David E. Fish

David E. Fish, MD is a Professor in the Department of Orthopedics at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and serves as the Assistant Program Director of the Pain Medicine Fellowship at GLA VA WLA/UCLA Multidisciplinary program in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. He is also a consulting physician for Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the Veterans Administration Hospital in Los Angeles, California. Dr. Fish is board certified in both Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and Pain Medicine.

Dr. Fish earned his undergraduate degree from the University of California at Berkeley, followed by his MD from New York Medical College in 1994. He completed a medical internship at Fitzsimmons Army Medical Center in Denver, Colorado, and his residency at The Johns Hopkins Medical Center in Baltimore, Maryland, where he served as Chief Resident from 2000-2001. He further specialized with a fellowship in Pain Medicine at the UCLA/WLA VA Multicampus training Program.

As a leading expert in non-operative spinal disorders, Dr. Fish's research focuses on spine care, pain management, and rehabilitation techniques. His work spans diagnostic approaches for neck and shoulder pain, management of lumbar spondylosis, and complications following spinal surgery. He has made significant contributions to understanding cervical spine surgery complications, including C5 palsy, epidural hematomas, and pseudomeningoceles.

Dr. Fish has published over 32 peer-reviewed articles in journals such as Pain Physicians, American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, Current Reviews in Musculoskeletal Medicine, and The Journal of Pain. His research has been presented at national meetings including the National Academy Meeting for PM&R and NASS.

• Castle Connolly Top Doctors, 2022
• Super Doctors® Southern California, 2012–2022
• Top Doctors, Los Angeles Magazine, 2018
• Distinguished Clinician award by residents
• Clinical Instructor of the Year for medical student training
• Best research paper award by the Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation

Dr. Fish has trained physicians at all levels, from medical students to practicing professionals, and has gained recognition for his teaching excellence. He has contributed to medical literature as co-editor of The Pocketpaedia and Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Secrets. His clinical work at the Santa Monica Spine Center focuses on interventional spine procedures including radiofrequency ablation for conditions such as lumbosacral radiculopathy, facet joint syndrome, cervical radiculopathy, post laminectomy syndrome, and reflex sympathetic dystrophy.