Don Young Park, M.D. Fellowship Trained Spine Surgeon
Dr. Don Young Park is a Board Certified, fellowship trained Orthopaedic Spine Surgeon and a world expert in endoscopic spine surgery, minimally invasive spine surgery, and outpatient spine surgery. He uses these advanced, ultra-minimally invasive techniques to treat most spinal conditions with less pain and faster recovery.
Dr. Park trained at Stanford and was recently an Associate Clinical Professor and Vice Chair of Quality and Safety for the UCLA Department of Orthopaedic Surgery. At UCLA, he led the clinical, educational, and research efforts in minimally invasive and endoscopic spine surgery. He is a Professor of Clinical Orthopaedic Surgery and the Director of the Advanced Endoscopic and Outpatient Spine Program at UC Irvine, the first academic program of its kind in the University of California system.
Dr. Park was one of the first to perform biportal endoscopic spine surgery and endoscopic lumbar fusion in the United States. He teaches residents, fellows, and surgeons from across the country on endoscopic spine surgery. He is nationally and internationally recognized as a key opinion leader in endoscopic spine surgery and lectures regularly throughout the world on the innovative technique.
Dr. Park has published both basic science and clinical peer-reviewed journal articles, as well as written textbook chapters on minimally invasive and endoscopic spine surgery. He has won multiple “Best Paper” awards from the North American Spine Society and the Society for Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery for his research. His current research interests include clinical outcome studies in spinal endoscopy to advance the knowledge of endoscopic spine surgery. He has served as a reviewer for The Spine Journal, Spine, Global Spine Journal, Neurospine, amongst many others.
Dr. Park has been selected as a Southern California SuperDoctor and a Top Doctor by Los Angeles Magazine. Even with all of these accolades, he takes the most pride in providing exemplary, individualized care for his patients so that they can have the best possible outcome.
Education
- M.D., University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, 2001-2006
9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, California 92093, (858) 534-3880 - B.S., University of California, Los Angeles, 1996-2001
Los Angeles, California 90095
Post Graduate Training
Fellowship
Orthopaedic Fellow in Spine Surgery, Stanford University,
August 2011-July 2012
Spine Surgery Division, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery
450 Broadway St.
Redwood City, CA 94063
650-721-7669
Residency
Orthopaedic Surgery, Stanford University,
June 2007-July 2011
Department of Orthopaedic Surgery
450 Broadway St.
Redwood City, CA 94063
650-721-7669
Internship
Orthopaedic Surgery, Stanford University,
June 2006-June 2007
Department of Orthopaedic Surgery
450 Broadway St.
Redwood City, CA 94063
650-721-7669
Professional Certifications
- State of California, Physician and Surgeon, 2008-present
- Board Certified, American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery, 2014-present
- State of Nevada, Physician, 2022-present
Honors, Awards
- Visiting Professor, Yonsei University, Severence Hospital, Seoul, South Korea, December 28, 2023
- Awarded Best Paper, “The Safety and Clinical Effectiveness of Biportal Endoscopic Lumbosacral Decompression in the Outpatient vs Inpatient Setting.” Society of Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery Annual Forum, Las Vegas, NV, October 2023.
- Awarded Best Paper, “Utilizing Big Data to Determine the Safety Profile of Recombinant Human BMP-2 in Spinal Fusion Surgery: An Analysis of 5 Databases from 2003-2017.” North American Spine Society, 37th Annual Meeting, Chicago, IL, October 2022.
- Visiting Professor, World Unilateral Biportal Endoscopy Society, Seoul, South Korea, June 27, 2022.
- Super Doctors, Southern California 2022, 2023
- Visiting Professor, The Unilateral Biportal Endoscopy Research Society, Daejeon, South Korea, October 20, 2021
- Top Doctor, LA Magazine, 2021
- Super Doctors, Southern California Rising Stars 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021
- Awarded Best Paper, “Ambulatory Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion is Associated with a Higher Risk of Revision Surgery and Perioperative Complications: An Analysis of a Large Nationwide Database.” North American Spine Society, 33rd Annual Meeting, Los Angeles, CA, September 2018
- Nominated for Best Paper, “Does Approach Matter? A Comparative Radiographic Analysis of Spinopelvic Parameters in Single Level Lumbar Fusion.” 2018 International Society for the Advancement of Spine Surgery, Annual Meeting, April 2018
- Cervical Spine Research Society, 1st place Fellow Research Award, 2011
- Stanford Orthopaedic Surgery Chief Resident of the Year Award, 2011
- Stanford Orthopaedic Surgery Research Award, 2011
- Journal of Orthopaedic Trauma, 2009 Best PGY3 Orthopaedic Teaching Resident of the Year Award
- National Institutes of Health, Summer Research Training Fellowship, 2002
- UCLA Chancellor’s Service Award, 2001
- UCLA Alumni Association Scholar, 1996-2001
- Provost’s Honors List, 1996-2001
Areas of Focus
- Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery
- Spinal Stenosis
- Spine Microsurgery
- Spondylolisthesis
- Spine Fusion
- Endoscopic Spine Surgery
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UCI Medical Center
101 The City Drive South
Pavillion III, Building 29A
Orange, CA 92868 -
UCI Health Orthopaedic &
Sports Medicine Center1640 Newport Blvd.
Suite 100
Costa Mesa, CA 92627
