Dr. John Choi

Spine Surgeon

Minimally Invasive Spine Surgeon with expertise in Robotics, Endoscopic and Artificial Disc Replacement surgeries. Dr. Choi has operated over 3000 spine patients locally in Melbourne and is recognised as a leading innovator and educator of spine surgery internationally.

About Dr. John Choi

Qualifications

MBChB – Otago University, New Zealand
FRACS – Melbourne, Australia
FAorthA – Melbourne, Australia
AO Spine Fellowship – Seoul, South Korea
Spine Fellowship – Hong Kong University, Hong Kong
Kokubun Visiting Fellowship – Sendai, Japan

AHPRA registration

MED0000945092

Editorial Board

Neurospine Journal
Asian Spine Journal
AO Spine ANZ – Fellowship and Education Director
SMISS AP – Director
AIMS Spine Fellowship – Supervisor
Spine Society of Australia – Member
North American Spine Society – Member
Exclusively in private spinal practice since 2014
Performed over 400 ATP/Lateral surgeries
Performed over 100 artificial disc replacement
Performed around 150 robotic spine surgeries
Annually performs over 300 spine surgeries
First in Australia to perform biportal endoscopic spine surgery
First in Southern hemisphere to perform Globus Excelsius Robotic spine surgery
Patent holder for spinal instrumentation
Several spine prosthesis and instrumentation development surgeon
Consultant and Educator for spine surgery enterprises

Core Areas of Expertise

Robotic Spinal Surgery

Dr. Choi is the first surgeon in the Southern Hemisphere to utilise the Globus Excelsius Robot for spine surgery in 2019. It is considered to be the most complete spine robot available. He leads the field in robotics and artificial intelligence in spinal surgery, and applies these advances to make surgeries more precise, consistent and predictable. He is frequently speaking around the globe on this topic and is actively involved in the development in this space.

Artificial Disk Replacement

Motion preservation is the holy grail of spine reconstruction surgery. We aim to preserve the function of native discs with advances in technology to replace with mechanical discs. Dr. Choi offers both cervical and lumbar disc replacement options to appropriate patients and have over eight years of clinical experience.

Endoscopic Spine Surgery

Our philosophy of Minimally Invasive Surgery (MIS) is at our core, and Dr. Choi generally recommend nonoperative treatments before considering any surgical options. If surgery is warranted, Dr. Choi will offer the most advanced MIS technique, which is Biportal Spine Endoscopy for decompression of spine elements. This technique is currently only available in Australia with Dr. Choi and has been an early adopter of the technique. This is a great leap over the conventional microscope or tubular based surgeries.

Australian Institute of Musculoskeletal Science (AIMS) Spine Fellowship

Supervisor: Dr. John Choi

Fellows: International graduates of Orthopaedic or Neurosurgery residency programme

Duration: 6 months

Stipend: AUD $60,000 per annum

Assisting Privileges: additional income

Expectation:

Clinical services
Surgical education
Research work – 2 projects minimum
On call – 1 in 4 weeks
Conference travel

Learn more