For the past 21 years, Dr. Sean McCance has directed one of the leading back and neck surgery practices in New York. He has been recognized by his peers as one of the most accomplished spinal surgeons in the field. Since establishing his practice on NYC’s Upper East Side, Dr. McCance has performed more than 6,000 surgeries on patients from all over the world and from all walks of life.
- Director, Spine Associates (New York)
- Co-Director, Spine Surgery, Mount Sinai Hospital (New York)
- Fellow of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons
- Fellow of the Scoliosis Research Society
- Member, North American Spine Society
- View all of Dr. McCance’s Awards & Distinctions
“Dr. McCance is a top quality doctor and the best spine surgeon in NYC – really. He is compassionate, reliable, highly intelligent, and truly one of a kind doctor. Highly recommended. He gave me my life back! The words I would use to describe Dr. McCance are thorough, professional, caring, compassionate and a magician.” ~ Google
Our Award-Winning Practice:
- Named by New York Magazine as one of the Top Doctors for Spine Surgery (2012-2015)
- Selected to Castle Connolly’s “Top Doctors”
- Named one of “20 Spine Surgeon Leaders for Non-Profit Hospitals” in Becker’s Spine Review (July 2012)
- Membership in the prestigious “America’s Top Physicians”
- Named as one of “New York Super Doctors”
- Recipient of the “Patient’s Choice” Award
- Selected as one of the “Best Doctors” in the National Survey of Physicians
- Recognized by NY Resident Magazine as one of “New York City’s Top 30 Doctors”
Education
- MD, Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons (New York)
- Internship, Surgery
Strong Memorial Hospital, Rochester (New York) - Residency, Orthopaedic Surgery
Strong Memorial Hospital, Rochester (New York) - Fellowship, Spinal Surgery
Twin Cities Spine Center (MN) - B.S.
Fordham University (New York)
Phi Beta Kappa
POSTDOCTORAL TRAINING:
- General Surgery Internship, University of Rochester – Strong Memorial Hospital, Rochester, NY
- Orthopaedic Surgery Residency, University of Rochester – Strong Memorial Hospital, Rochester, NY
- Spinal Surgery Fellowship, Minnesota Spine Center, Minneapolis, MN (now named Twin Cities Spine Center)
- Mentors: Dr. Robert Winter, Dr. Frances Denis
ACADEMIC APPOINTMENTS:
- 1997 Coordinator of Spine Education, Lenox Hill Hospital
- 2000 Clinical Assistant Professor, New York University School of Medicine
- 2001 Clinical Assistant Attending, Mt. Sinai Hospital
- 2008 Clinical Associate Professor, Department of Orthopaedics, Mt. Sinai Hospital
HOSPITAL APPOINTMENTS:
- 1997 Assistant Adjunct, Orthopaedic Surgery, Lenox Hill Hospital, New York, NY
- 2000 Attending Orthopedic Surgeon, NYU medical Center, New York, NY
- 2000 Attending Orthopedic Surgeon, Mount Sinai Medical Center, New York, NY
- 2002 Associate Medical Staff, Orthopaedic Surgery, Lenox Hill Hospital, New York
- 2006 Co-Director of Spine Surgery, Mt. Sinai Hospital, New York, NY
OTHER PROFESSIONAL APPOINTMENTS:
1998 Staff Spine Surgeon, ProHealth Associates, Lake Success, NY
2006-Present Director, Spine Associates, New York, NY
CERTIFICATION:
- 2001 American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery
- 2006 American Board of Spine Surgery
LICENSURE:
- 1996 Minnesota License
- 1997 New York License
- 2022 Florida License
- 2022 New Jersey License
AWARDS AND HONORS:
- 1986 Phi Beta Kappa
- 1996 Resident-Fellow Research Award, Eastern Orthopaedic Association
- 2003 “Best Doctors”, Money Magazine
- 2004-Current “Americas Top Physicians”
- 2008-Current Patients’ Choice
- 2009-Current New York “Super Doctors”
- 2010-Current Americas “Best Doctors”
- 2012-Current Best Doctors New York Magazine
- 2012-Current Castle Connolly-Top Doctors-New York Metro Area
HOSPITAL COMMITTEE APPOINTMENTS:
1998 Resident Selection Committee, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery,
Lenox Hill Hospital
2005 Lenox Hill Hospital “Surgical Implant Costs” Task Force
2006 Education Committee, Mount Sinai Medical Center, Department of Orthopedics
2006 Resident Selection Committee, Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Mt. Sinai Hospital
SOCIETY MEMBERSHIPS:
- 1996 Scoliosis Research Society
- 2000 North American Spine Surgery
- 2000 American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons
- 2002 American Medical Association
- 2002 Medical Society of the State of New Yor
kRESEARCH INTERESTS:
1. Long-Term outcomes of instrumented lumbar fusions for degenerative disease
2. Innovative surgical techniques for spine surgery
3. Cervical spine fixation techniques
4. Post-surgical athletic rehabilitation
HOSPITAL/CLINICAL SERVICE RESPONSIBILITIES:
- 1997 Attending surgeon, Orthoaedic Surgery, Lenox Hill Hospital
- 2000 Attending surgeon, Department of Orthopaedics, Mount Sinai School of Medicine
- 2000 Attending surgeon, Department of Orthopaedics, Hospital for Joint Disease
TEACHING EXPERIENCE:
1997-2006 Coordinator of Spine Education, Lenox Hill Hospital
1998-2002 Moderator of Spine section, Alumni Research Day, Lenox Hill Hospital
2000 Clinical Assistant Professor, NUY School of Medicine
2000-Present Yearly “Spinal Surgery” lectures series, Department of Orthopedic
Surgery, Mt. Sinai Hospital New York, 4 to 5 lectures focusing on
Different aspects of spinal surgery
2001 Clinical Assistant Professor, Mount Sinai of Hospital
