Anubhav G. Amin, MD

“I focus on delivering patient-driven care. It's critical that I spend time with the patient to figure out what their goals are. If the patient is a candidate for surgery, surgery becomes part of a multidisciplinary approach to treatment. I work extensively with oncology and radiation oncology to provide multimodal treatment, which means that surgery is supplemented with chemotherapy and radiation for the most effective treatment of disease.”

— Anubhav G. Amin, MD

What do you enjoy most about what you do?

I've had several patients who initially dreaded spinal surgery. They worried about a prolonged hospital stay and feared they'd lose a bit of themselves, or they'd lose body function and become dependent on family, a burden. Then, after a surgery with minimal disruption of muscles and tissues, they wake up with complete relief of their back pain. After recovering from anesthesia, they can stand and even walk the next day. They come to the hospital in a wheelchair, and they leave walking. There are great efforts to catch patients with spine metastases or smaller tumors that we can remove to allow patients to regain their capabilities. These are real success stories.

What led you to want to be a surgeon?

I always enjoyed using my hands. I played ball sports and karate, and when I pursued medicine, I always thought my direction was surgical. I had been a neuroscience undergrad, so I gravitated toward neurosurgery. As I shadowed many surgeons, I saw firsthand how big of a difference these neurosurgeons could make. I was amazed by their detail-oriented dexterity, as well as the extent of the impact these physicians can have in the lives of their patients. They made a difference for patients in their most vulnerable state.

Provider Background

Specialty: Surgey

Neurosurgery
As an assistant professor in the UW School of Medicine Department of Neurological Surgery, I work as a neurosurgeon who performs spine surgery with a focus on spinal oncology. I work closely with colleagues from the Department of Oncology and the Department of Radiation Oncology to provide a multidisciplinary approach to spine tumor patients with a goal of optimizing their quality of life. My clinical interests include neurological spinal oncology (spine metastases and primary bone tumors); spine radiosurgery and stereotactic ablative radiotherapy; intradural spinal cord tumors; degenerative spine; spine trauma; robotic surgery; image-guided navigation surgery; minimally invasive spine surgery; kyphoplasty; and vertebroplasty.