Erick R. Kazarian, MD, Orthopedic Spine Surgeon at NYU Langone Health

About

Erick R. Kazarian, MD

Orthopedic Spine Surgeon  ·  NYU Langone Health

r. Erick R. Kazarian is a board-certified orthopedic spine surgeon at NYU Langone Health in New York City. He is also a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Orthopedic Surgery at NYU Grossman School of Medicine.

Dr. Kazarian is one of the highest-volume endoscopic spine surgeons in New York City and an active member, both clinically and in research, of NYU Langone's Endoscopic Spine Center, one of only a small number of dedicated endoscopic spine programs in the United States. He cares for the full spectrum of spine pathology, from common disc herniations and spinal stenosis to complex revision cases, across the cervical, thoracic, and lumbar spine.

Dr. Kazarian in clinical practice

Dr. Kazarian's philosophy is simple: every patient's spine should be treated with the least invasive solution that durably solves the problem. Before considering fusion, he asks whether the same goal can be achieved with an endoscopic, minimally invasive, or motion-preserving approach. In a meaningful number of cases that other surgeons would recommend for fusion, he is able to offer a successful endoscopic or motion-preserving alternative, sparing patients the longer recovery, permanent loss of motion, and accelerated wear on adjacent levels that fusion can bring.

Fusion is reserved for cases where instability, deformity, or anatomy make a non-fusion option unsafe or unlikely to last. When fusion is the right answer, Dr. Kazarian uses minimally invasive and robotic-guided techniques to keep recovery as fast and as comfortable as possible.

“Surgery should be the right answer at the right time, and never the first answer when a patient can be helped without it.”

Dr. Kazarian completed his undergraduate degree in molecular biology at Princeton University and earned his Doctor of Medicine from the University of Michigan Medical School. He completed his residency at Harvard University, followed by a spine surgery fellowship at the Mayo Clinic.

Dr. Kazarian in an academic setting

Dr. Kazarian maintains an active research interest in endoscopic and minimally invasive spine surgery, with recent peer-reviewed publications including the Primer on Unilateral Biportal Endoscopic Spine Surgery (The Spine Journal, 2025).


Education

Academic Foundation

  • Princeton University

    Bachelor of Arts in Molecular Biology

  • University of Michigan Medical School

    Doctor of Medicine · 2016

Professional Training

Clinical Training

  • Harvard Combined Orthopaedic Residency Program / Massachusetts General Hospital

    Residency in Orthopedic Surgery · 2021

  • Mayo Clinic College of Medicine

    Fellowship in Spine Surgery · 2022

Hospital

NYU Langone Health

An academic medical center consistently ranked among the nation's best.

Dr. Kazarian practices within NYU Langone Health, a fully-integrated academic medical center recognized for its orthopedic and spine programs. NYU Langone's Department of Orthopedic Surgery is a national leader in clinical care, research, and surgical innovation.

Surgery is performed at NYU Langone facilities in Manhattan, including the Kimmel Pavilion, with multidisciplinary support from anesthesiology, neuromonitoring, radiology, and inpatient rehabilitation teams.

Visit nyulangone.org →

Locations

Where Dr. Kazarian Sees Patients

Three convenient offices across the NYU Langone network.

  • Midtown East

    645 Madison Avenue, 3rd Floor
    New York, NY 10022
    212-618-5900
  • Tarrytown

    200 White Plains Road, 4th Floor
    Tarrytown, NY 10591
    914-556-4930
  • Penn District

    360 West 31st Street, 4th Floor
    New York, NY 10001
    646-987-3436
View all locations →

Board Certification

American Board of Orthopedic Surgery

Orthopedic Surgery, 2024

Research

Selected Publications

  • Primer on Unilateral Biportal Endoscopic Spine Surgery: Technical Overview for Beginners

    The Spine Journal · 2025 · Lead author

  • Contemporary Practice Patterns in the Treatment of Cervical Stenosis and Central Cord Syndrome: A Survey of the Cervical Spine Research Society

    Clinical Spine Surgery · 2025

  • Paraspinal Sarcopenia Is Associated with Worse Patient-Reported Outcomes Following Laminoplasty for Degenerative Cervical Myelopathy

    Spine · 2023

  • Is Severe Neck Pain a Contraindication to Performing Laminoplasty in Patients with Cervical Spondylotic Myelopathy?

    Clinical Spine Surgery · 2023

  • Incidental Durotomy Is Associated With Increased Risk of Delirium in Patients Aged 65 and Older

    Spine · 2020 · Lead author

  • Prior Manipulation Under Anesthesia Is a Predictor of Contralateral Manipulation in Staged Bilateral Total Knee Arthroplasty

    The Journal of Arthroplasty · 2020

  • Antegrade Versus Retrograde Technique for Fixation of Scaphoid Waist Fractures: A Comparison of Screw Placement

    Journal of Wrist Surgery · 2020

  • Natural Language Processing for Automated Detection of Incidental Durotomy

    The Spine Journal · 2019

  • Early Post-operative Opioid Consumption: A Comparison Between Medial Unicompartmental, Patellofemoral, and Total Knee Arthroplasty

    The Knee · 2019

  • The Impact of Vancomycin and Cefazolin as Standard Pre-operative Antibiotic Prophylaxis on Surgical Site Infections Following Instrumented Spinal Fusion

    Spine · 2018

  • The C-Reactive Protein May Not Detect Infections Caused by Less-Virulent Organisms

    The Journal of Arthroplasty · 2016

  • Core Concepts: Orthopedic Intern Curriculum Boot Camp

    Orthopedics · 2016

  • Impact of Body Mass Index on Cerebellar Tonsil Position in Healthy Subjects and Patients with Chiari Malformation

    Journal of Neurosurgery · 2015

  • Streptomyces Bacteremia: Case Report and Review of the Literature

    Infectious Diseases in Clinical Practice · 2014 · Lead author

See all research and publications

Full publication list available on Dr. Kazarian's NYU Langone profile.

Schedule a consultation

Dr. Kazarian sees patients in Midtown East, the Penn District, and Tarrytown. Appointments can be booked directly through NYU Langone.

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