Raymond Gardocki, MD, associate professor of Orthopaedic Surgery, joined Vanderbilt University Medical Center in late 2020, and is seeing patients at Vanderbilt Orthopaedics Franklin.
“In the short time he’s been here at VUMC, Ray has proven to be an enormous asset to the Vanderbilt Spine Center and to our patients,” said Jacob Schwarz, MD, assistant professor of Neurological Surgery and executive medical director of the Vanderbilt Spine Center. “He is one of the nation’s top experts in percutaneous and endoscopic spinal procedures which, for carefully selected patients with degenerative spine conditions, can provide excellent outcomes with reduced post-surgical pain and recovery time.
“We’re also excited about the training opportunities Ray’s addition brings to VUMC as we advance the skills of the next generation of spine surgeons. An Orthopaedic Spine Fellowship was established at the Vanderbilt Spine Center with the first fellow beginning this year, and Ray will train our fellows on endoscopic spine techniques.”
Prior to joining VUMC, Gardocki practiced at Campbell Clinic Orthopedics in Memphis, Tennessee, where he fully incorporated endoscopic spine procedures into his practice in 2017. He quickly became a sought-after educator to train surgeons throughout the country in endoscopic spine techniques.
“This is an exciting time for the field of endoscopic spine procedures with improvements in both tools and techniques, and my goal is to establish the Vanderbilt Spine Center as the top destination for these minimally invasive techniques,” Gardocki said. “This is one more facet of the personalized care patients have come to know and expect at VUMC.”
Gardocki received his undergraduate degree in exercise science from the University of Southern California (USC) in Los Angeles. He also attended medical school at USC, and completed an orthopaedic residency at USC Medical Center. He completed a spine fellowship at Los Angeles Spine Surgery Institute.
Gardocki is a member of many professional organizations, including the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, the North American Spine Society and the Society for Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery.
Gardocki plans to establish an endoscopic spine surgery registry at VUMC so outcomes can be documented longitudinally in order to further validate and improve procedures.
Gardocki’s wife, Eunice Huang, MD, was recruited to join the faculty at Monroe Carrell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt, where she now serves as associate surgeon-in-chief and chief surgical quality and innovations officer, as well as professor and vice chair of Clinical Services for the Department of Pediatric Surgery. The couple has three sons.
Patients can be referred to Dr. Gardocki by calling the Vanderbilt Spine Center, 615-875-5100.