Dr. Sonjay Joseph Fonn, DO

Media Releases

Get to know Neurosurgeon Dr. Sonjay Joseph Fonn, who serves patients in Missouri.

Dr. Fonn is a patient-care focused neurosurgeon specializing in sacroiliac joint fusion, interspinous stabilization, vertebroplasty, kyphoplasty, spinal fusion, cervical fusion, craniotomy, brain tumors, spinal cord and peripheral nerve stimulation, vagal nerve stimulation, carpal/cubital tunnel release,  pain management procedures, and minimally invasive surgical procedures. He is the Founder of Midwest Neurosurgeons, LLC in Cape Girardeau, Missouri and Midwest Surgery Center, LLC in Woodbury. 

“Opening the surgery center has been a dream of mine for years. The surgery center allows me the opportunity to provide surgeries for my patients in an outpatient setting. As an outpatient ambulatory surgery center that specializes in neurosurgery, I am able to give our patients the quality of care they have come to expect from Midwest Neurosurgeons and myself. I have always prided myself in helping my patients get back to their lives as quickly as possible; the Midwest Surgery Center helps me accomplish that goal.” as stated by the doctor. 

Professionally, he is affiliated with Apollo Surgery Center and Elite Surgery Center, both of which are located in St. Louis. Prior to his current endeavors, he practiced at Cape Neurological Surgeons, LLC in Cape Girardeau. 

Born and raised in a small Christian community in India, Dr. Fonn knew from an early age that he wanted to become a doctor. For this reason, he decided to dedicate his education to learning everything he could so that he would be the best possible doctor. 

After graduating with his junior college degree from St. Andrew’s Junior College in Bombay, India in 1986, he went on to obtain his Bachelor of Science degree in Microbiology and Chemistry from St. Xavier’s College in 1989. Upon graduation, he completed his Master of Science degree in Microbiology at the University of Bombay in 1991 before relocating to the United States to complete his studies in cell and molecular biology at Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Buffalo, New York in 1992. 

In 1995, Dr. Fonn completed his sabbatical and military experience, followed by his Bachelor of Arts degree in Biochemistry from Canisius College in 1997, where he graduated magna cum laude. Thereafter, he earned his Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree from Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences in 2001. 

Wanting to further his education, he completed his traditional rotating internship at Christ Hospital in Jersey City, New Jersey in 2002, followed by his residency in neurosurgery at St. Barnabas & Long Island Jewish Medical Center in 2005. Two years later, in 2007, he completed an additional residency in neurosurgery at Grandview Medical Center in Dayton, Ohio, where he served as Chief Resident. 

Among his special training, Dr. Fonn completed the StimWave® SCS and PNS Surgical Training Program in June of 2018 in California and in September of 2018 in Missouri. He also completed the Coflex® Surgeon Training Program on Interlaminar Stabilization® Device Training in April of 2017 in Missouri, the Octave Posterior Fusion System Program in April of 2011 in Nevada, the Stryker® Radiofrequency Ablation Training Program in June of 2009 in New Jersey, the Medtronic® X-Stop Training Program in July of 2008 in Tennessee, the Synthes® Pro-Disc C Training Program in June of 2008 in New York, and the Kyphon® Balloon Kyphoplasty Training Program in May 2008 in Florida, among many others.

The doctor is board-certified in neurological surgery by the American Osteopathic Board of Surgery, which is an organization that provides board certification to qualified DOs who specialize in the use of surgery to aid in the diagnosis and treatment of disease.

In order to stay up to date in his field, he remains a member of the Cape Girardeau County Area Medical Society, the Missouri State Medical Association, the Missouri Association of Osteopathic Physicians and Surgeons, the American Osteopathic Board of Surgeons, the American College of Osteopathic Surgeons, the American Osteopathic Association, and the North American Spine Society.

Neurosurgery is the medical specialty concerned with the prevention, diagnosis, surgical treatment, and rehabilitation of disorders which affect any portion of the nervous system including the brain, spinal cord, peripheral nerves, and extra-cranial cerebrovascular system. Neurosurgeons are doctors who diagnose and treat problems with the nervous system, often by performing surgery on the brain or spine. They treat strokes, tumors, cervical and lumbar disc disease, infections, and head or spinal cord injuries.

For his outstanding contributions to the field of neurosurgery, Dr. Fonn is the recipient of the Top Neurosurgeon Award (2020), Inclusion in Leading Physicians of the World (2013 – 2018), Patient’s Choice Award (2011 – 2013), and Most Compassionate Doctor Recognition (2011).

Recommended Articles

• What Are the Risks of Laminectomy?

  Your doctor will first attempt to give you other alternative treatments before recommending surgery. If your back pain still persists after treatment, your doctor may suggest for surgery as one of the solutions. Laminectomy is the most probable surgical procedure that you will have to undergo.Facts...

• Different Types of Physicians Explained

  Doctors or physicians are categorized according to different factors including medical specialties and subspecialties. Most doctors specialize in a specific area of medicine. This article provides a summary of the different types of doctors in the medical field. AllergistsAllergists are also...

• What Is a Transorbital Lobotomy?

  Transorbital LobotomyTransorbital lobotomy was once considered as a form of neurosurgery that was labeled as "insane". A pioneer in this field was a Portuguese doctor named António Egas Moniz. He introduced frontal lobotomy in 1935 for certain cases of psychosis and won a Nobel Prize because of...

• Are There Risks to a Spinal Stenosis Surgery?

  Like any other surgical procedure, spinal stenosis surgery has its own risks and possible complications. However, if performed correctly by professional medical staff, the possibility of any complication after the surgery is low.The potential risks and possible complications following a spinal...

• What Is Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus?

  Normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH) is a type of brain disorder, wherein excess cerebrospinal fluid builds up in the ventricles of the brain. It causes problems in reasoning, thinking, difficulty in walking, and loss of bladder control.Brains ventricles are hollow fluid-filled chambers. Even...

• What Is Oromandibular Dystonia?

  Oromandibular DystoniaOromandibular dystonia is a type of focal dystonia. This condition is also called cranial dystonia, in which the face, jaw, or tongue forcefully contracts and becomes difficult to open and close the mouth. Thus, a person's speech and ability to chew are affected. Cranial...