Ram Alluri, MD

Assistant Professor of Clinical Orthopaedic Surgery

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Overview

R. Kiran Alluri, MD is an Assistant Professor of Clinical Orthopaedic Surgery at the Keck School of Medicine of USC and a part of the USC Spine Center. Dr. Alluri specializes in the surgical treatment of all neck and back disorders. He has a special interest in cervical spine surgery, minimally invasive spine surgery and robotic technology. He also treats patients with adult spinal deformity and patients requiring complex revision surgery. Dr. Alluri believes his most important role as a physician is to educate patients and their families about their condition and thoroughly explain treatment options so they can make an informed choice. His emphasis is always towards nonoperative management, utilizing a multi-disciplinary and multi-modal approach. In patients that require surgery, Dr. Alluri is trained in the latest minimally invasive and robotic techniques to expedite the recovery process and maximize postoperative function.

Dr. Alluri attended UCLA for undergraduate and medical school. He completed orthopaedic surgery residency at USC. He subsequently did his fellowship in minimally invasive and complex adult spinal deformity at the Hospital for Special Surgery, the #1 ranked orthopaedic hospital in the US and world.

In addition to patient care, Dr. Alluri is actively involved in research with an emphasis on analyzing clinical outcomes and navigation technology. To date he has published over 80 peer-reviewed research articles and his work has been presented at over 130 research meetings. He is an active member of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS), American Orthopaedic Association (AOA), North American Spine Society (NASS), Lumbar Spine Research Society (LSRS) and AO Spine.

Awards

  • SMISS: SMISS ’21 Young Surgeon Grant, 2021
  • AAOS: Best Poster Spine Section—American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgery Annual Meeting, 2021
  • Cervical Spine Research Society – Annual Meeting Dec. 2021: Top Abstract – Cervical Disc Replacement for Radiculopathy versus Myelorodiculopathy, an MCID Analys, 2021
  • Global Spine Journal: “COVID-19 and Spine Surgery: A Review and Evolving Recommendations” won one of the two GSJ 2020, 2020

Education and Training

  • UCLA, Los Angeles CA — BA — 06/2010 — Business Economics
  • UCLA, Los Angeles CA — MD — 06/2014 — Medicine
  • LAC+USC, Los Angeles CA — 06/2020 — Orthopaedic Surgery Residency
  • Hospital for Special Surgery/ Weill Cornell School of Medicine, New York NY — 07/2021 — Spine Surgery Fellowship

Publications

  • Assessment of influential authors and articles in spine surgery research: a narrative review. J Spine Surg. 2026 May 31; 12(5):79.. View in PubMed
  • Nationwide Comparison of 2 year Revision Surgery Risk After Hybrid Cervical Surgery with 2-Level ACDF and 2-Level CDR Surgical Technique. Global Spine J. 2026 May 11; 21925682261452163.. View in PubMed
  • Trends and Outcomes of Computer-Assisted Navigation in Lumbar Spine Surgery: A National Database Analysis from 2010 to 2021. Clin Spine Surg. 2026 Apr 30.. View in PubMed
  • Indistinguishable Narratives: A Blinded Comparison of AI- Versus Human-Written Personal Statements in Application to Orthopaedic Surgery Residency. J Grad Med Educ. 2026 Apr; 18(2):160-163.. View in PubMed
  • Real-world complications, utilization patterns, and patient selection for the vertiflex interspinous process device: A national cohort analysis. Interv Pain Med. 2026 Jun; 5(2):100760.. View in PubMed
  • Complications of Elective Lumbar Spine Fusion in Patients With COVID-19. Cureus. 2026 Feb; 18(2):e104412.. View in PubMed
  • Complications After Anterior Lumbar Interbody Fusion in Patients with Prior Abdominal Surgery. Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 2026 Feb 05.. View in PubMed
  • Utility of bioactive glasses as fusion substrates for cervical and lumbar fusion: a systematic review. J Spine Surg. 2026 Jan 31; 12(1):10.. View in PubMed
  • Reporting bias is prevalent in systematic reviews and meta-analyses related to endoscopic vs. microscopic decompression: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Spine Surg. 2025 Dec 31; 11(4):851-860.. View in PubMed
  • The Effect of Positional Graft Placement on Pseudarthrosis Rates in Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion. Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 2025 Dec 11.. View in PubMed