K Daniel Riew MD
Orthopedic Spine Surgery
Professor of Orthopedic Surgery, Director of Cervical Spine Surgery, Co-Director, Spine Division, Dept of Orthopaedic Surgery, Columbia University
240 East 59th Street2nd FloorNew York, NY 10022
Overview of Dr. Riew
Dr. K. Daniel Riew, is a Professor of Orthopedic Surgery at Weill-Cornell Medical Center and also holds an honorary appointment as Professor of Orthopedics at Columbia University in NYC. He is one of only 3 or 4 surgeons worldwide whose practice is limited to the operative treatment of cervical spine disorders and has been recognized as one of the best by his peer academic spine surgeons all over the world (see danriew.com). Dr. Riew has been a visiting professor at most leading universities in the US and has been a Grand Rounds lecturer, Presidential Guest Lecturer, Graduation Speaker, Keynote lecturer, Plenary speaker or presenter hundreds of times in every inhabited continent. He has consistently been recognized in national top doctor lists since 2004. He has over 400 publications and his H-Index (January 2026) was 86, with a score of 60 being "exceptionally high.”
Clinical Expertise
- Cervical disc disease, Cervical dystonia, Cervical radiculopathy, Traumatic cervical spine injury, Cervical spine tumor, Degenerative disease of the cervical spine, Cervical myelopathy, Anterior cervical discectomy and fusion, Upper cervical spine trauma, Teardrop compression fracture of the cervical spine, Subaxial cervical spine trauma, Cervical spine injury, Cervical fractures, Cervical dislocations, Cervical spondylolysis, Cervical spondylolisthesis, Cervical spine surgery, Cervical spinal stenosis, Cervical disk herniation, Cervical spina surgery, Cervical disc replacement, Cervical Disc Arthroplasty, Cervical Laminoplasty, Cervical Corpectomy
Education & Training
Case Western Reserve University/University Hospitals Cleveland Medical CenterFellowship, Bohlman Spine Fellowship, 1994 - 1995
George Washington UniversityResidency, Orthopaedic Surgery, 1990 - 1994
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai (Beth Israel)Residency, Surgery, 1989 - 1990
Hospital for Special SurgeryBiomechanics Research Fellowship, 1988 - 1989
New York Presbyterian Hospital (Cornell Campus)Fellowship, Advanced Heart Failure and Transplant Cardiology, 1987 - 1988
Certifications & Licensure
FL State Medical License 2020 - Present
MI State Medical License 2026 - 2029
AZ State Medical License 2025 - 2028
VA State Medical License 2023 - 2028
UT State Medical License 2026 - 2028
TX State Medical License 2024 - 2028
NY State Medical License 2015 - 2028
American Board of Internal Medicine Internal Medicine
American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery Orthopaedic Surgery- Join now to see all
Awards, Honors, & Recognition
- Outstanding Paper Award Cervical Spine Research Society
- New York Super Doctor SuperDoctors, 2015-2020
- Best Doctors in America Best Doctors, 2004-2020
Publications & Presentations
PubMed
- 1 citationsThe Association Between Cervical Foraminal Stenosis and Adhesive Capsulitis: An Imaging-based Case-Control Study.Salvatore Russo, Aadhar Sharma, Robert Vardanyan, Santhosh Gouthaman Thavarajasingam, K Daniel Riew
Spine. 2026-09-15 - Principles of Level Selection for Instrumentation in Adult Cervical Spinal Deformity Surgery: Guidelines for Treatment.Zeeshan M Sardar, Josephine R Coury, Anson G Bautista, Katherine Dong, K Daniel Riew
The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery. American Volume. 2026-08-27 - Clinically Significant Changes in Global Cervical Range of Motion Following Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion: A Systematic Review.Rodrigo Saad Berreta, Jeevan Khanuja, Ahmed Benali, Jonathon Wang, Sang Hun Lee
JBJS Reviews. 2026-06-01
Journal Articles
- Optimal trajectory for the occipital condylar screwLee JO, Buchowski JM, Lee KM, Park KW, Chang BS, Lee CK, Riew KD, Yoem JS, Spine, 1/1/2013
- Why are spine surgery patients lost to follow-up?Daffner S, Hilibrand A, Riew KD, Global Spine J, 1/1/2013
- Neck pain following cervical laminoplasty: does preservation of the C2 muscle attachments and/or C7 matter?Riew KD, Heller JG, Raich AL, Dettori JR, Heller JG, Evid Based Spine Care J, 1/1/2013
Press Mentions
9 Risk Factors for Cervical Spine Surgery Dural Tears FeaturedFebruary 13th, 2016
Professional Memberships
- Cervical Spine Research SocietyPresident 2012-2013, Board 2000-2015
- AOSpine InternationalChairman of Board 2015-2018, Chair of Research Commission 2012-2015
- AOAMember
- Interurban Orthopedic SocietyMember
- Association of Bone & Joint SurgeonsMember
External Links
- Dan Riew Websitehttps://www.danriew.com
- Columbia University Orthopedicshttp://vesta.cumc.columbia.edu/ortho/facdb/profile/profile.php?id=kr2637
Insurance Accepted
- Aetna Choice POS II
Aetna HMO
Anthem Blue Access Choice PPO
Anthem Blue Access PPO
BCBS Blue Card PPO
BCBS Illinois PPO
BCBS North Carolina BlueOptions PPO
CIGNA HMO
CIGNA Open Access
CIGNA PPO
Coventry Health Care PPO Platinum
Coventry Missouri - HMO/POS
First ChoiceFirst Health PPO
Great West PPO
Health Net Oregon PPO
HealthLink PPO
Humana ChoiceCare Network PPO
Multiplan PHCS PPO
Multiplan PPO
ODS Network
Premera BCBS Heritage & Heritage Plus 1
Providence Health System Personal Option
Regence Washington - Preferred Provider Network
United Healthcare - Direct Choice Plus POS
United Healthcare - Direct Options PPO - Please verify your coverage with the provider's office directly when scheduling an appointment
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