumors. While at UCSF, Dr. Ames developed and published the transpedicular approach to previously unresectable cervical and cervical thoracic tumors. He serves as Spine Section Lead editor for Operative Neurosurgery.

Dr. Ames serves as the UCSF site director for the International Spinal Deformity Study Group and the AO Scoli-Risk Study. He also directs the neurosurgical spinal deformity service, which performs over 200 cases per year for correction of scoliosis, kyphosis, flat back, and chin-on-chest deformity in ankylosing spondylitis. His research work in spinal deformity has won the prestigious Hibbs award three times, as well as the Moe award, the Goldstein award, and Whitecloud awards from the Scoliosis Research Society. Dr Ames developed and published the first ever classification for cervical spine deformity and cervical osteotomy with the international spine study group. He is known for developing many innovative concepts to allow safer treatment planning and risk characterization for complex spine surgery such as the adult deformity frailty index, the adult deformity invasiveness index and pioneering the use of Artificial Intelligence Decision Support Tools for Adult Scoliosis and Deformity Surgery. In 2019 Dr Ames published the first Machine Learning based Adult Scoliosis Classification. In 2021 Dr Ames won the Hibbs Award for the first ever use of telomeric aging to predict risk of spine surgery.

He is internationally recognized for his work in spine tumor, deformity, scoliosis and cervical kyphosis and has published over 600 peer-reviewed publications. He has been the honored international guest lecturer of the Australian Spine Society, the Argentine Spine Society, Berlin Spine Society, Brazilian Spine Society, the Japanese Orthopedic Association and the Japanese Neurosurgical Society, the Korean Spine Society, and the Asian Pacific Spine Society. He has served as chairman for over 200 national and international courses to teach advanced tumor and deformity techniques to neurosurgeons and orthopedic surgeons around the world and has been visiting professor at Hospital for Special Surgery, Cleveland Clinic, Mayo Clinic, UCLA, and Massachusetts General Hospital.

Research Funding

  • March 4, 2025 - March 4, 2025 - ROSE Study , Co-Investigator . Sponsor: , Sponsor Award ID:
  • March 4, 2025 - March 4, 2025 - Telomere Study , Co-Investigator . Sponsor: , Sponsor Award ID:
  • March 4, 2025 - March 4, 2025 - PON Study , Co-Investigator . Sponsor: , Sponsor Award ID:
  • March 4, 2025 - March 4, 2025 - Pain Study , Co-Investigator . Sponsor: , Sponsor Award ID:
  • March 4, 2025 - March 4, 2025 - Myers Briggs Study , Co-Investigator . Sponsor: , Sponsor Award ID:

Education

Dartmouth College, BA, 1989
University of California, Los Angeles, MD, 1994
University of California, San Diego, 1994-1995, Surgical Internship
University of California, San Diego, 1995-2000, Resident, Neurological Surgery
Barrow Neurological Institute, Phoenix, Arizona, 2001-2002, Spine Fellow

Honors & Awards

  • 2017
    Scoliosis Research Society GOLDSTEIN Award
  • 2015 - 2017
    Top Doctors in Neurosurgery - San Francisco Magazine
  • 2015
    North American Spine Society Value Award
  • 2010 -2016
    Americaʻs Top Surgeons, Castle Connolly
  • 2010 -2016
    Americaʻs Top Doctors for Cancer, Castle Connolly
  • 2011 -2012
    US News and World Report Top 1% Neurosurgeons in Country
  • 2001
    University of California, San Diego, Chairmanʻs Prize
  • 1994
    University of California, Los Angeles, CAAlpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society
  • 1989
    Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, Cum Laude

