Professor, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery
Vice Chair, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery
Co-Director, UC Davis Spine Center
To see if Eric O. Klineberg is accepting new patients, or for assistance finding a UC Davis doctor, please call 800-2-UCDAVIS (800-282-3284).
Phone: 916-734-7463
Fax: 916-734-1770
My philosophy is to care for each patient as I would like myself or a family member to be treated. I am committed to excellence in surgical care with an emphasis on communication, compassion, and empathy.
Dr. Klineberg's clinical interests include all aspects of spinal degeneration, deformity, tumor and fracture. He has a particular interest in adult and pediatric spinal deformity surgery and cervical compression and deformity.
Dr. Klineberg's research interests focus on enhancement of spinal fusion with stem cells and proteins. He is also actively involved in clinical research investigating spinal deformity and outcomes.
Orthopaedic Surgery
B.A., Rice University, Houston TX 1994
M.D., University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore MD 2001
M.S., University of Maryland, College Park MD 1996
General Surgery, University of Washington, Seattle WA 2001-2002
Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Washington, Seattle WA 2002-2006
Combined Neurological and Orthopaedic Surgical Spine, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland OH 2006-2007
Diamond Doc Award: Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers (HCAHP) survey, UC Davis Health (June, August, and November), 2021
SRS/IMAST Hibbs Award Winner, Adverse Events in Multilevel Surgery in Elderly Patients with Spinal Deformity: Report of the Prospective Evaluation of Elderly Deformity Surgery (PEEDS) and Comparison of Patient Factors (Frailty) vs. Surgical Factors (Invasiveness) for Optimization of 2-Year Cost-Utility: We Should Focus on the Patient Factors International Spine Study Group, 2021
Sacramento Magazine Top Doctors: Spinal Surgery, 2021
Best Podium and Best Poster 2014, International Society for the Advancement of Spine Surgery, 2014
Goldstein Clinical Science Award, Scoliosis Research Society, 2014
Durand WM, DiSilvestro KJ, Kim HJ, Hamilton DK, Lafage R, Passias PG, Protopsaltis TS, Lafage V, Smith JS, Shaffrey CI, Gupta MC, Klineberg EO, Schwab FJ, Gum JL, Mundis GM Jr, Eastlack RK, Kebaish KM, Soroceanu A, Hostin RA Jr, Burton DC, Bess S, Ames CP, Hart RA, Daniels AH; International Spine Study Group. Low-Density Pedicle Screw Constructs Are Associated with Lower Incidence of Proximal Junctional Failure in Adult Spinal Deformity Surgery. Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 2022 Mar 15;47(6):463-469. doi:10.1097/BRS.0000000000004290. PMID:35019881.
Wick JB, Le HV, Lafage R, Gupta MC, Hart RA, Mundis GM Jr, Bess S, Burton DC, Ames CP, Smith JS, Shaffrey CI, Schwab FJ, Passias PG, Protopsaltis TS, Lafage V, Klineberg EO; International Spine Study Group. Assessment of Adult Spinal Deformity Complication Timing and Impact on 2-Year Outcomes Using a Comprehensive Adult Spinal Deformity Classification System. Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 2022 Mar 15;47(6):445-454. doi:10.1097/BRS.0000000000004289. PMID:34812199.
Passias PG, Bortz C, Pierce KE, Passfall L, Kummer NA, Krol O, Lafage R, Diebo BG, Lafage V, Ames CP, Burton DC, Gupta MC, Sciubba DM, Schoenfeld AJ, Bess S, Hostin R, Shaffrey CI, Line BG, Klineberg EO, Smith JS, Schwab FJ; International Spine Study Group. Comparing and Contrasting the Clinical Utility of Sagittal Spine Alignment Classification Frameworks: Roussouly Versus SRS-Schwab. Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 2022 Mar 15;47(6):455-462. doi:10.1097/BRS.0000000000004300. PMID:34812196.