2003 Coordinator of monthly “Spine Club” meeting at Lenox Hill Hospital
2006-Present Resident Education, Mount Sinai Department of Orthopaedics
NATIONAL MEETINGS/CME:
1997 Scoliosis Research Society, Ontario, Canada
1998 Scoliosis Research Society, St. Louis, MO
1998 North American Spine Society, New York, NY
1999 American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, Anaheim, CA
1999 Danek Spine Meetings, Salt Lake City, UT
1999 “Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery – AAOS”, P.A.W.T.S., St. Louis, MO
1999 International Society for Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery, Cambridge, England
1999 North American Spine Society, Chicago, IL
2000 “Challenges is Spine Surgery” – EBI Conference, San Diego, CA
2001 Scoliosis Research Society, Cleveland, OH
2002 Cervical Spine Research Society, Miami, FL
2003 Surgical visitation, Harms Spine Surgery Center, Langensteinbach,
Germany, Feb 16-Feb 21, 2003
2003 Scoliosis Research Society, Quebec City, Canada Spondylolysis and Spondylolisthesis A Review – Sept 10, 2003 (CME 6 Hours)
2003 Scoliosis Research Society, Quebec City, Canada
38th Annual Meeting Sept 11-Sept 13, 2003
(CME 15 Hours)
2003 “Bone Graft Substitutes: Presents, Future, the next Generation”
New York, NY Oct 2, 2003
(CME 2 Hours)
2003 Cervical Spine Research Society, Scottsdale, Arizona
31st Annual Meeting Dec 11, 2003-Dec 13
(CME 17 Hours)
2004 Scoliosis Research Society Tutorial, DuPont Children’s Hospital Wilmington, Delaware
“L5 Vertebrectomy for Spondyloptosis”, Dr. Robert Gaines – Feb 24
2004 Surgical Visitation, Dr. Lawrence Lenke, Barnes-Jewish Hospital
St. Louis, Missouri
“Thoracic Pedicle Screw Placement” – March 4, 2004
“Pedicle Subtraction Osteotomy” – March 5, 2004
2004 3rd Annual Emerging Technologies in Spine Surgery
Washington, DC Sept 30-Oct 3 (CME 16 Hours)
Dr. McCance has authored numerous articles in the field of spine surgery, on topics including cervical and lumbar surgery, scoliosis, and sports-related spine injuries. He has presented his research at both national and international meetings and is a member of the North American Spine Society and the Scoliosis Research Society.
Dr. McCance carefully designed his practice right down to the waiting room chairs to make his patients feel confident, comfortable, and relaxed. It is state-of-art in medicine surrounded by a warm and friendly environment. Every patient he treats commands his full attention.
“There is no replacement for talking directly with a patient to understand what is causing their distress,” says Dr. McCance. “It’s a matter of talking to the patient and hearing their issues, to get an accurate sense of their condition. The most important thing we do is determine what problem is driving the patient’s pain or disability. We do that by thoroughly examining and testing the patient. And then we match one’s needs to the appropriate treatment, whether that is non-surgical or surgical. It’s an individual approach. Treatment is always geared to the specific needs of my patients.”
Dr. McCance’s Approach Is Very Simple:
- He will clearly explain the condition you have
- He will tell you what you can expect in the future
- He will provide you with appropriate treatment options
“We want to make smart decisions. We don’t rush. And we make sure the treatment options match the source of the problem. We are successful if at the end of their treatment our patients are pain-free and can return to their pre-injury level of activity. Our goal is to maximize functionality and to eliminate the pain, whenever possible, or reduce it to minimal compared to what it was.” ~ Dr. Sean McCance
“We also want to make the process as simple as possible for our patients. They’re already in enough back or neck pain.” That’s why Dr. McCance provides all his patients with a Personal Assistant service. His staff will contact your insurance carrier. All appointments for tests will be made by one of Dr. McCance’s staff. When appropriate, Dr. McCance will consult with other physicians involved in your care. When Dr. McCance makes a referral, a staff member will make the appointment. As one patient put it, “I never had to lift the phone.”
What drew Dr. McCance to spinal surgery? “When I was young my dad suffered from severe back pain on a regular basis. I remember during the summer my sister and I had to be quiet while he was resting. We couldn’t go near his room, sometimes for several weeks at a time. When I asked people why they couldn’t help my father they would say, ‘nothing can be done.’ As a child, it was a mystery to me. He had this problem that no one could fix. And later, when I went to medical school, the spine fascinated me.”
And it all starts with, “where does it hurt?”
Our best in class, Upper East Side, NYC back & neck pain diagnosis & surgery practice, Spine Associates, is honored to provide you with highly personalized and comprehensive care. Our philosophy of direct management of your case by an expert spine surgeon has made us one of the most trusted and respected spine surgery practices on the Upper East Side in NYC and the world. Feel free to contact the back & neck pain diagnosis and spine surgery specialist today to discuss your unique condition and start yourself on the road to recovery.
Dr. Sean McCance
1155 Park Avenue, Suite E
New York, NY 10128
(212) 360-6500