Selected Publications

  1. Diebo BG, Balmaceno-Criss M, Lafage R, Singh M, Daher M, Hamilton DK, Smith JS, Eastlack RK, Fessler R, Gum JL, Gupta MC, Hostin R, Kebaish KM, Kim HJ, Klineberg EO, Lewis S, Line BG, Nunley PD, Mundis GM, Passias PG, Protopsaltis TS, Buell T, Scheer JK, Mullin J, Soroceanu A, Ames CP, Lenke LG, Bess S, Shaffrey CI, Schwab FJ, Burton DC, Lafage V, Daniels AH, ISSG. Iatrogenic posterior translation of the construct at the uppermost instrumented vertebrae is associated with proximal junctional kyphosis. Eur Spine J. 2025 Feb 17.  View on PubMed
  2. Cerpa M, Zuckerman SL, Lenke LG, Carreon LY, Cheung KMC, Kelly MP, Fehlings MG, Ames CP, Boachie-Adjei O, Dekutoski MB, Kebaish KM, Lewis SJ, Matsuyama Y, Pellisé F, Qiu Y, Schwab FJ, Smith JS, Shaffrey CI. Long-term follow-up of non‑neurologic and neurologic complications after complex adult spinal deformity surgery: results from the Scoli-RISK-1 study. Eur Spine J. 2025 Feb 12.  View on PubMed
  3. Mullin JP, Quiceno E, Soliman MAR, Daniels AH, Smith JS, Kelly MP, Ames CP, Bess S, Burton D, Diebo B, Eastlack RK, Hostin R, Kebaish K, Kim HJ, Klineberg E, Lafage V, Lenke LG, Lewis SJ, Mundis G, Passias PG, Protopsaltis TS, Schwab FJ, Gum JL, Buell TJ, Shaffrey CI, Gupta MC, International Spine Study Group. Comparison of Clinical and Radiological Outcomes of Three-Column Lumbar Osteotomies with and without Interbody Cages for Adult Spinal Deformity. Spine J. 2025 Jan 10.  View on PubMed
  4. Smith JS, Ben-Israel D, Kelly MP, Lafage V, Lafage R, Klineberg EO, Kim HJ, Line B, Protopsaltis TS, Passias P, Eastlack RK, Mundis GM, Riew KD, Kebaish K, Park P, Gupta MC, Gum JL, Daniels AH, Diebo BG, Hostin R, Scheer JK, Soroceanu A, Hamilton DK, Buell TJ, Lewis SJ, Lenke LG, Mullin JP, Schwab FJ, Burton D, Shaffrey CI, Ames CP, Bess S. The gap between surgeon goal and achieved sagittal alignment in adult cervical spine deformity surgery. J Neurosurg Spine. 2025 Jan 03; 1-11.  View on PubMed
  5. Daher M, Xu A, Singh M, Lafage R, Line BG, Lenke LG, Ames CP, Burton DC, Lewis SM, Eastlack RK, Gupta MC, Mundis GM, Gum JL, Hamilton KD, Hostin R, Lafage V, Passias PG, Protopsaltis TS, Kebaish KM, Schwab FJ, Shaffrey CI, Smith JS, Bess S, Klineberg EO, Diebo BG, Daniels AH, International Spine Study Group (ISSG). Redefining Clinically Significant Blood Loss in Complex Adult Spine Deformity Surgery. Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 2024 Dec 25.  View on PubMed
  6. Passias PG, Dave P, Smith JS, Lafage R, Onafowokan OO, Tretiakov P, Mir J, Line B, Diebo B, Daniels AH, Gum JL, Eastlack R, Hamilton DK, Chou D, Klineberg EO, Kebaish KM, Lewis S, Gupta MC, Kim HJ, Lenke LG, Ames CP, Shaffrey CI, Schwab FJ, Lafage V, Bess S, Hostin R, Burton DC. Cause and Effect of Revisions in Adult Spinal Deformity Surgery: A Multicenter Study on Outcomes Based on Etiology. Spine J. 2024 Dec 18.  View on PubMed
