“My priority as a surgeon is getting you better and back to the lifestyle you enjoy.”
Dr. Jason M. Cuéllar
MEET THE DOCTOR
Jason M. Cuéllar, M.D., Ph.D.
Board Certified, Award-Winning Orthopaedic Spine Surgeon
Dr. Cuéllar is a fellowship-trained orthopaedic surgeon who specializes in treating spinal disorders serving patients in South Florida. He is dedicated to providing compassionate surgical and non-operative treatments for all patients including artificial disc replacement, regenerative medicine, and injections of a novel biologic therapy for osteoarthritis. He is affiliated with Jupiter Medical Center, JFK North Hospital in West Palm Beach and Aventura Hospital in Miami. In addition, he performs surgery at the SurgCenter of Palm Beach Gardens, Miami Surgical Center, and Lake Worth Surgical Center in Florida, and at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.
Dr. Cuéllar received his Ph.D. at U.C. Davis, then attended Stanford University Medical School. Throughout his medical school training, Dr. Cuéllar continued to work in a pain research laboratory, completing his post-doctoral research and a year as a medical scholar’s research fellow.
His research was inspired by his own pain journey. After being diagnosed at age 20 with a herniated disc, Dr. Cuéllar would go on to have two microdiscectomy surgeries of his own that failed to treat his pain. This pain would continue for 20 years, while Dr. Cuéllar tried a variety of treatment options before turning to artificial disc replacement in 2019.
Because of his experiences with back pain and spine surgery, Dr. Cuéllar firmly believes in a holistic and multidisciplinary approach when it comes to making informed treatment decisions. He is committed to working closely with his patients from diagnosis through to treatment and aftercare throughout the healing process, whether or not surgery is undertaken.
Dr. Cuéllar performs surgery at the
following locations:
Education and Training
Undergraduate and Graduate Training
Prior to medical school, Dr. Jason Cuéllar completed an undergraduate degree in Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior at U.C. Davis, followed by a Ph.D. in Molecular, Cellular and Integrative Physiology, where he researched the mechanisms of pain and pain pathophysiology within the spinal cord.
Medical School
Dr. Jason Cuéllar’s refined technical skills and knowledge make him one of the most sought-after spinal surgeons in the nation. Dr. Cuéllar is the product of one of the top, most competitive medical training programs in the US: U.C. Davis and Stanford University Medical School. Throughout his medical school training, Dr. Cuéllar continued to work in a pain research laboratory, completing post-doctoral research, and one year as a Medical Scholars Research Fellow.
Orthopedic Surgery Residency
Dr. Jason M. Cuéllar completed his training in orthopaedic surgery at the prestigious New York University-Hospital for Joint Diseases (NYU-HJD). During this 6-year training period, he treated patients at the two busiest level-1 trauma centers in New York state. He received training in spinal surgery from world-renowned scoliosis and deformity spinal surgeons, Drs. Thomas Errico, Frank Schwab and Peter Passias, among many others.
While at NYU-HJD, Dr. Cuéllar completed an extra year as a Musculoskeletal Research Fellow, performing both basic science and clinical research to advance the field of spine surgery and inflammatory cytokine research.
Spinal Disorders Fellowship
Dr. Cuéllar completed his final year of training at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, in the spinal disorders fellowship, under the directorship of Dr. Hyun Bae and Neel Anand at The Spine Center. This was a combined neurosurgical and orthopaedic spine fellowship.
During the spinal disorders fellowship Dr. Cuéllar trained with world experts in total disc replacement and motion preservation surgery (Dr. Todd Lanman), minimally-invasive decompression and fusion (Drs. Hyun Bae and Neel Anand), minimally-invasive scoliosis reconstruction (Dr. Neel Anand), open spinal deformity surgery (Dr. Michael Kropf) and spinal tumors (Drs. Patrick Johnson and Todd Lanman).
