Michael Safaee

Michael Safaee, MD is an Assistant Professor of Clinical Neurological Surgery at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California (USC). His clinical expertise focuses on complex spinal disorders, including adult spinal deformity, scoliosis, kyphosis, spinal tumors, and revision surgeries. His research emphasizes optimizing surgical outcomes through advanced risk assessment methodologies, particularly exploring biological aging biomarkers like epigenetic clocks and telomere length to predict postoperative complications. Dr. Safaee completed his medical degree at UCLA, neurosurgery residency at UCSF, and a spine surgery fellowship at Johns Hopkins Hospital, becoming board-certified by the American Board of Neurological Surgery.

Education:

• Medical Degree: University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)
• Neurosurgery Residency: University of California, San Francisco (UCSF)
• Spine Surgery Fellowship: Johns Hopkins Hospital

Research Interests: Dr. Safaee’s work bridges clinical practice and translational research. His key areas include:

• Biological age assessment using epigenetic and telomere biomarkers
• Frailty indices in predicting surgical outcomes
• Epidemiology and socioeconomic trends in spinal deformity care
• Innovative surgical techniques for spinal tumors and deformity correction

Publications Trends: His recent work highlights advancements in:

• Epigenetic biomarkers for preoperative risk stratification
• Comparative analyses of open vs. minimally invasive spinal procedures
• Cost-effectiveness of advanced spinal fusion techniques
• Telemedicine standardization for spinal evaluations

Awards & Honors:

• 2024: Keck School of Medicine Dean’s Pilot Grant
• 2021: Scoliosis Research Society Russell A. Hibbs Basic Research Award
• 2020: UCSF Neurological Surgery Howard Naffziger Award
• 2018: NIH Ruth L. Kirschstein Fellowship

Grants & Advising: Dr. Safaee leads NIH-funded studies on biological aging and spinal surgery. While no formal advisee list is provided, his publications reflect collaborative research with multidisciplinary teams at USC and UCSF.

Labs/Teams: Active member of USC Spine Center’s research initiatives focused on translational spinal surgery and personalized medicine.