Specialized spine care • Oregon
Emily C. Nguyen, MD
Board-Certified Orthopedic Spine Surgeon
Cervical, Thoracic & Lumbar Spine • Orthopedic Surgery
Peer recognition
Portland Monthly Top Doctors.
Dr. Nguyen has been recognized by Portland Monthly as a Top Doctor each year from 2020 through 2026.
Her recent plaques recognize orthopedic surgery and spine surgery, including separate honors in both fields for 2024.
Individualized spine care
Care built around the way you move.
Dr. Emily Nguyen specializes in orthopedic spine surgery of the cervical, thoracic and lumbar spine. Her practice includes degenerative spinal disorders, minimally invasive spine surgery, spinal trauma and motion-preserving surgical techniques.
As Head Orthopedic Team Physician for Rip City Remix, her work in professional basketball complements her specialized approach to spine care. Treatment plans are designed around each patient's symptoms, function and return-to-activity goals.
Clinical focus
Specialized care for the spine.
Evaluation and treatment for neck and back conditions, nerve compression and spine injuries, with an approach tailored to the individual.
Neck & Nerve Conditions
- Cervical spine conditions
- Herniated discs
- Radiculopathy
- Nerve compression
Back & Degenerative Care
- Thoracic and lumbar spine conditions
- Degenerative spinal disorders
- Spinal stenosis
- Disc-related conditions
Spine Surgery & Trauma
- Minimally invasive spine surgery
- Motion-preserving techniques
- Spinal trauma and fractures
- Orthopedic trauma
A patient's perspective
An experience with Dr. Nguyen.
Hear a patient describe their experience with Dr. Nguyen and the OSM team.
Watch on YouTubeAbout Dr. Nguyen
Advanced training. Focused spine care.
Dr. Nguyen is a board-certified orthopedic spine surgeon. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in biology from the University of Texas at Dallas and her medical degree from Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Medicine. She completed both her orthopedic surgery residency and orthopedic spine surgery fellowship at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.
At Mayo Clinic, Dr. Nguyen served as a senior associate consultant and clinical associate. She was also the Regional Vice Chairperson for Mayo Clinic's Midwest Spine Care Network.
Her academic work includes numerous journal articles and a co-authored chapter in a spine surgery textbook. Her clinical interests include degenerative spinal disorders, minimally invasive spine surgery, spinal trauma and motion-preserving surgical techniques.
Education and professional background
A foundation in orthopedic spine care.
Medical education, Mayo Clinic residency and fellowship training, board certification and a published record of academic work.
- Mayo ClinicOrthopedic spine surgery fellowship • Rochester, Minnesota • 2013–2014
- Mayo ClinicOrthopedic surgery residency • Rochester, Minnesota • July 2009–July 2013
- Mayo ClinicOrthopedic surgery internship • Rochester, Minnesota • June 2008–July 2009
- Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of MedicineDoctor of Medicine • 2004–2008
- University of Texas at DallasBachelor of Arts in biology • 2002–2004
Certifications
- American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery (ABOS)
Orthopaedic Surgery Board Certification • 2018 - Mayo Clinic Quality Academy
Mayo Clinic Quality Fellow: Bronze Level Certification • 2014
Professional and hospital affiliations
- North American Spine Society • 2013–Present
- Oregon Medical Association • 2013–Present
- American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons • 2008–Present
- Providence Portland Medical Center Brain and Spine Institute • 2016–Present
- Legacy Good Samaritan Hospital • 2017–Present
Peer-reviewed articles
- Church TS, Kuk JL, Ross R, Priest EL, Nguyen EC, Blair SN. Association of cardiorespiratory fitness, body mass index, and waist circumference to nonalcoholic fatty liver disease Gastroenterology. 2006; 130:2023-30.
- Gill JB, Nguyen EC, Rosenstein AD. The use of tranexamic acid in revision total hip arthroplasty: a pilot study Current Orthopaedic Practice. 2009; 20(2):152-6.
- Kottschade LA, Dronca RS, Grotz TE, Erickson LA, Salomao DR, Pulido JS, Baum CL, Wasif N, Jakub JW, Bagaria SP, Brewer JD, Miller RC, Kumar R, Kaur JS, Moran SL, Nguyen JT, Nguyen EC, Hand JL, Morita S, Swanson DL, Lowe V, Markovic SN. A multidisciplinary approach to the management of malignant melanoma: The Mayo Clinic practice Mayo Clinic Proceedings. 2013.