Inflammatory Cytokine Research and Cytonics Corporation
Throughout medical school, residency and beyond, Dr. Cuéllar has been involved in basic and clinical scientific research investigating the mechanisms of pain for patients with osteoarthritis and other musculoskeletal pathologies. This research has led to the development of a new treatment for musculoskeletal pain in the hip, spine, shoulder, knee, Achilles tendonitis, tennis elbow and other disorders.
Dr. Cuéllar has developed a method to withdraw a patient’s own blood, process it and concentrate a powerful anti-inflammatory protein called alpha-2-macroglobulin (A2M) that can be injected into the painful site.
Further information
Dr. Cuéllar’s Resume
Mrs. Cuéllar’s Website
Dr. Cuéllar’s Lumbar ADR Story
IN THE MEDIA
The Latest News, Highlights,
and Insights from Dr. Cuéllar
FROM OUR PATIENTS
FROM OUR PATIENTS
FROM OUR PATIENTS
FROM OUR PATIENTS
FROM OUR PATIENTS
FROM OUR PATIENTS
“Attentive, knowledgeable, professional, and treats every patient with individual care! Saved my dad’s life with his minimally invasive procedure and his mindfulness of the medication my father was on before procedure. Thank you Dr. Cuéllar!”
- Eleena H.
FROM OUR PATIENTS
“Dr. Cuellar - THANK YOU!
When you live with pain for so long you tend forget what it's like to feel great and to be able to do all the things that you once did but had to give up. I tried everything under the sun to help alleviate my chronic back pain before I decided to go the surgery route. I was seen by two orthopedic surgeons about my issues and was told that I would need a spinal fusion and I knew I didn't want to go that route. By happenstance, I heard about Dr. Cuellar and ADR surgery.
On my way home from my initial appointment with Dr. Cuellar I was confident that if I was a candidate for ADR, he was the one that was going to help me. He's very knowledgeable, compassionate, professional and an all-around nice individual. When I explained to him what was going on he was attentive, which has not been my experience with doctors in the past. His friendly support staff was communicative about appointments and pre-op/post-op information.
On 12/8/23 I had two artificial discs replaced at the L4 L5 levels - I'm 3 months post-surgery and feeling wonderful.
I highly recommend Dr. Cuellar for spinal issues.”
- ANGELA D.
FROM OUR PATIENTS
“Dr. Jason Cuéllar is the most gentle, genuine, and talented doctor I have ever met. From our first consultation to his continued care after both my procedures, he remains steady. He addresses all of your questions and concerns without hesitation and does not make you feel rushed or a bother. He has changed my life forever and I am forever in his debt. He has given me my life back.
I have been in debilitating pain for over 15 years, with the last 5, leaving me almost bedridden. He addressed my problem areas within my vertebrae and gave me so much HOPE. I was extremely skeptical of the positivity he was putting out, but I had NO other choice and I was tired of the run around with so many other Dr. and chiropractors. I’m so happy I followed through and he took me into his hands. I couldn’t have asked for a better outcome. The whole process was smooth and easy. The staff helped me when I would become anxious and made sure to reassure and address any concerns I had before surgery. Dr. Cuellar and the anesthesiologist both came to me and talked with me before each surgery. When I awoke, he was there beside me again.
I just can’t express enough, the gratitude and love I have for him. If you are in doubt, don’t be. You are in the best hands out there. Don’t hesitate, you won’t regret it. I had 3 cervical ADR and 2 lumbar ADR”
- LESLIE
FROM OUR PATIENTS
“After suffering from chronic neck pain for over seven years, I finally reached my breaking point. My daughter had undergone a successful double ADR lumbar surgery with Dr. Cuellar, so I knew he was the surgeon I could trust. In late August 2024, I had a two-level disc replacement, and now, I’m completely pain-free! I can’t express enough gratitude to Dr. Cuellar and his staff. His professionalism, kindness, and attentive care throughout the entire process were truly exceptional.”
- Nancy D.