Praveen V. Mummaneni

MD MBA

Neurosurgeon
Fan of '80s music

Dr. Praveen Mummaneni is a neurosurgeon who directs UCSF's cervical spine and minimally invasive spine surgery programs. He also serves as co-director of the UCSF Spine Center and vice chair of the neurosurgery department.

In patient care, Mummaneni specializes in surgeries for a variety of conditions, including degenerative spinal disease (affecting the cervical, thoracic and lumbar spine), spinal deformities such as scoliosis, and spinal tumors. His surgical techniques range from minimally invasive to complex.

Mummaneni earned his medical degree at Boston University School of Medicine and completed a residency in neurological surgery at UCSF. His additional training includes a complex spine fellowship at Emory University. He also earned a master of business administration degree at Louisiana State University.

Mummaneni is internationally recognized for his work on cervical kyphosis and minimally invasive approaches to spinal deformity surgery and spinal tumors. He has been a guest lecturer at international meetings on six continents and has published more than 300 manuscripts in peer-reviewed journals. He is editor of several textbooks, including Spinal Deformity: A Guide to Surgical Planning and Management, Handbook of Minimally Invasive and Percutaneous Spine Surgery, Handbook of Spine Surgery, Cervical Spine Surgery: Current Trends and Challenges and Minimally Invasive Spinal Deformity Surgery: An Evolution of Modern Techniques. Every year since 2005, he has been selected by U.S. News & World Report as one of the best doctors in America. He has also been named a Super Doctor by the San Francisco Chronicle, a Top Doctor by Marin Magazine and a Top Doctor by Castle Connolly. He is the Joan O'Reilly Endowed Professor in Spinal Surgery at UCSF.

Mummaneni is active in several professional organizations. He was among the first neurosurgeons to obtain active membership in the Scoliosis Research Society (SRS) and to win its Edgar Dawson Traveling Fellowship. He has served as a director of SRS, president of the San Francisco Neurological Society, president of the California Association of Neurological Surgeons, and chair of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons and Congress of Neurological Surgeons' joint section on the spine. He serves on the editorial board of multiple journals, and he completed a term as editor-in-chief of the Journal of Neurosurgery: Spine. He is vice president for the Congress of Neurological Surgeons.

  • Education

    Boston University School of Medicine, 1995

  • Residencies

    UCSF, Neurosurgery, 2001

  • Fellowships

    Emory University, Complex Spine Surgery, 2002

  • Board Certifications

    Neurological Surgery, American Board of Neurological Surgery

  • Academic Title

    Professor

  • Languages

    Spanish

    Telugu

My mission is to improve the lives of patients with spinal disorders.

Conditions I specialize in

Treatments I provide

Where I see patients (3)

