Ricardo L Matos, MD, EMBA
Orthopedic Spine Surgeon
Fort Lauderdale,FL
Work Preference
Summary
- Fellowship-trained, board-certified orthopedic spine surgeon with extensive experience in the diagnosis and management of spinal disorders and trauma involving the cervical, thoracic, and lumbar spine.
- Committed to delivering high-quality, personalized, patient-centered care using evidence-based practices and advanced surgical technologies.
- Expert in motion-preserving procedures, including cervical and lumbar total disc replacement.
- Specialized in minimally invasive spine surgery (MIS) techniques such as discectomy, MAST® laminectomy, MAST® midline (MIDLF®), posterior/transforaminal (PLIF/TLIF), and oblique/lateral (OLIF/XLIF) spinal fusion, as well as navigated percutaneous instrumentation.
- Experienced in cervical procedures, including anterior cervical discectomy (ACDF), corpectomy (ACCF) with fusion, laminoplasties with reconstruction, laminectomies, posterior spinal fusion and instrumentation, and occipito-cervical or atlantoaxial fusion.
- Proficient in thoracic and lumbar reconstruction, such as corpectomy, anterior (ASF, ALIF) and posterior (PSF) spinal fusion with minimally invasive or open instrumentation, including sacroiliac fixation.
- Skilled in complex and multi-level revision spine surgery, with emphasis on restoring stability and function.
- Treat a broad spectrum of spinal conditions, including neck and back pain, radiculopathy, myelopathy, spinal stenosis, disc herniation, spondylolisthesis, osteomyelitis, trauma, sports-related spine injuries, and spinal deformities such as scoliosis and kyphosis.
Overview
22
22
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
ORTHOPEDIC SURGEON, SPINE
Jefferson Health
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
08.2022 - Current
- Provide comprehensive surgical and non-surgical care for cervical, thoracic, and lumbar spine disorders, including index and complex revision cases.
- Manage spinal trauma at Level I trauma center, and perform urgent and emergent spine surgeries.
- Deliver evidence-based, patient-centered care within a multidisciplinary academic hospital setting.
- Collaborate with interdisciplinary teams to optimize outcomes and advance institutional spine care.
- Participate in residency recruitment, selection, and clinical education to support program development and academic excellence.
CLINICAL ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF ORTHOPEDIC SURGERY
Thomas Jefferson University and Hospitals
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
10.2023 - Current
- Educate and supervise orthopedic surgery residents and medical students in all aspects of spine surgery and related patient care.
- Provide bedside and intraoperative teaching emphasizing clinical judgment, surgical precision, and compassionate care.
- Engage in didactic and case-based learning sessions, as well as procedural skills training, grounded in evidence-based orthopedic spine practice.
- Promote and support resident participation in clinical research and scholarly activity.
- Mentor trainees in advanced spine techniques, offering guidance in clinical skill refinement, evidence-based decision-making, and professional development.
Orthopedic Surgeon, Spine
Holy Cross Health
Ft Lauderdale, FL
03.2008 - 09.2021
- Provided comprehensive spine care in both outpatient and inpatient settings, ensuring continuity and quality of treatment.
- Integrated non-operative modalities and conventional therapies with advanced surgical techniques, including minimally invasive (MIS) procedures, ultrasonic technology, and image-guided navigation systems.
- Performed elective and emergent spine surgeries for the management of common and complex spinal disorders.
Orthopedic Surgeon, General and Spine
South Palm Orthopedics
Delray Beach, FL
09.2004 - 12.2007
- Delivered comprehensive outpatient and inpatient general orthopedics and spine care.
- Collaborated with interdisciplinary healthcare teams to develop and implement individualized treatment plans ensuring high-quality patient-centered care at level II trauma center.
- Performed elective and emergent surgeries for treatment of traumatic and nontraumatic orthopedic injuries involving the extremities and spine.
- Conducted elective and emergent surgeries to treat spinal disorders.
Manufacturing Engineer
United States Surgical Corporation, Inc.
Mercedita, PR
03.1992 - 08.1992
- Responsible for production of surgical stapling, suturing, and endoscopic devices in compliance with FDA standards.
- Developed and implemented quality assurance criteria for scrutiny of incoming materials, in-process manufacturing, and final product inspection, improving first-pass yield.
- Optimized assembly line layouts and resource utilization, reducing overturn cycle time.
- Evaluated for cost reduction, efficiency, productivity and safety.
- Conducted cost, efficiency, and safety analyses to identify process improvements to reduce waste and operational costs.
Engineering Assistant
Bard, Inc., Cardio-surgery Division
Las Piedras, PR
01.1990 - 05.1990
- Coordinated various engineering phases of chemical emission control project in accordance with OSHA regulations.
