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Justin S Smith, MD
Accepting New Patients
UVA Health Provider

Justin S Smith, MD

Neurosurgery

Primary Phone Number
Fax Number
434.244.4419

Additional Locations

Bio & Overview

Justin Smith, MD, PhD, is a fellowship-trained spine neurosurgeon with extensive experience performing minimally invasive spine surgery on adults. His practice focuses on: 

  • Cervical and thoracolumbar deformity reconstruction
  • Trauma
  • Degenerative disease
  • Complex revision spine surgery

Dr. Smith is the Harrison Distinguished Professor in the UVA Department of Neurological Surgery, and he holds several leadership roles at UVA Health:

  • Chief of the Spine Division
  • Vice Chair for Research
  • Director of the Spine Fellowship program

Dr. Smith completed the MD, PhD program at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. He completed his neurosurgery residency training at the University of California San Francisco. He then completed spine surgery fellowships in the areas of spinal deformity and minimally invasive spine surgery at the University of Virginia.

His research interests focus on clinical outcomes of spinal surgery. He has published extensively in this and other areas, with more than 600 peer-reviewed manuscripts and more than 1,500 presented abstracts at national and international meetings.

Academic Information

Academic Role
Professor
Research Interests
Spinal deformity (cervical and thoracolumbar), cervical myelopathy, health economics, and clinical outcomes studies
View Publications

Conditions & Treatments

  • Adult degenerative scoliosis
  • Anterior lumbar interbody fusion
  • Anterior spine surgery
  • Artificial disc replacement surgery in the cervical spine
  • Artificial disc replacement surgery in the lumbar spine
  • Back surgery
  • Cervical herniated disc
  • Cervical herniated disc surgery
  • Cervical myelopathy
  • Cervical spine fracture
  • Cervical spine surgery
  • Complex spine deformities
  • Complex spine surgery
  • Compression fracture
  • Decompression laminectomy
  • Degenerative joint disease of the spine
  • Disc surgery
  • Diskectomy
  • Herniated disc surgery
  • Image guided biopsy of the spine
  • Interspinous device placement
  • Isthmic spondylolisthesis
  • Low back surgery
  • Lumbar herniated disc surgery
  • Lumbosacral radiculopathy
  • Mazor x surgery for spinal stenosis
  • Minimally invasive spine surgery
  • Multilevel cervical arthroplasty
  • Navigation spine surgery
  • Posterior cervical laminectomy and fusion
  • Posterior lumbar spine fusion
  • Posterior lumbar spine surgery
  • Posterior spine surgery
  • Scoliosis surgery
  • Spinal cord compression
  • Spinal cord stimulator
  • Spinal stenosis
  • Spinal stenosis surgery
  • Spine fusion
  • Spine tumor
  • Spondylosis surgery
  • Transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion
Gender
Male
Languages
English
Age Groups Seen
Adults (21-65)
Older Adults (65+)
Primary Education
Mayo Medical School
Residency
University of California, San Francisco, School of Medicine
Fellowships
University of Virginia School of Medicine, Northwestern University
Certification
American Board of Neurological Surgery (Neurological Surgery)

Highlights

Awards

  • 2010-2020 Best Doctors in America® List
  • 2014 Best 18 Spine Surgeons in North America, Orthopedics This Week, Inc. 

Reviews

311 Patient Satisfaction Ratings

Our patient satisfaction ratings are an average of all the survey responses to the below questions a provider got within the past 2 years. To protect your privacy, patients aren't identified.

See more about our patient satisfaction surveys .

Overall
4.8 Out of 5
Provider showed concern
Provider explained things clearly
Provider included you in decisions
Provider discussed treatment options
Likelihood of recommending this provider

36 Patient Comments

Reviewed on
Answered many questions.
Reviewed on
The Doctors and Nurses run like a well oiled machine! Very impressed and comforted by this!
Reviewed on
Justin Smith portrays a combination of extreme surgical talent and overall care.
Reviewed on
Each person I encountered was friendly, efficient and gave me good information.
Reviewed on
Everyone dealing with me was wonderful. I wondered how you found so many competent people!!
Reviewed on
Dr. Justin Smith is a super doctor!! He listens to you and explains things very well. If not for him I probably wouldn't be walking today. He did a major spinal fusion for my scoliosis and got rid of my pain and ability to function again.