Kee D. Kim, MD

Dr. Kim is a professor of neurological surgery and the chief of spinal neurosurgery at UC Davis. He has an expertise in dealing with challenging spinal disorders requiring surgical treatment. He has vast experience in complex spine surgery, regardless of etiology, including tumor, infection, degenerative spine and trauma. He is at the forefront of cervical disc arthroplasty, minimally invasive surgery, robotic spine surgery and biologics.

As a co-director of the UC Davis Spine Center, he is involved in multiple clinical trials as a primary investigator. He evaluates different cutting-edge technology to advance the field of spinal disorder. Recent examples include the use of stem cells for disc regeneration and fusion, the use of different treatment modalities for spinal cord injuries, and clinical evaluations of artificial disc and minimally invasive surgery.  His research focuses on using the advances in different fields to bring about tangible improvement in patient care and surgical outcome.  

He also devotes much of his time to further the training of other surgeons, both locally and abroad. He has trained many residents and fellows who have gone on to become spine specialists in their respective fields. He has published numerous manuscripts and book chapters dealing with myriad of spinal disorders. As a widely recognized spine expert, he has spoken at many national and international meetings.  In addition to Best Doctors in America honors, he has been recognized as Spine Surgeon Leader to Know and Spine Surgeons on the Forefront of Biologics & Stem cells by Becker’s Spine Review.  He also received Patients' Choice Award and Compassionate Doctor Recognition from Vitals.com.

Editorial Board
Terms of Appointment: Jan 2019 - Jan 2021;  Feb 2021 - Jan 2023;  Feb 2023 - Jan 2025;  Feb 2025 - Dec 2026