Daniel Tobert

Dr. Dan Tobert is a spine surgeon who specializes in the treatment of adult spinal disorders. His training enables him to care for patients with cervical, thoracic or lumbosacral spine issues that arise from degenerative, deformity, traumatic or neoplastic causes. His primary goal is to provide excellent patient care informed by the best available evidence.

Dr. Tobert is a board-certified, fellowship-trained orthopaedic spine surgeon at Massachusetts General Hospital. He received a BS degree from Hope College, majoring in Chemistry. He subsequently received a MD degree from Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. He trained in orthopaedic surgery at the Harvard Combined Orthopaedic Residency Program before undergoing sub-specialization training in spine surgery at the University of Utah. This fellowship with a renowned group of spine surgeons specifically focused on surgical management of complex spinal disorders.

Dr. Tobert is actively engaged in research efforts to improve patient care and is a member of numerous academic spine societies. He believes clinical research and basic science form a foundation for empathic and individualized patient care.

Research

Dr. Tobert's primary research focus is optimizing patient outcomes through improved decision making. Specifically, this involves utilizing improved metrics and statistical techniques to better understand which patients benefit from surgical or non-surgical treatments.

Clinical Interests:

• Adolescent scoliosis
• Adult spine surgery
• Bone tumors
• Cervical myelopathy
• Cervical spine conditions
• Herniated disc
• Kyphosis
• Laminectomy
• Lumbar spine conditions
• Lumbar stenosis
• Metastatic bone disease
• Spinal fusion
• Spine trauma
• Spondylolisthesis

Medical Education

• MD, Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons
• Residency, Massachusetts General Hospital
• Fellowship, University of Utah Hospital

American Board Certifications

• American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery

Publications

Select publications:

• Tobert DG, Le HV, Blucher JA, Harris MB, Schoenfeld AJ. The Clinical Implications of Adding CT Angiography in the Evaluation of Cervical Spine Fractures: A Propensity-Matched Analysis. J Bone Joint Surg Am. 2018 Sep 5;100(17):1490-1495.
• Tobert DG, Ferrone ML, Czuczman GJ. Traumatic Atlanto-Occipital Dissociation and Atlantoaxial Instability: Concomitant Ligamentous Injuries without Neurologic Deficit: A Case Report. JBJS Case Connect. 2018 Jul-Sep;8(3):e62.
• Schoenfeld AJ, Tobert DG, Le HV, Leonard DA, Yau AL, Rajan P, Cho CH, Kang JD, Bono CM, Harris MB. Utility of Adding Magnetic Resonance Imaging to Computed Tomography Alone in the Evaluation of Cervical Spine Injury: A Propensity-Matched Analysis. Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 2018 Feb 1;43(3):179-184.
• Tobert DG, Glotzbecker MP, Hresko MT, Karlin LI, Proctor MR, Emans JB, Miller PE, Hedequist DJ. Efficacy of Intraoperative Neurophysiologic Monitoring for Pediatric Cervical Spine Surgery. Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 2017 Jul 1;42(13):974-978.
• Tobert DG, Antoci V, Patel SP, Saadat E, Bono CM. Adjacent Segment Disease in the Cervical and Lumbar Spine. Clin Spine Surg. 2017 Apr;30(3):94-101.
• Tobert D, von Keudell A, Rodriguez EK. Lessons From the Boston Marathon Bombing: An Orthopaedic Perspective on Preparing for High-Volume Trauma in an Urban Academic Center. J Orthop Trauma. 2015 Oct;29 Suppl 10:S7-10.
• Tobert DG, Vitale MG. Strategies for treating scoliosis in children with spinal muscular atrophy. Am J Orthop (Belle Mead NJ). 2013 Nov;42(11):E99-E103.