Vikas Patel, MD
Professor, Orthopedics

Executive Vice Chair, Department of Orthopedic Surgery
Professor
Spine Surgeon
Clinic (720) 848-1980
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Gender: Male
Languages: English, German, Gujarati
Department, Section/Division: Orthopedics

Practice Locations

UCHealth Spine Center - Anschutz Medical Campus
Anschutz Inpatient Pavilion - 1st Floor
12605 E. 16th Avenue
Aurora, CO 80045
720-848-1980
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UCHealth Highlands Ranch Hospital
1500 Park Central Drive
Highlands Ranch, CO 80129
720-516-1000
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UCHealth Orthopedics Clinic - Cherry Creek
100 Cook Street
Suite 406
Denver, CO 80206
720-516-9417
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CU Medicine Orthopedics - Highlands Ranch Specialty Care Center
1500 Park Central Drive
Suite 401
Highlands Ranch, CO 80129
720-516-4087
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Hospital Affiliation
  • University of Colorado Hospital
  • UCHealth Highlands Ranch Hospital
Center Affiliations

Specialty Information

Specialties
  • Orthopedics - Orthopedic Surgery of the Spine, Board Certification (2006)
Conditions & Treatments
  • Bones, Joints and Muscles
  • Back Pain
  • Fractures
  • Neck Disorders and Injuries
  • Scoliosis
  • Spine Injuries
  • Brain and Nervous System
  • Spine Diseases and Conditions
  • Failed Prior Surgery
  • Infections
  • Spinal Deformity
  • Spine
  • Cervical disc herniation
  • Cervical spinal stenosis
  • Degenerative Disc Disease
  • Degenerative Scoliosis
  • Lumbar disc herniation
  • Lumbar spinal stenosis
  • Myelopathy
  • Radiculopathy
  • Sacroiliac Joint
  • Sciatica
  • Scoliosis
  • Slipped Disc
  • Spondylolisthesis
  • Spondylolysis
  • Symptoms and Manifestations
  • Pain
Care Philosophy
I currently serve as the Executive Vice Chair of the Department of Orthopedic Surgery. As an academic spine surgeon, it is my responsibility to stay involved in the latest spine care research findings, techniques, and technologies. As a clinician, I must also use the latest diagnostic technologies to first find the source of discomfort and disability in my patients. I then look to my training and experience to educate my patients on treatment options and together judge which might be the best treatment for each individual patient without increasing the risk of complications. We can thus choose the best technology together based on their condition and expectation from surgical treatment. Surgery, however, is a last resort to be chosen only if conservative measures fail to provide sufficient relief. I earned my Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering and worked as an engineer before earning both a Master's of Arts and a Doctor of Medicine degree at Washington University in St. Louis. My orthopedic spine surgery training took place at the University of California (San Francisco), and my specialized fellowship training was at St. John’s Hospital in Santa Monica.

Personal Interests
When I am not working I enjoy traveling with my wife and two children.

Education & Training

Medical Schools:
  • MD, Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine (1997)
  • MA, Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine (1997)

Undergraduate Schools:
  • BS, University of Illinois–Urbana-Champaign (IL) (1991)

Internships:
  • University of California (San Francisco) Program (1998)

Residency Program:
  • University of California (San Francisco) Program, Orthopedics (2003)

Fellowships:
  • St. John's Hospital Spine Fellowship (Cedars Sinai Program), Orthopedic Surgery of the Spine (2003)

Professional Memberships

  • American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgery, Member
  • AO North America, Member
  • Colorado Medical Society (CMS), Member
  • International Association for the Study of Pain, Member
  • North American Spine Society, Member
  • Scoliosis Research Society (SRS), Member
  • Society of Orthopaedic Surgery and Traumatology, Member
  • Spine Arthroplasty Association, Member
  • Western Orthopaedic Association (WOA), Member

Teaching

  • Fellowship Co-Director (2017)
    School of Medicine, Orthopedics
    Spine Surgery

