Frank X. Pedlow, Jr., M.D.
Dr. Pedlow is a board-certified, fellowship-trained spine surgeon, specializing in the surgical treatment of disorders of the adult spine. He is a member of the Department of Orthopedic Surgery at the Massachusetts General Hospital and New England Baptist Hospital, and an Associate Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at Harvard Medical School. He is board certified by the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery and is a fellow of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgery. He is a member of the North American Spine Society, the International College of Surgeons, and the Irish-American Orthopaedic Society. He is the former and was the first Chief of the Orthopaedic Spine Service at the Massachusetts General Hospital, a position he held until establishing the premier Orthopaedic Spine Surgery private practice in downtown Boston.
Dr. Pedlow’s practice today specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of degenerative conditions of the cervical and lumbar spine, minimally invasive spine surgery, motion preservation surgery including cervical artificial disc replacement, athletic injuries to the spine, and spine care of the injured worker. He is one of the only spine surgeons in New England that has received training in both the neurosurgical and orthopedic principles and techniques of spine surgery. He is a nationally recognized leader in the treatment of complex spinal disorders, including primary and metastatic tumors of the spine.
Dr. Pedlow received his medical degree from New York Medical College in 1986. He completed his residency in Orthopaedic Surgery in the Harvard Combined Orthopaedic Residency Program and served as Chief Resident in Orthopaedic Surgery at the Massachusetts General Hospital. He also completed a fellowship in spinal surgery at Emory University Spine Center in Atlanta, GA, and had previously served as a Neurosurgery Fellow at Long Island Jewish Medical Center. He also spent time training in orthopedic surgery at the University of Montreal, Quebec, Canada, the Royal National Orthopedic Hospital, London England, and the Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopedic Hospital, Oswestry, England.
Following his spine surgery fellowship he returned to a faculty position at the Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School. Dr. Pedlow established the first Orthopedic Spine Center at MGH, aligning specialists from the field of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, as well as nurse practitioners and physician assistants. In collaboration with MGH Neurosurgical services, he also established the first Emergency Room and In-Patient Spine On Call system at MGH. Dr. Pedlow is responsible for many of the improvements in OR equipment and technology that have occurred over his last 18 years at MGH as related to orthopedic spine surgery, and the offering to patients many of the advances in spine surgical techniques that have occurred over this period. He was also integral in the creation and subsequent development of the Newton-Wellesley Spine Center, at its inception a collaboration between Newton-Wellesley Hospital and the MGH
Through his Spine Fellowship experience and that which he had as a resident working with Dr. Henry Mankin and Dr. Dempsey Springfield in Orthopedic Oncology, Dr. Pedlow developed an interest in the developing field of the surgical treatment of both metastatic and primary tumors of the spine. Drs Pedlow, and Francis Hornicek, then Chief of the Orthopaedcic Oncology Service established first the Orthopaedic Spine Tumor Service and then the Stephen Harris Chordoma Center at MGH. This multidisciplinary center brought doctors from various surgical and medical subspecialties together for the evaluation, treatment, and support of chordoma patients, and was the first center of its kind in the United States. Dr Pedlow and Dr Hornicek performed the first en-bloc spondylectomy in Boston and New England and for over 15 years MGH was the only center in the region that offered this treatment option for malignant tumors of the spine. Advanced surgical techniques, perioperative and intraoperative radiation, excellence in postoperative care and other advancements helped establish the Massachusetts General Orthopaedic Spine Service as the national and international tertiary referral spine program in Boston.
Dr Pedlow is a member of the teaching faculty at Harvard Medical School and the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at Massachusetts General Hospital. He enjoys his continued particpation in all aspects of orthopaedic resident and fellow teaching on the Orthopaedic Spine Service.
Dr. Pedlow has been named a Top Doctor in Boston Magazine’s “Best Doctors” issue and has consistently been named by Best Doctors, Inc. one of the best orthopedic spine surgeons in Boston. He has received this honor more than any other orthopedic spine surgeon in Boston.
Dr. Pedlow has also been named one of the region’s “Top Doctors” by Castle Connolly Medical, Ltd. He has served as the spine consultant for the Boston Bruins and has treated players from every major professional and many collegiate sports teams in Boston. Dr. Pedlow practices at Massachusetts General Hospital and New England Baptist Hospital.
Dr. Pedlow enjoys the privilege of practicing spine surgery and living in the City of Boston and has done so for the past 25 years.
Why Choose Us?
Clinical Training
Fellowship in Spine Surgery
Emory University Spine Surgery Fellowship
Emory Spine Center, Atlanta GA
Chief Resident in Orthopaedic Surgery
Trauma Service – Department of Orthopaedic Surgery
Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston MA
Resident in Orthopaedic Surgery
Harvard Combined Orthopaedic Residency Program
Harvard Medical School, Boston MA
Resident in Orthopaedic Surgery
Edouard-Samson Orthopaedic Training Programme
University of Montreal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Resident in General Surgery
Massachusetts General Hospital
Boston, MA
Post-Graduate Student in Orthopaedic Surgery
The Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital
London, England
Stanmore and Middlesex Hospitals
The Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital – Oswestry, Shropshire, England
Fellowship in Neurosurgery / Spine Surgery
Long Island Jewish Medical Center
New Hyde Park, NY
Internship in General Surgery
Nassau County Medical Center
East Meadow, NY
Medical Education
New York Medical College
Valhalla, N.Y.
Undergraduate Education
St. Lawrence University
Canton, N.Y.
Licensure and Medical Boards
Medical License, State of New York
Medical License, State of Massachusetts
Medical License, State of Georgia
Board Certification, American – Board of Orthopaedic Surgery