  7. Onafowokan OO, Lafage R, Tretiakov P, Smith JS, Line BG, Diebo BG, Daniels AH, Gum JL, Protopsaltis TS, Hamilton DK, Buell T, Soroceanu A, Scheer J, Eastlack RK, Mullin JP, Mundis G, Hosogane N, Yagi M, Anand N, Okonkwo DO, Wang MY, Klineberg EO, Kebaish KM, Lewis S, Hostin R, Gupta MC, Lenke LG, Kim HJ, Ames CP, Shaffrey CI, Bess S, Schwab FJ, Lafage V, Burton D, Passias PG, International Spine Study Group. Comparative Analysis of Outcomes in Adult Spinal Deformity Patients with Proximal Junctional Kyphosis or Failure Initially Fused to Upper Versus Lower Thoracic Spine. J Clin Med. 2024 Dec 18; 13(24).  View on PubMed
  8. Lafage R, Sheehan C, Smith JS, Daniels A, Diebo B, Ames C, Bess S, Eastlack R, Gupta M, Hostin R, Kim HJ, Klineberg E, Mundis G, Hamilton K, Shaffrey C, Schwab F, Lafage V, Burton D, International Spine Study Group (ISSG). Letter re: Incremental Increase in Hospital Length of Stay Due to Complications of Surgery for Adult Spinal Deformity. Global Spine J. 2024 Dec 06; 21925682241302073.  View on PubMed
  9. Passias PG, Tretiakov P, Onafowokan OO, Das A, Lafage R, Smith JS, Line BG, Nayak P, Diebo B, Daniels AH, Gum JL, Hamilton DK, Buell TJ, Soroceanu A, Scheer JK, Eastlack RK, Mullin JP, Schoenfeld AJ, Mundis GM, Hosogane N, Yagi M, Mummaneni PV, Chou D, Fu KM, Than KD, Anand N, Okonkwo DO, Wang MY, Klineberg E, Kebaish KM, Lewis S, Hostin R, Gupta M, Lenke L, Kim HJ, Ames CP, Shaffrey CI, Bess S, Schwab F, Lafage V, Burton D. When is staging complex adult spinal deformity advantageous? Identifying subsets of patients who benefit from staged interventions. J Neurosurg Spine. 2024 Nov 22; 1-8.  View on PubMed
  10. Daniels AH, Singh M, Daher M, Balmaceno-Criss M, Lafage R, Gupta MC, Gum JL, Hamilton KD, Passias PG, Protopsaltis TS, Kebaish KM, Lenke LG, Ames CP, Klineberg EO, Kim HJ, Shaffrey CI, Smith JS, Line BG, Schwab FJ, Bess S, Lafage V, Diebo BG. Fractional curve following adult idiopathic scoliosis correction: impact of curve magnitude on postoperative outcomes. J Neurosurg Spine. 2024 Nov 15; 1-10.  View on PubMed
  11. Passias PG, Passfall L, Tretiakov PS, Das A, Onafowokan OO, Smith JS, Lafage V, Lafage R, Line B, Gum J, Kebaish KM, Than KD, Mundis G, Hostin R, Gupta M, Eastlack RK, Chou D, Forman A, Diebo B, Daniels AH, Protopsaltis T, Hamilton DK, Soroceanu A, Pinteric R, Mummaneni P, Kim HJ, Anand N, Ames CP, Hart R, Burton D, Schwab FJ, Shaffrey C, Klineberg EO, Bess S, International Spine Study Group. Have We Made Advancements in Optimizing Surgical Outcomes and Enhancing Recovery for Patients With High-Risk Adult Spinal Deformity Over Time? Oper Neurosurg (Hagerstown). 2024 Nov 04.  View on PubMed
  12. Diebo BG, Singh M, Balmaceno-Criss M, Daher M, Lenke LG, Ames CP, Burton DC, Lewis SM, Klineberg EO, Lafage R, Eastlack RK, Gupta MC, Mundis GM, Gum JL, Hamilton KD, Hostin R, Passias PG, Protopsaltis TS, Kebaish KM, Kim HJ, Shaffrey CI, Line BG, Mummaneni PV, Nunley PD, Smith JS, Turner J, Schwab FJ, Uribe JS, Bess S, Lafage V, Daniels AH, International Spine Study Group (ISSG). Defining modern iatrogenic flatback syndrome: examination of segmental lordosis in short lumbar fusion patients undergoing thoracolumbar deformity correction. Eur Spine J. 2024 Dec; 33(12):4627-4635.  View on PubMed
  13. De la Garza Ramos R, Scheer JK, Matmati N, Hey LA, Burton DC, de Kleuver M, Ames CP, Yanamadala V. Development of the scoliosis research society spinal deformity surgery safety checklist. Spine Deform. 2024 Oct 23.  View on PubMed
