Dr. Courtney Toombs, MD, FAAOS

Dr. Courtney Toombs, M.D., FAAOS, is a spine specialist trained in the latest and most effective spine surgery techniques and technologies. She takes a minimally invasive approach that uses smaller incisions and leads to quicker recovery times.

Her expertise includes robotic spine surgery, endoscopic spine surgery, computer-guided navigation, spinal disc replacement, lateral approaches to the spine and SI joint fusion.

On her journey to becoming a spine specialist, Dr. Toombs received her bachelor’s degree with honors from Princeton University, followed by a medical degree from NYU School of Medicine.

She then did her Orthopaedic Surgery Residency at Yale New Haven Hospital before making history as the first woman from Yale to receive an Orthopedic Spine Surgery Fellowship, which she completed at NYU Langone Hospital.

While at NYU, Dr. Toombs was an active leader. She served as Student Council President and co-founded the Student Diversity Initiative to promote inclusivity in medicine.

Her dedication to service earned her the prestigious NYU President’s Service Award.

During her training, Dr. Toombs invested her time in clinical research, largely focused on spinal deformity and adult spine surgery outcomes. To date, she has contributed to over 30 peer-reviewed publications and received numerous awards for her work, including EOA Resident Travel Award, Best Abstract Award and the Yale O. Donald Chrisman Award for Best Chief Resident Research Thesis.

Today, she continues to live out her passion for advancing spine care. She’s a presenter at major conferences, including AAOS, NASS, SRS, IMAST, ISASS and AO spine meetings, and she serves as an editorial reviewer at Spine Journal and Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research (CORR) Journal. Dr. Toombs even holds a pending patent for a novel digital health technology!

Outside of her professional life, Dr. Toombs likes spending time with her family and dog, traveling the world and engaging with the arts.

Originally from New York City, she pursued ballet, creative writing and theater before entering medicine. She still enjoys writing, attending live theater and music performances, and dancing to stay active.