Thomas B Sullivan, MD

Places of Care

About

Dr. Sullivan is a board-certified orthopedic surgeon who specializes in surgical treatment of disorders of the spine. As a fellowship-trained spinal surgeon, he has expertise in treatment of degenerative conditions of the cervical, thoracic, and lumbar spine as well as trauma, tumor, and complex reconstruction for revision spinal surgery and spinal deformity.

Dr. Sullivan maximizes non-operative management whenever possible and recommends surgical intervention only after conservative measures have failed or become unsafe to continue. He believes in minimizing surgical treatment, optimizing patient recovery, and utilizing minimally invasive techniques whenever possible.

Dr. Sullivan prioritizes patient participation in the development of treatment plans and is passionate about patient education. He finds his career most rewarding when helping patients understand their condition, manage their symptoms, and get back to doing the things that they love.

As a former assistant professor in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at the University of California San Diego, Dr. Sullivan has trained and educated numerous medical students, residents, and spinal surgery fellows. He continues to be engaged in the academic community having authored many peer-reviewed manuscripts and book chapters, as well as presented research at conferences both domestically and internationally.

Dr. Sullivan completed his fellowship at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago and his residency in orthopedic surgery at UC San Diego School of Medicine where he carried out a one-year research fellowship focused on adolescent idiopathic scoliosis, received the Resident Research Award, and served as administrative chief resident. He attended medical school at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, earning his medical degree and graduating as a member of Alpha Omega Alpha and with honors with distinction in research. He completed his undergraduate degree in biomedical engineering with distinction from Duke University.

When he is not practicing medicine, he enjoys spending time with family, traveling, following college football and basketball, and staying active by playing golf, running, and hiking.