Durand WM, Babu JM, Hamilton DK, Passias PG, Kim HJ, Protopsaltis T, Lafage V, Lafage R, Smith JS, Shaffrey C, Gupta M, Kelly MP, Klineberg EO, Schwab F, Gum JL, Mundis G, Eastlack R, Kebaish K, Soroceanu A, Hostin RA, Burton D, Bess S, Ames C, Hart RA, Daniels AH; International Spine Study Group (ISSG). Adult Spinal Deformity Surgery Is Associated with Increased Productivity and Decreased Absenteeism From Work and School. Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 2022 Feb 15;47(4):287-294. doi:10.1097/BRS.0000000000004271. PMID:34738986.
Le HV, Wick JB, Lafage R, Kelly MP, Kim HJ, Gupta MC, Bess S, Burton DC, Ames CP, Smith JS, Shaffrey CI, Schwab FJ, Passias PG, Protopsaltis TS, Lafage V, Klineberg EO; International Spine Study Group. Surgical Factors and Treatment Severity for Perioperative Complications Predict Hospital Length of Stay in Adult Spinal Deformity Surgery. Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 2022 Jan 15;47(2):136-143. doi:10.1097/BRS.0000000000004122. PMID:34889884.
Passias PG, Naessig S, Kummer N, Passfall L, Lafage R, Lafage V, Line B, Diebo BG, Protopsaltis T, Kim HJ, Eastlack R, Soroceanu A, Klineberg EO, Hart RA, Burton D, Bess S, Schwab F, Shaffrey CI, Smith JS, Ames CP. Predicting development of severe clinically relevant distal junctional kyphosis following adult cervical deformity surgery, with further distinction from mild asymptomatic episodes. J Neurosurg Spine. 2021 Dec 17:1-8. doi:10.3171/2021.8.SPINE21533. Epub ahead of print. PMID:34920417.
Lafage R, Smith JS, Sheikh Alshabab B, Ames C, Passias PG, Shaffrey CI, Mundis G, Protopsaltis T, Gupta M, Klineberg E, Kim HJ, Bess S, Schwab F, Lafage V; International Spine Study Group (ISSG). When can we expect global sagittal alignment to reach a stable value following cervical deformity surgery? J Neurosurg Spine. 2021 Nov 5;36(4):616-623. doi:10.3171/2021.7.SPINE21306. PMID:34740177.
Kim HJ, Virk S, Elysee J, Ames C, Passias P, Shaffrey C, Mundis G, Protopsaltis T, Gupta M, Klineberg E, Hart R, Smith JS, Bess S, Schwab F, Lafage R, Lafage V, On Behalf Of The International Spine Study Group. Surgical Strategy for the Management of Cervical Deformity Is Based on Type of Cervical Deformity. J Clin Med. 2021 Oct 21;10(21):4826. doi:10.3390/jcm10214826. PMID:34768346.
Pierce KE, Passias PG, Brown AE, Bortz CA, Alas H, Passfall L, Krol O, Kummer N, Lafage R, Chou D, Burton DC, Line B, Klineberg E, Hart R, Gum J, Daniels A, Hamilton K, Bess S, Protopsaltis T, Shaffrey C, Schwab FA, Smith JS, Lafage V, Ames C; International Spine Study Group (ISSG). Prioritization of Realignment Associated With Superior Clinical Outcomes for Cervical Deformity Patients. Neurospine. 2021 Sep;18(3):506-514. doi:10.14245/ns.2040540.270. Epub 2021 Sep 30. PMID:34610683.
Alas H, Passias PG, Diebo BG, Brown AE, Pierce KE, Bortz C, Lafage R, Ames CP, Line B, Klineberg EO, Burton DC, Uribe JS, Kim HJ, Daniels AH, Bess S, Protopsaltis T, Mundis GM, Shaffrey CI, Schwab FJ, Smith JS, Lafage V. Cervical deformity patients with baseline hyperlordosis or hyperkyphosis differ in surgical treatment and radiographic outcomes. J Craniovertebr Junction Spine. 2021 Jul-Sep;12(3):279-286. doi:10.4103/jcvjs.jcvjs_29_21. Epub 2021 Sep 8. PMID:34728995.