Education
Health Executive Master of Business Administration - Health Care Administration Management And Policy
University of Miami Herbert Business School
12.2016
Spine Surgery Fellowship -
Norton Leatherman Spine Institute
Louisville, KY06.2004
Orthopedic Surgery Residency -
Albert Einstein Healthcare Network
Philadelphia, PA06.2003
General Surgery Residency -
Indiana University School of Medicine
Indianapolis, IN06.1999
General Surgery Internship -
Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine
Dayton, OH06.1998
Doctor of Medicine -
Ponce School of Medicine And Health Sciences
Ponce, PR05.1997
Bachelor of Science - Sibley School, Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering
Cornell University
Ithaca, NY01.1992
Skills
- Analytical
- Critical thinking
- Decision-making
- Problem resolution
- Patient evaluation and diagnosis
- Health risk assessments
- Treatment plan development
- Manual dexterity
- Post-op care
- People skills
- Staff collaboration
- Supervision and team management
- Interdisciplinary team coordination
- EMR
- Fluent in Spanish
Certification
- Diplomate of American Board of Orthopedic Surgery (ABOS)
- Six Sigma Champion Belt (2015)
- Florida Medical License # ME 90399 (2004 - Present)
- Kentucky Medical License # 37760 (2003 - 2005)
- Indiana Medical License # 01057241A (2003 - 2005)
- Pennsylvania Medical License# MD 417760 (2001 - 2004; 2022 - Present)
- DEA Registration # BM 7464097, FL, KY & PA (2000 - Present)
- DEA Registration # BM 8187723, IN (2003 - 2006)
Affiliations
- Award of Academic Merit, University of Miami (2016)
- Academic Honor Medal, Class Rank: 2, Ponce School of Medicine (1997)
- Superior Educational Council of Puerto Rico Award (1997)
- Alpha Omega Alpha Nominee (1996-1997)
- The National Dean's List, 20th Annual Edition (1996-1997)
- Who's Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges (1996-1997)
- Dean's List, Cornell University (1990)
Scientific Meetings and Courses
- Medtronic Prestige LP™ Cervical Disc Streamlined 1 & 2 Level and Explant Course (February 2018)
- Medtronic OLIF-25/51 Visiting Clinician Program (November 2017)
- Medtronic Prestige LP™ Cervical Disc Adjacent 2 Level Training Course (November 2016)
- Medtronic MAST® and Enabling Technologies Technique Training: MAST® MIDLF®, MAST® TLIF, MAST® DLIF and OLIF-25 procedures (February 2014)
- Synthes ProDisc-Lumbar and ProDisc-Cervical Surgeon Forum (April 2012)
- Aesculap New Perspectives on Spine Surgery (October 2007)
- DePuy Advanced MIS Training Course (September 2007)
- Medtronic Prestige® Cervical Arthroplasty Core Education Course (August 2007)
- Charité™ Artificial Disc Training Course (October 2006)
- NuVasive Maximum Access Surgery (MAS™) XLIF® & TLIF (June 2006)
- Dynesis® Dynamic Stabilization Workshop (May 2006)
- Zimmer MIS™ Anterolateral THA Surgeon Training (October 2005)
- Zimmer MIS™ Quad-Sparing™ TKA Surgeon Training (March 2005)
- Kyphon Inflatable Bone Tamp Technology Course (July 2004)
- Medtronic Minimal Access Spinal Technologies Course (June 2004)
- AO/ASIF Advanced Fracture Management Course (March 2003)
- AO/ASIF Spine Deformity Symposium (June 2002)
- Spine Education Summit: Residents & Fellows (May 2002)
- International Pediatric Orthopaedic Symposium (August 2001)
- Cervical Spine Study Group Annual Resident Instructional Course (May 2001)
- AO/ASIF Basic Fracture Management Course (January 2000)
- Orthotics and Gait Analysis for Orthopaedics (1999, 2000)
Professional Memberships
- University of Miami Alumni Association (2016-Present)
- American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons (1999-Present )
- North American Spine Society (2003-Present)
- Florida Medical Association (2003-2018)
- Pennsylvania Orthopaedic Society (2001-2003)
- Medical Association of Puerto Rico (1992-1998)
- American Medical Association (1992-1998)
- American Medical Student Association (1992-1997)
- Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (1987-1992)
Languages
English
Native/ Bilingual
Spanish
Native/ Bilingual
References
References available upon request.
Work Availability
monday
tuesday
wednesday
thursday
friday
saturday
sunday
morning
afternoon
evening
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Timeline
CLINICAL ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF ORTHOPEDIC SURGERY
Thomas Jefferson University and Hospitals
10.2023 - Current
ORTHOPEDIC SURGEON, SPINE
Jefferson Health
08.2022 - Current
Orthopedic Surgeon, Spine
Holy Cross Health
03.2008 - 09.2021
Orthopedic Surgeon, General and Spine
South Palm Orthopedics
09.2004 - 12.2007
Manufacturing Engineer
United States Surgical Corporation, Inc.
03.1992 - 08.1992
Engineering Assistant
Bard, Inc., Cardio-surgery Division
01.1990 - 05.1990
Health Executive Master of Business Administration - Health Care Administration Management And Policy
University of Miami Herbert Business School
Spine Surgery Fellowship -
Norton Leatherman Spine Institute
Orthopedic Surgery Residency -
Albert Einstein Healthcare Network
General Surgery Residency -
Indiana University School of Medicine
General Surgery Internship -
Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine
Doctor of Medicine -
Ponce School of Medicine And Health Sciences
Bachelor of Science - Sibley School, Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering
Cornell University