Christopher P. Ames

Christopher P. Ames, MD is a Professor of Clinical Neurological Surgery and Orthopaedic Surgery at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) School of Medicine. He serves as Director of Spinal Deformity & Spine Tumor Surgery, Co-Director of the UCSF Spine Center, and Founder of the International Spine Biomarker and Tissue Bank. His clinical practice focuses on spinal tumors (chordoma, chondrosarcoma, giant cell tumors) and complex spinal deformities (scoliosis, kyphosis, ankylosing spondylitis).

• Board Certified: American Board of Neurological Surgery
• Education: MD (UCLA), Residency (UCSD), Spine Fellowship (Barrow Neurological Institute)

Ames pioneered transpedicular approaches for cervical tumors and custom implant technologies for spinal alignment. His research spans biomechanics, AI decision support tools, and biomarker discovery for surgical risk in aging patients. Key publications include classifications for cervical osteotomies and frailty indices.

His scientific awards include: 5x SRS Hibbs Award, 2x SRS Goldstein Award, 2x SRS Whitecloud Award. He has directed over 300 international surgical courses and serves as Spine Section Lead Editor for Operative Neurosurgery.

Ames leads the UCSF Spinal Biomechanics Laboratory and the Neurospinal Disorders Program, integrating multicenter collaborations (Scoli-RISK-1 Study, AO Foundation) to advance precision surgery and outcomes research.