- De Jong JP, Nguyen JT, Sonnema AJ, Nguyen EC, Amadio PC, Moran SL. The incidence of acute traumatic tendon injuries in the hand and wrist: a 10-year population-based study. Clinics in Orthopaedic Surgery. 2013. PMID: 24900902.
- Nguyen JT, Bakri K, Nguyen EC, Johnson CH, Moran SL. Surgical management of subungual melanoma: mayo clinic experience of 124 cases. Ann Plast Surg. 2013 Oct; 71(4):346-54. PMID:24025653
- De Jong JP, Nguyen JT, Sonnema AJ, Nguyen EC, Amadio PC, Moran SL. The incidence of acute traumatic tendon injuries in the hand and wrist: a 10-year population-based study. Clin Orthop Surg 2014 Jun; 6 (2):196-202 Epub 2014 May 16 PMID:24900902 PMCID:4040381 OI:10.4055/cios.2014.6.2.196
- Kottschade LA, Grotz TE, Dronca RS, Salomao DR, Pulido JS, Wasif N, Jakub JW, Bagaria SP, Kumar R, Kaur JS, Morita SY, Moran SL, Nguyen JT, Nguyen EC, Hand JL, Erickson LA, Brewer JD, Baum CL, Miller RC, Swanson DL, Lowe V, Markovic SN. Rare presentations of primary melanoma and special populations: a systematic review. Am J Clin Oncol. 2014 Dec; 37(6):635-41. PMID:23563206 PMCID:4349521 DOI:10.1097/COC.0b013e3182868e82
- Sebastian A, Currier BL, Kakar S, Nguyen E, Wagie A, Habermann E, Nassr A. Risk factors for venous thromboembolism following thoracolumbar surgery: Analysis of 43,777 patients from the ACS-NSQIP 2005- 2012. Global Spine Journal. 2016 Dec;6(8):738-743. Epub 2016 Feb 17. PMID 27853656.
- Schroeder GD, Hilibrand AS, Arnold PM, Fish DE, Wang JC, Gum JL, Smith ZA, Hsu WK, Gokaslan ZL, Isaacs RE, Kanter AS, Mroz TE, Nassr A, Sasso RC, Fehlings MG, Buser Z, Bydon M, Cha PI, Chatterjee D, Gee EL, Lord EL, Mayer EN, McBride OJ, Nguyen EC, Roe A, Tortolani PJ, Stroh DA, Yanez MY, Riew KD. Epidural Hematoma Following Cervical Spine Surgery, Rare Complications of Cervical Spine Surgery “ACSC-Retro” Project. Global Spine Journal. 2017 Apr;7(1Suppl):120S-126S. Epub 2017 Apr 1. PMID 28451483.
- Sebastian AS, Ahmed A, Vernon B, Nguyen EC, Aleem I, Clarke MJ, Currier BL, Anderson P, Bydon M, Nassr A. Effect of an Adjustable Hinged Operating Table on Lumbar Lordosis During Lumbar Surgery. Spine. 2018 Feb 15;43(4):302-306. PMID 28742758.
Book chapter
Nguyen E, Lehnert B, Currier BL, et al. Spine Imaging: A Case-Based Guide to Imaging and Management. Chapter 7: Jumped Facets. Oxford University Press; 2015.
Patient perspectives
What patients say about their experience.
Patient testimonials from Dr. Nguyen's OSM profile. Individual experiences and outcomes vary.
Dr. Nguyen has changed my life. I can walk with no pain. The doctor treated me well and was easy to talk too. Everyone told me how lucky I was to have her as a surgeon. Three hospitals said that. You know what? Dr. Nguyen is the best. Everyone else was friendly and helpful and kind. I tell everyone Nguyen is my star. Thank you everyone!
My husband was treated by Dr. Emily Nguyen for his back. She was amazing! She got him in for imaging and physical therapy ASAP. She spent a lot of time going over his imaging and his diagnosis. We appreciated her caring nature!
Compliments to the entire process at Good Samaritan. From the moment I walked in the door the process was all thumbs up all the way around. Pre and postop everything was great, I was well prepared, the level of service and attitude was all fantastic. RNs, PAs, entire staff, postop everyone was great.
Emily and Monica were great and inspired super-high confidence; their follow up and bedside manner was fantastic. The surgeon and surgical team made me feel comfortable and were very professional. Super happy with whole team for making people feel at ease–other hospitals could learn from you. The process was silky-smooth and I was well received, everything was great. You were good at facilitating transitions to SNF. It was a quite positive experience. The Anesthesiology team was great, super positive, professional attitude. Good Sam is wonderfully professional with a very positive attitude – when people are upbeat, patients feel more positive about everything.
Common questions
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