  14. Lafage R, Song J, Elysee J, Fourman MS, Smith JS, Ames C, Bess S, Daniels AH, Gupta M, Hostin R, Kim HJ, Klineberg E, Mundis G, Diebo BG, Shaffrey C, Schwab F, Lafage V, Burton D, International Spine Study Group. Unsupervised Clustering of Adult Spinal Deformity Patterns Predicts Surgical and Patient-Reported Outcomes. Global Spine J. 2024 Oct 23; 21925682241296481.  View on PubMed
  15. Carreon LY, Glassman SD, Smith JS, Kelly MP, Yanik EL, Baldus CR, Lurie JD, Edwards C, Lenke LG, Buchowski JM, Crawford CH, Koski T, Lafage V, Gupta M, Kim HJ, Ames CP, Bess S, Schwab FJ, Shaffrey CI, Bridwell KH. Cost-effectiveness Improves for Operative vs Nonoperative Treatment of Adult Symptomatic Lumbar Scoliosis at Eight-Year Follow-up. Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 2024 Oct 14.  View on PubMed
  16. Kim AH, Mo KC, Harris AB, Lafage R, Neuman BJ, Hostin RA, Soroceanu A, Kim HJ, Klineberg EO, Gum JL, Gupta MC, Hamilton DK, Schwab F, Burton D, Daniels A, Passias PG, Hart RA, Line BG, Ames C, Lafage V, Shaffrey CI, Smith JS, Bess S, Lenke L, Kebaish KM,
    on behalf of the International Spine Study Group
    . High-Dose TXA Is Associated with Less Blood Loss Than Low-Dose TXA without Increased Complications in Patients with Complex Adult Spinal Deformity. J Bone Joint Surg Am. 2024 Dec 04; 106(23):2205-2214.  View on PubMed
  17. Khalifé M, Lafage R, Daniels AH, Diebo BG, Elysée J, Ames CP, Bess SR, Burton DC, Eastlack RK, Gupta MC, Hostin RA, Kebaish K, Kim HJ, Klineberg EO, Mundis G, Okonkwo DO, Gille O, Guigui P, Ferrero E, Skalli W, Assi A, Vergari C, Shaffrey CI, Smith JS, Schwab FJ, Lafage V, International Spine Study Group. Assessing Abnormal Proximal Junctional Angles in Adult Spinal Deformity: A Normative Data Approach to Define Proximal Junctional Kyphosis. Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 2025 Jan 15; 50(2):103-109.  View on PubMed
  18. Passias PG, Williamson TK, Dave P, Smith JS, Krol O, Lafage R, Line B, Diebo BG, Daniels AH, Klineberg EO, Eastlack RK, Bess S, Schwab FJ, Shaffrey CI, Lafage V, Ames CP, International Spine Study Group. The Conceptualization and Derivation of the Cervical Lordosis Distribution Index. Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 2024 Sep 30.  View on PubMed
  19. Hills J, Mundis GM, Klineberg EO, Smith JS, Line B, Gum JL, Protopsaltis TS, Hamilton DK, Soroceanu A, Eastlack R, Nunley P, Kebaish KM, Lenke LG, Hostin RA, Gupta MC, Kim HJ, Ames CP, Burton DC, Shaffrey CI, Schwab FJ, Lafage V, Lafage R, Bess S, Kelly MP,
    on behalf of the International Spine Study Group
    . The T4-L1-Hip Axis: Sagittal Spinal Realignment Targets in Long-Construct Adult Spinal Deformity Surgery: Early Impact. J Bone Joint Surg Am. 2024 Dec 04; 106(23):e48.  View on PubMed
  20. Eastlack RK, Lakomkin N, Tran S, Jelousi M, Soroceanu A, Passias P, Protopsaltis T, Smith JS, Klineberg E, Bess S, Lafage V, Hamilton DK, Kim HJ, Burton D, Shaffrey CI, Ames CP, Mundis G. Necessity of posterior osteotomies for mild flexible cervical deformity correction. J Neurosurg Spine. 2024 Dec 01; 41(6):757-764.  View on PubMed

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