Dr. Michael Kelly, MD

Dr. Michael J. Kelly is a spine surgeon at HSS. He focuses on diagnosing and treating a range of spinal disorders including degenerative, traumatic, congenital, and developmental conditions affecting the cervical, thoracic, and lumbosacral spine. Primarily, he encourages all of his patients to exhaust non-surgical treatments before considering surgical intervention. Importantly, Dr. Kelly believes in listening to his patients, and involving them in their care by educating them on their particular spinal condition(s). This approach allows for a shared decision-making process, which is critical to ensuring optimal patient outcomes. If surgical intervention is ultimately considered, he specializes in both degenerative and complex spine surgery, employing a combination of traditional and cutting-edge, minimally-invasive techniques, depending on what is best for each patient individually. After completing his undergraduate studies in Biology at the University of Scranton, PA, where he …graduated Summa Cum Laude, Dr. Kelly spent the next 9 years of his medical training in Washington, DC, at Georgetown University. In 4 years of medical school at Georgetown University School of Medicine, he was a Student Life Scholarship Recipient, received the John N. Delahay Orthopaedic Surgery Award, was inducted in the Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society, and graduated Cum Laude. He remained at Georgetown University Hospital for the next 5 years, completing his internship and residency training in Orthopaedic Surgery and was selected the sole Administrative Chief Resident of his graduating class. Finally, Dr. Kelly moved to New York City to complete one year of advanced surgical training as a fellow in Spine Surgery at Hospital for Special Surgery. Dr. Kelly is passionate about advancing the field of spine surgery, with the ultimate goal of giving his patients the best outcomes possible. While primarily a clinician, he is also engaged in basic and clinical research. Dr. Kelly has authored numerous peer-reviewed publications and textbook chapters, and his work has been presented both nationally and internationally. He has ongoing research projects focused on robotic surgery, spinal anatomy, and the harnessing of artificial intelligence and advanced language learning models in spine surgery and orthopaedic surgical research.