Dr. Alvarez is a fellowship trained orthopaedic spine surgeon who specializes in all spinal care including cervical, thoracic, lumbar, and lumbopelvic pathology, ranging from simple disc herniations to spinal deformity. He completed his undergraduate education at the University of Florida and went on to receive his medical degree from Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, Illinois. Immediately thereafter, Dr. Alvarez completed his orthopaedic surgical residency at the University of California, Irvine, and followed with a fellowship in spine surgery at the University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami, Florida with Dr. Frank Eismont.
Dr. Alvarez has published numerous peer-reviewed articles and has presented his research around the country. During his time in medical school, he served as president of the American Medical Association at Northwestern, participating in local and national medical advocacy. He continues to stay active in the national spine community, attending multiple yearly conferences and labs to ensure he can bring the most current spinal treatments to his patients.
In addition to providing excellent surgical care, Dr. Alvarez’s goal is to make each patient feel as though they are being treated as family. He firmly believes that it is important for patients to have a say in their treatment and help develop a plan that will improve their life. He will give an honest opinion for each case and discuss all treatment modalities including non-operative and operative care. The Rothman model allows for collaboration with non-operative spine physicians, in addition to a full range of orthopaedic specialists, to ensure all patients can receive comprehensive spinal care under one roof. Many spine issues may require both non-surgical and surgical orthopaedic care throughout the treatment course and being part of a comprehensive care team allows the process to be as seamless as possible for the patient.
Dr. Alvarez has a special connection to the area. He was born and raised in Florida and a large part of his family still resides in Orlando. Growing up, he would spend summers with his grandparents and cousins and grew to love the Central Florida community. After training all over the country, he is thrilled to return and serve the community of whom he grew so fond.
El Dr. Álvarez es un cirujano ortopédico de columna capacitado que se especializa en todos los cuidados de la columna, incluidas patologías cervicales, torácicas, lumbares y lumbopélvicas, que van desde simples hernias de disco hasta deformidades de la columna. Completó su educación universitaria en la Universidad de Florida y luego recibió su título de médico en la Facultad de Medicina Feinberg de la Universidad Northwestern en Chicago, Illinois. Inmediatamente después, el Dr. Álvarez completó su residencia en cirugía ortopédica en la Universidad de California, Irvine, y siguió con una beca en cirugía de columna en la Universidad de Miami/Jackson Memorial Hospital en Miami, Florida, con el Dr. Frank Eismont.
El Dr. Álvarez ha publicado numerosos artículos revisados por pares y ha presentado su investigación en todo el país. Durante su estancia en la facultad de medicina, se desempeñó como presidente de la Asociación Médica Estadounidense en Northwestern, participando en actividades de defensa médica local y nacional. Continúa activo en la comunidad nacional de columna, asistiendo a múltiples conferencias y laboratorios anuales para asegurarse de poder ofrecer los tratamientos de columna más actuales a sus pacientes.
Además de brindar una excelente atención quirúrgica, el objetivo del Dr. Álvarez es hacer que cada paciente se sienta como si estuviera siendo tratado como una familia. Él cree firmemente que es importante que los pacientes tengan voz y voto en su tratamiento y ayuden a desarrollar un plan que mejorará su vida. Él dará una opinión honesta para cada caso y discutirá todas las modalidades de tratamiento, incluida la atención quirúrgica y no quirúrgica. El modelo Rothman permite la colaboración con médicos no operadores de columna, además de una gama completa de especialistas ortopédicos, para garantizar que todos los pacientes puedan recibir atención integral de la columna bajo un mismo techo. Muchos problemas de la columna pueden requerir atención ortopédica quirúrgica y no quirúrgica durante todo el tratamiento y ser parte de un equipo de atención integral permite que el proceso sea lo más fluido posible para el paciente.
El Dr. Álvarez tiene una conexión especial con el área. Nació y creció en Florida y gran parte de su familia aún reside en Orlando. Al crecer, pasaba los veranos con sus abuelos y primos y llegó a amar la comunidad de Florida Central. Después de entrenar en todo el país, está encantado de regresar y servir a la comunidad a la que tanto se encariñó.
Professional Profile
Education
- Fellowship, Spinal Surgery, University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Hospital Miami, Florida
- Residency, Orthopaedic Surgery, University of California, Irvine, Orange, California
- M.D., Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois
- B.S., University of Florida Gainesville, Florida
Professional Associations
- North American Spine Society
- American Medical Association
Education
- Fellowship, Spinal Surgery, University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Hospital Miami, Florida
- Residency, Orthopaedic Surgery, University of California, Irvine, Orange, California
- M.D., Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois
- B.S., University of Florida Gainesville, Florida
Professional Associations
- North American Spine Society
- American Medical Association
PUBLICATIONS
Alvarez AP, Anderson A, Farhan SD, Lu Y, Lee YP, Oh M, Rosen CD, Kiester PD, Bhatia NN. “The Utility of Flexion-Extension Radiographs in Degenerative Cervical Spondylolisthesis.” Clinical Spine Surgery. August, 2022.
Lu Y, Lin CC, Stepanyan,H, Alvarez AP, Bhatia NN, Kiester PD, Rosen CD, Lee, YP. “Impact of Cirrhosis on Morbidity and Mortality After Spinal Fusion.” Global Spine Journal. October, 2020.
Jain N, Allure R, Phan K, Yanni D, Alvarez A, Guillen H, Mnatsakanyan L, Bederman S. “Saphenous Nerve Somatosensory-Evoked Potentials Monitoring During Lateral Interbody Fusion.” Global Spine Journal. May, 2020.
PD Kiester, Farhan S, Musa A, Alvarez AP, Byrne C, Lee YP, Bhatia NN,. “Titanium Mesh in Spinal Fusion Surgery: A Case Series.” Hong Kong Journal of Orthopedic Research. April, 2020.
Mai H, Schneider AD, Alvarez AP, Hashmi SZ, Smith JT, Freshman RD, Mitchell SM, Qin CD, Hsu WK. “Anatomic Considerations in the Lateral Transpsoas Interbody Fusion: The Impact of Age, Sex, BMI, and Scoliosis.” Clinical Spine Surgery. June, 2019.
Alvarez AP, Demzik A, Manning DW. “Risk Factors for Post-Operative Urinary Tract Infections in Patients Undergoing Total Hip or Knee Arthroplasty.” Advances in Orthopedics. November, 2016.
Mai H, Alvarez AP, Freshman RD, Chun DS, Minhas SV, Hsu WK. “The NFL Orthopedic Surgery Outcomes Database (NO-SOD): The Career Impact of Common Orthopedic Procedures.” American Journal of Sports Medicine. September, 2016.
Edelstein AI, Suleiman LI, Alvarez AP, Sacotte RM, Qin CD, Beal MD, Manning DW. “The Interaction of Obesity and Metabolic Syndrome in Determining Risk of Complication Following Total Joint Arthroplasty.” Journal of Arthroplasty. September, 2016.
Dekker RG, Alshouli M, Alvarez AP, Kadakia AR. “Effect of First Metatarsophalangeal Joint Arthrodesis on PROMIS Functional Outcomes and Radiographic Alignment for Hallux Rigidus.” Foot & Ankle Orthopaedics. September, 2016.