Paul C Mccormick, MD
Overview
Dr. McCormick is the Gallen Professor of Neurological Surgery at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. He is also the Director of The Och Spine Hospital at The Neurological Institute of New York and an attending physician at NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center. His clinical and research interests focus exclusively on the evaluation, surgical management, and outcomes assessment of patients with disorders of the spine and spinal cord. He is a world-renowned spinal neurosurgeon and recognized expert in the surgical management of spinal disorders including spinal cord tumors, vascular malformations, herniated cervical and lumbar discs, spinal stenosis, spondylolisthesis, microsurgery, arthroplasty, and spinal stabilization and fusion for traumatic and degenerative spinal instability and deformity.
Dr. McCormick graduated from Columbia University and received his medical degree from Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. He performed research at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and trained in Neurological Surgery at the prestigious Neurological Institute of New York. He performed a one-year complex spine surgery fellowship at Medical College of Wisconsin and returned to the Neurological Institute of New York to join the neurosurgical staff as the first neurosurgeon to dedicate his practice entirely to the treatment of patients with spinal disorders. In the 25 years of practice, Dr. McCormick has performed nearly 7000 spinal procedures on patients from around the world but with special emphasis on patients from tri-state area.
Dr. McCormick has received numerous awards including the prestigious Columbia College 2007 John Jay award for professional achievement, the 2009 Joint Spine Section Meritorious Service award, and was an honored lecturer at national, international, and institutional events on numerous occasions. He has consistently been named as one of New York’s best doctors since 2001 and for the last several years has been named as one of Castle Connolly’s America’s Top Doctors, America’s Top Doctors for Cancer, and Top Doctors: New York Metro Area.
Areas of Expertise / Conditions Treated
- Back Pain
- Benign Tumor of Spinal Cord
- Kyphosis
- Microsurgery
- Microsurgery of the Spine
- Minimally Invasive Procedures
- Minimally Invasive Spine Techniques
- Minimally Invasive Surgery
- Minimally Invasive Techniques
- Neck Pain
- Radiosurgery
- Scoliosis
- Second Opinion
- Spinal Cord Tumor
- Spinal Instrumentation
- Spinal Neurological Surgery
- Spinal Neurosurgery
- Spinal Surgery
- Spine (all aspects)
- Spine Care
- Spine Deformity
- Spine Tumors
- Stereotactic Neurosurgery
- Stereotactic Radiosurgery
- Tumor Resection
Academic Appointments
- Herbert and Linda Gallen Professor of Neurological Surgery at CUMC
Administrative Titles
- Director, Spine Center
Languages
- English
Gender
- Male
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Location(s)
Insurance Accepted
Aetna
- Aetna Signature Administrators
- NY Signature
- Student Health
Cigna
- EPO
- Great West (National)
- HMO
- POS
- PPO
Emblem/GHI
- Medicare Managed Care
- PPO
Emblem/HIP
- ConnectiCare
- EPO
- HMO
- POS
- PPO
Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield
- EPO - New Jersey Services
Local 1199
- NYP Employee Plan
Medicare
- Railroad
- Traditional Medicare
QualCare
- HMO - New Jersey Services
- POS - New Jersey Services
- PPO - New Jersey Services
Quality Health Management
- Quality Health Management
UnitedHealthcare
- Empire Plan
- HMO
- Oxford Freedom
- Oxford HMO
- Oxford Liberty
- POS
- PPO
World Trade Center Health Plan
- World Trade Center Health Plan
Credentials & Experience
Education & Training
- Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons
- Residency: Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center, NY
- Fellowship: Medical College of Wisconsin Affiliated Hospitals
Committees, Societies, Councils
- Congress of Neurological Surgeons (CNS)
- American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS)
- Society of University Neurosurgeons (SUN)
- American Academy of Neurological Surgeons
- The Society of Neurological Surgeons (SNS)
Board Certifications
- Neurological Surgery
Honors & Awards
- Academic Excellence Award (First in class), Mailman School of Public Health, 2000
- John Jay Award, Columbia College, 2007
- Joint Spine Section Meritorious Service Award, 2009
- Top Doctors: New York Metro Area
- Castle Connolly's America's Top Doctors
- America’s Top Doctors for Cancer
Research
Research Interests
- Microsurgery of Spinal Tumors, Outcomes Assessment
Selected Publications
Dr. McCormick has published over 200 peer-reviewed scientific papers and book chapters, authored or edited 11 books and supplements, presented as an invited speaker or program director/faculty at over 220 scientific meetings, and been selected as an honored lecturer at 33 institutions throughout North America, South America, Europe, and the Middle East. He recently edited and contributed 7 chapters to a comprehensive video supplement on spinal microsurgery in the Neurosurgical Focus. Dr. McCormick has served on the editorial board of numerous scientific journals, including Deputy Editor of Spine, Chair of Journal of Neurosurgery: Spine, and Advisory Board of Neurosurgery.
- McCormick PC, Stein BM (eds): Intradural Spinal Surgery. Neurosurg Clin North Am. WB Saunders, Philadelphia, 1990
- Post KD, Friedman E, McCormick PC (eds): Postoperative Complications in Intracranial Surgery. Thieme Medical Publishers, New York, 1993
- Holtzman RNN, Stein BM, Farcy JP, McCormick PC (eds): Spinal Stability. Springer Verlag, New York, 1993
- Menezes AH, Sonntag VKH (eds), Benzel EC, Cahill DW, McCormick PC, Papadopoulos SM (section eds): Principles of Spinal Surgery, McGraw-Hill, New York, 1996
- Schwartz TH, McCormick PC (eds): Intramedullary Spinal Cord Tumors. Special Issue: Journal of Neuro-Oncology. Kluwer, Boston, 2000
- Connolly ES, McKhann GM, Huang J, Choudhri TF (eds): Fundamentals of Operative Techniques Neurosurgery. New York, 2001. Assistant Editor/Expert Commentator.
- Berger MS, Prados MD (eds): McCormick P, Sawaya R, Kliot M, Rutka J, Parsa A (Section eds.): Textbook of Neuro-Oncology. Elsevier, Philadelphia, 2005
- Parsa AT, McCormick PC (eds): Intramedullary Spinal Tumors. Neurosurg Clin North Am. Elsevier, Philadelphia, 2006
- Jandial R, McCormick PC, Black P (eds): Core Techniques in Operative Neurosurgery. Elsevier, Philadelphia, 2011
- Louis E, Mayer S, Rowland L (eds.), McCormick PC (Section Ed. Spinal Cord Disorders) Merritt’s Neurology, 13th Edition, Lippincott Williams and Wilkins, Philadelphia, 2014
- McCormick PC (ed.): Intradural Spinal Surgery video supplement. Neurosurgical Focus, Volume 37, Issue Suppl2, September 2014
For a complete list of publications, please visit PubMed.gov