Dr. John Choi

Spine Surgeon — MBChB, FRACS, FAOrthA

A World-Renowned Spine Surgeon

Minimally Invasive Spine Surgeon with expertise in Robotics, Endoscopic and Artificial Disc Replacement surgeries. Dr. Choi has operated over 5000 spine patients locally in Melbourne and is recognised as a leading innovator and educator of spine surgery internationally.

More About Dr. John Choi

Dr. John Choi is a world-renowned orthopaedic and spine surgeon recognised internationally for his expertise and innovation in minimally invasive, endoscopic, robotic, and disc replacement spine surgery. Educated and trained across New Zealand, Australia, Korea, Japan, and the United States, he brings a global perspective to modern spinal care and leads one of Australia’s most advanced surgical practices from Spine Ortho Clinic in Melbourne and Mornington.

Leadership & Roles

Director at Large
Society of Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery (SMISS)
Director, Asia Pacific
International Society for the Advancement of Spine Surgery (ISASS)
President (Australia)
World UBE Society
Fellowship Director
AO Spine & Australian Institute of Musculoskeletal Sciences (AIMS)
Board Member
Society of Endoscopic Australian Surgeons (SEAS)

Dr. Choi has previously chaired the AO Spine Asia Pacific Education and Fellowship Council.

Dr. Choi is Australia’s most experienced endoscopic and robotic spine surgeon, having performed more than 4,000 lateral anterior-to-psoas (ATP) and lateral ALIF surgeries, over 1,500 endoscopic procedures, and more than 500 robotic-assisted spine surgeries since 2016. He was the first surgeon in the Asia-Pacific and Southern Hemisphere to perform a Globus ExcelsiusGPS™ robotic spine procedure and remains a reference surgeon for robotic navigation, ATP/Lat-ALIF, Unilateral Biportal Endoscopic (UBE), and disc replacement surgery.

A passionate educator, Dr. Choi has trained more than 100 spine surgeons from all five continents through his AIMS Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery Fellowship Program and AO Spine Fellowship, in addition to proctoring and mentoring over 250 surgeons worldwide. He continues to be a global faculty member and invited speaker at leading academic meetings and live-surgery demonstrations throughout Asia, Europe, and North America.

Through his leadership at Spine Ortho Clinic, Dr. Choi continues to advance patient outcomes by combining precision technology, minimally invasive techniques, and compassionate, personalised care—helping patients worldwide regain movement, function, and quality of life.

In the Operating Theatre

Dr. Choi's practice is built around minimally invasive and endoscopic techniques. A high-definition endoscope brings the surgical field to a screen in real time, allowing surgery to be performed through small incisions with careful protection of the surrounding muscle and soft tissue.

Instruments fitted with optical navigation trackers are registered to the patient's imaging, so implant trajectories can be planned and checked on-screen throughout the procedure.

Dr. John Choi holding an endoscope and an optical navigation tracker during endoscopic spine surgery — Endoscope and navigation tracker in hand during surgery

Research & Innovation

Patents & Design

Dr. Choi holds multiple international patents in spinal instrumentation and implant design, many of which have been successfully commercialised through collaborations with NuVasive, Globus, Baxter, L&K Biomed, and Safe Orthopaedics. He has served as principal surgeon designer for the Lateral Crestline™, Universal Retractor, and Endoscopic Robotic Platforms projects.

Publications

An active researcher, Dr. Choi has authored over 50 peer-reviewed publications and multiple textbook chapters across leading journals including Asian Spine Journal, Journal of Spine Surgery, Neurosurgical Focus, and Seminars in Spine Surgery. His contributions span the fields of robotic navigation, endoscopic surgery, and disc arthroplasty, with several chapters in the Textbook of Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery: Concepts and Surgical Techniques and Unilateral Biportal Endoscopic Spine Surgery (2nd Edition). He is also a guest editor and reviewer for Neurospine, Asian Spine Journal, and the Journal of Clinical Neurosciences.