David P. Foley, MD

Dr. David P. Foley, M.D.,  is a fellowship-trained, board-eligible spine surgeon specializing in minimally invasive spine surgery (MIS), motion preservation, cervical spine, and spinal deformity. He proudly serves patients in Austin, Texas and the surrounding Hill Country communities.

A native of Austin, Dr. Foley’s path back home is a personal one. He attended Lake Travis High School, where he was a starting wide receiver on the football program’s first-ever state championship team — an early lesson in discipline, teamwork, and the pursuit of excellence that continues to shape how he practices medicine today. He then pursued a business degree at The University of Texas at Austin, with a subsequent stint as an investment analyst prior to developing a passion for medicine.

Dr. Foley completed prestigious fellowship training at the Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) in New York, consistently ranked as the top orthopedic hospital in the world. There, he trained under some of the most respected names in spine surgery, including Dr. Sheeraz Qureshi (minimally invasive surgery), Dr. Todd Albert (cervical spine), and Dr. Han Jo Kim (complex deformity). Prior to that, he trained in Indianapolis under Dr. Rick Sasso, one of the foremost authorities in cervical spine surgery, particularly disc arthroplasty and reconstruction. As a resident, he was elected to serve as Chief Resident of the Department of Orthopedic Surgery and won the resident clinical research award. As a medical student, he achieved honors in every course throughout his education and was elected as a junior to the Alpha Omega Alpha (AOA) Honor Society (top 5% of class).

Dr. Foley is an active member of the Texas Medical Association (TMA), the Cervical Spine Research Society (CSRS), the North American Spine Society (NASS), the Lumbar Spine Research Society (LSRS), and AO Spine. He is a well-published researcher in the field of spine surgery, with a particular focus on cervical disc arthroplasty and emerging technologies. He has given speeches internationally on motion preservation, deformity correction, and minimally invasive surgery. Dr. Foley has additionally volunteered his time as a reviewer for multiple clinical spine journals.

Dr. Foley believes the best outcomes come from a conservative, thoughtful approach to spine care — one built on shared decision-making between surgeon and patient. Surgery is never the first or only conversation; it’s a partnership grounded in listening, education, and mutual trust. When surgery is decided on, his priority is to perform the least invasive surgery and preserve the body’s natural motion whenever possible. By doing so, patients will have less postoperative pain and avoid larger procedures that frequently provide them little additional benefit. He runs a personalized practice designed around individual attention, timely access, and continuity of care from the first visit through full recovery.

Dr. Foley is now welcoming new patients in Austin, Texas.