Research & Grants

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term="patel vv"[Author]
Grants
  • A Double Blind, Placebo-Controlled Crossover Study Comparing the Analgesic Efficacy of Cannabis versus Oxycodone (2016)
    Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE), $743122
  • Prospective, Concurrently Controlled, Multi-Center Study to Evaluate the Safety and Effectiveness of the Spinal Kinetics M6-C Artificial Cervical Disc Compared to ACDF for the Treatment of Symptomatic Cervical Radiculopathy (2015)
    Spine Kinetics, Inc., $16099
  • A Phase 2b Randomized, Double-blind, Placebo Study to Evaluate the Safety and Efficacy of Staphylococcus (2015)
    Pfizer, Inc., $10099
  • Retrospective Study Evaluating the Efficacy of the Orthofix Spinal-Stim Bone Growth Stimulator in Patients Who Have Undergone Lumbar Fusion Surgery with Adjunctive Use of the Spinal-Stim Device (2015)
    Orthofix, Inc., $18900
  • Odontoid: Safety and Efficacy of Pulsed Electromagnetic Fields (Cervical Stim) as an Adjunct to Enhanced Union (2015)
    Orthofix, Inc., $10433
  • Fellowship Grant in Spine Care (2015)
    Globus Medical, $67022
  • Cervical Stim Retrospective (CDA – Orthofix Cervical Stim Retrospective Protocol) (2014)
    Orthofix, Inc., $83457
  • DuraSeal TM Exact Spine Sealant System Post Approval Study (2014)
    Integra Life Sciences Corporation, $36393
  • Fellowship Grant in Spine Care (2014)
    OMeGA, $15000
  • Revitalization of Bone Allograft with Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells to Enhance Spinal Fusion (2014)
    Musculoskeletal Transplant Foundation, $100000
  • Porous, Patient Specific Interbody Fusion Cages with Enhanced Loading Characteristics (2014)
    Institute for Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, $176125
  • Skull to sacrum course (2013)
    Medtronic, $2000
  • Fellowship Grant in Spine Care (2013)
    OREF, $31290
  • Lanx Aspen Spinous Process Clamp CT (2012)
    Lanx, $7240
  • Synthes AO Spine (2012)
    Synthes, $1500
  • Validation of a New Sacroiliac-Joint Specific Disability Questionnaire (2012)
    SI Bone, $48834
  • Effects of vitamin D deficiency on lumbar spine fusion and the role of rhBMP-2 (2012)
    Medtronic, $28932
  • Biomechanical Evaluation of Anterior Cage-Plate Fixation (ALIF cage and ATB Plate or Synfix ) Versus Iliac Screws with TLIF (2012)
    Synthes, $53063
  • The Relationship between Sagittal Plane Correction and Quality of Life in Adult Deformity Patients Treated with Posterior Instrumentation-CT (2012)
    Medicrea, $49107
  • Investigation of Sacroiliac Fusion Treatment – INSITE - CT (2012)
    SI Bone, $54904
  • Fellowship Grant in Spine Care (2012)
    OREF, $34324
  • Retrospective Multicenter Clinical Evaluation of Fusion and Complications for Single Lvl AxiaLIF and ALIF Subjects (2011)
    Trans 1, $31561
  • Synthes ED Support (2011)
    Synthes, $2600
  • Fellowship Grant in Spine Care (2011)
    OREF, $54250
  • Biomechanical Cervical Disc Replacement Facet Force (2011)
    Synthes, $47397
  • Three dimensional accuracy of Stealth Surgical Navigation with O-Arm Imaging (2011)
    Medtronic Sofamor-Danek, $63504
  • Fellowship Grant in Spine Care (2011)
    Synthes, $32500
  • Fellowship Grant in Spine Care (2011)
    OREF, $54250
  • Fellowship Grant in Spine Care (2010)
    Synthes, $65000
  • Evaluation of Blood Platelet Concentrate Methodology with ABM/P-15 (2010)
    Snoasis Medical, $10240
  • Fellowship Grant in Spine Care (2010)
    OREF, $69500
  • Nubac Disc Arthroplasty (2009)
    Pioneer Surgical Company, $26678
  • EPhysical Capacity Outcomes Study PD-L and ALIF (2009)
    Synthes, $15407
  • Rabbit Study Protocol CR-055: P-15 ABM Formulations in a Rabbit Femur Drill Hole Healing Study (2009)
    Cerapedics, $23048
  • ISSIS Clinical Trial (2009)
    Vertiflex, $524219
  • Fellowship Grant in Spine Care (2008)
    Synthes, $121837
  • Facet Force Disc Degen/Metal Memory (2007)
    Showa Ika Kohgyo Co. LTD, $70453
  • The effect of auto claving on metal memory (2007)
    DePuy, $6000
  • Facet force relative to disc degeneration and disc replacement (2007)
    Synthes, $31577
  • EBI'S Lumbar Anterior Plate System (2007)
    Biomet, $15873
  • BMP Diffusion from a Novel Bone Graft Substitute (2007)
    Globus Medical Inc., $9435
  • Activ-L Artificial Disc. CT (2007)
    Aesculap, Inc., $1180140
  • A Clinical evaluation of cervical STIM and Spinal-STIM (2006)
    Orthofix, $2050
  • Post market Surveillance of Clinical and Functional Outcomes with Post-Operative Adjunctive use of Cervical-Stim aor Spinal Stim (2006)
    Orthofix, $18849
  • Inflammatory effects of BMP with protective and bone limiting effects of Fibrin Glue (2006)
    Medtronic, $21055
  • In vitro biomechanical evaluation of adjacent level facet joint forces relative to pedicle screw head size (2005)
    Aesculap, $19841
  • Three Dimensional Morphologic and Kinematic MRI Analysis of the Knee (2002)
    American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons, $25000
Research interests for Patients:
Currently, my research focus entails spinal non-fusion technologies, cervical and lumbar disc replacement, dynamic stabilization, alternative bone graft materials for fusion, minimally invasive surgical techniques and computer-assisted surgery. My basic science research includes the study of stem cell therapies, spinal biologics, spinal biomechanics, and the evaluation of pain. Additional research includes assessing the efficacy of marijuana based pain treatment.

Information for Referring Providers

Clinical Interests for Referring Providers
Minimally invasive spine surgery of the cervical, thoracic and lumbar spine with a conservative-first approach and motion preservation whenever possible. I also treat complex spine problems including failed back and neck surgery and conditions which patients may have been told can't be treated.

Research Interest for Referring Providers
Spinal non-fusion technologies, cervical and lumbar disc replacement, dynamic stabilization, alternative bone graft materials for fusion, minimally invasive surgical techniques, computer-assisted surgery, stem cell therapies, spinal biologics, spinal biomechanics, and the evaluation of pain. Additional research includes assessing the efficacy of marijuana based pain treatment.
Clinic Phone: (720) 848-1980, (720) 848-2200
Fax Phone: (720) 848-2019

CV Patel_CV_6.2023.pdf