    My reviews

    4.8

    Overall Experience
    323 Ratings
    About our process
    Feb 08, 2023
    I recommend Dr Mummaneni on a regular basis!!
    Feb 04, 2023
    Dr.Mummaneni and his assistant in my teleconference were attentive and thorough the extended time of the call. My situation is complicated and Dr. Mummaneni and colleague weee most kind and patient in sorting through additional info from other doctors in assessing my need. I am most appreciative of the care I have gotten from Dr.Mummaneni and his team.
    Jan 30, 2023
    Mummaneni is an extraordinary doctor. First rate in every way.
    Jan 25, 2023
    Dr mummaneni and his team are the best
    Jan 13, 2023
    Dr Mummaneni has performed multiple complex spine fusions on my sacral lumbar and thoracic spine. He demonstrates that he has a vested interest in the outcome of each surgery. He continues to meet each problem with creative solutions and has for many years.
    Jan 12, 2023
    Dr Mummaneni is always prepared for the visit having reviewed my images & notes I may have submitted previously.
    Jan 01, 2023
    Respectful attentive thorough knowledgeable
    Dec 21, 2022
    They are very professional friendly and helpful
    Dec 16, 2022
    Dr. Mummaneni was very thoughtful and kind. He listened and explained things very well. He was decisive and presented a plan to hopefully relieve my pain. He is very knowledgeable in his field. I was quite impressed with Dr. Mummaneni and I am grateful to have the opportunity for him to participate in my care.
    Dec 15, 2022
    Dr. Mummaneni has a very pleasant and direct way of speaking with a patient.
    Oct 06, 2022
    3 hrs for me to drive to SF. My daughter drives me. I wouldn't trust my spine care to anyone else.
    Sep 28, 2022
    I was very happy to be able to be a patient of Dr Mummaneni again.
    Sep 28, 2022
    Overall excellent experience.
    Sep 24, 2022
    Excellent interactions during my first encounter with this provider! He was efficient clear decisive in his recommendations and an excellent listener!
    Sep 21, 2022
    Listened carefully and engaged me in discussion. Pleasant to my husband but unlike many others knew and respected that the appointment was with me. I've utilized UCSF a lot since March. My husband and I are both emeritus . Deferring to my husband has been a big problem for me and it seems to be yet another Womens issue .
    Sep 21, 2022
    Dr Mummaneni always has a smile on his face. He has great beside presence and is also very kind.
    Sep 03, 2022
    Dr. Mummaneni was very easy to talk to and he listens to what you are saying. Very knowledgeable and kind and caring.
    Aug 17, 2022
    Dr. Mummaneni did an excellent job of explaining the situation in a way that was easy to understand
    Aug 15, 2022
    There was a good explanation of my issues and what surgery would be required
    Aug 01, 2022
    More consultation is needed for my surgery
    May 18, 2022
    Excellent care fromProvider sndvstaff
    May 15, 2022
    My spine issue is not Dr. M's specialty and he can't fix me sadly. Back to the 8th floor I go.....
    Apr 15, 2022
    A difficult consult. I thought the provider handled the situation well.
    Apr 02, 2022
    This provider was very caring and easy to talk to.
    Apr 01, 2022
    I trust and respect Dr. Mummaneni's care. With my experience he has done what he said he would do.
    Mar 30, 2022
    Was given no options nor other type of treatment to explore
    Feb 23, 2022
    I have enormous respect for Dr M's skills and ability and I trust him implicitly but as with most highly skilled professionals he focuses on treating body parts and overlooks the fact that it is really a human being with fears and pain who has waited weeks or months to see him. If he cannot take the time to interact on a personal level then perhaps a lower level staff member should provide the emotional human interaction needed to calm and reassure the patient. But with that said I am grateful for all he has done for me and has my admiration and gratitude
    Feb 21, 2022
    Im very thankfull for dr mummaneni
    Feb 14, 2022
    Good experience
    Feb 02, 2022
    Dr. Mummaneni and his team are outstanding
    Jan 26, 2022
    Dr. Mummaneni was very honest and I thought humorless of getting me to follow certain guidelines not to use spine or fall. Pleased to have care at UCSF
    Dec 22, 2021
    He is fabulous
    Nov 20, 2021
    I had an excellent first visit with Dr. Mummaneni and his team.
    Nov 16, 2021
    We merely waited for the scans to be copied and we left. We were simply grateful that Dr. M would look at and review my scans hopefully for an opinion about surgery!
    Oct 25, 2021
    I started with Dr. Mummaneni's resident and that wasn't particularly productive. Once Dr. Mummaneni came on the call the diagnosis and plan moved along and my questions were answered. Too much time was spent explaining the background to the resident.
    Oct 20, 2021
    I have a very complex back issue so it was not simple to answer all my questions absorb all the possible answers or find a straight forward path to a good medical solution. With that in mind I was satisfied with my interaction with both Dr. Mummaneni and his PA.
    Oct 09, 2021
    Dr. Mummaneni is the very best doctor - caring skilled reassuring
    Oct 05, 2021
    He's wonderful
    Sep 15, 2021
    I wish I could see doctor's face.
    Jul 15, 2021
    As I have not had surgery yet I don't know if I would recommend this office or doctor
    Jul 15, 2021
    It was a physician to physician conversation
    Jul 01, 2021
    I drove seven hours to see Dr. Mummaneni. I would drive across the country. I have recommended him and will continue to do so. He was recommended to me by people who's lives he has changed. I feel very grateful to have the opportunity to be seen by him. He has greatly reduced my pain and suffering and given me new hope.
    May 22, 2021
    Everything was explained in detail

    Selected research

    Decorative Caduceus

    Prospective Evaluation of Complex Adult Spinal Deformity (CAD) Treated With Minimally Invasive ...

    Scoliosis specific patient reported outcome

    Recruiting

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