Dr. Jason M. Cuellar, MD, PhD, FAAOS

Areas of expertise and specialization

Faculty Titles & Positions

• Assistant Professor Cedars-Sinai Medical Center 2018 - Present
• Medical Director Advanced Surgical Center of Beverly Hills 2019 - Present
• Founder Cuéllar Spine -

Awards

• ISSLS Prize Winner 2009 ISSLS 
• Frauenthal Award for Clinical Research 2015 NYU-HJD 
• Best Paper Award 2015 ISSLS 
• Stanford Anesthesia Departmental Research Award 2008 Stanford 
• Stanford Medical Research Scholar 2007 Stanford 

Professional Memberships

• American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons  
• North American Spine Society  
• Medical Scholars Research Fellow  
• Fellow of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons (FAAOS)  

Fellowships

• New York University Hospital for Joint Diseases Musculoskeletal Research Fellowship  2012
• Cedars-Sinai Spine Center and Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Spinal Disorders Fellowship  2016

Treatments

• Artificial disc replacement (ADR) of the spine - both lumbar and cervical.Reversal of spinal fusion.Spinal fusion for instability.Microdecompression.Treatment of spinal stenosis Treatment of disc herniationTreatment of degenerative disc disease.

Internships

• NYU-HJD Orthopaedic surgery

Fellowships

• Cedars-Sinai Medical Center

Professional Society Memberships

• ISASSAAOSNASS

Articles and Publications

• Academic Lectures/Presentations:1. Cullar, Jason. Lumbar Disc Replacement. Castellvi Spine Meeting, Duck Key, FL May 12, 20232. Cullar, Jason. Cervical Disc Replacement. Castellvi Spine Meeting, Duck Key, FL May 12, 20233. Cullar, Jason. Lumbar Disc Replacement: Patient Selection. Castellvi Spine Meeting, Duck Key, FL May 12, 20234. Cullar, Jason. Lumbar Disc Replacement The Experience. Castellvi Spine Meeting, Duck Key, FL May 12, 20235. Cullar, Jason, Medical Grand Rounds at John F. Kennedy Hospital, Atlantis, Florida: Artificial Disc Replacement; June 9, 20226. Cullar, J, Lanman, T, Mottole, N, Wernke, M, Carruthers, E and Valdevit A. Facet joint loading after one-, two-, and three-level cervical disc arthroplasty. Annual conference of the International Society for the Advancement of Spine Surgery (ISASS) 2022, Nassau, Bahamas, June 1-4.7. Lanman, Cullar, J T, Mottole, N, Wernke, M, Carruthers, E and Valdevit A. Multi-levelcervical disc arthroplasty does not alter the contribution to motion associated with the various loading modalities. Annual conference of the International Society for the Advancement of Spine Surgery (ISASS) 2022, Nassau, Bahamas, June 1-4.8. Lanman, Cullar, J T, Mottole, N, Wernke, M, Carruthers, E and Valdevit A. Effects ofsingle- and multi-level artificial disc replacements on the motion of the intervertebral disc space. Annual conference of the International Society for the Advancement of Spine Surgery (ISASS) 2022, Nassau, Bahamas, June 1-4.9. Cullar, JM. Artificial disc replacement at the L5-S1 disc space. Annual Conference of Spinal Disorders, Cedars-Sinai, Las Vegas, NV, January 31, 2020.10. Cullar, JM, Martin Quirno; Kirk Campbell, Andrew Yoo, , Christian M. Hoelscher,Pedro A. Ricart-Hoffiz, Tate M. Andres, Thorsten Kirsch, Thomas J. Errico. The Effectof Prophylactic Local Epidural Steroid Delivery in a Spinal Cord Injury Model. Annual Meeting of the International Society for the Advancement of Spine Surgery (ISASS), Barcelona, Spain, March 20-23, 2012.11. Cullar JM, Marlen N, Cullar VG, Angst MS, Yeomans DC, Montesano PX. Cytokines in the intervertebral disc of patients undergoing lumbar anterior discectomy andinterbody fusion for degenerative disc disease. Annual Meeting of the International Society for the Advancement of Spine Surgery (ISASS), Barcelona, Spain, March 20-23, 201212. Cullar JM, Alataris K, Walker A, Yeomans DC, Antognini JF. Effect of High-Frequency Alternating Current on Spinal Afferent Nociceptive Transmission. Podium and poster presentations. International Neuromodulation Society, Berlin, Germany June 10-13, 2013.13. Cullar JM, Petrizzo, A, Vaswani, R, Goldstein, JA, Bendo, JA. Does aspirin administration increase perioperative morbidity in patients with cardiac stents undergoing spinal surgery? AAOS Annual Meeting, Las Vegas, March 26, 201514. Spine grand rounds, Artificial Disc Replacement; June 29, 2016, Cedars-Sinai, Advanced Health Sciences Pavilion, Room PEC-5.15. Department of Orthopaedic Surgery Grand Rounds, Artificial Disc Replacement, March 1, 2017, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Cancer Center Conference Room AC-1100Book Chapters:1. Cullar, J.M. and Carstens, E. Sensitization in animal models of radiculopathic pain. In: Hyperalgesia: Molecular Mechanisms and Clinical Implications, Progress in Pain Research and Management, Vol. 30; Editors: Brune, K and Handwerker, H.O. IASP Press 2004.2. Cullar, J.M. and Carstens, E. Electrophysiological evidence of enhanced nociceptive transmission in response to dorsal root exposure to nucleus pulposus. In: Immune and Glial Regulation of Pain; Editors: Linda Watkins, Joyce DeLeo, and Linda Sorkin; IASP Press 2007.3. Cullar, J.M. and Carragee, E.J. Ch 27 - Basic science of discography and provocative testing. In: Basic Science of Spinal Diseases; Editors: Alok Sharan, Simon Tang and Alexander Vaccaro. Jaypee Press, 20134. Cullar, J.M. and Hyun Bae. Posterior Cervical Laminoplasty. In: Operative Techniques in Spine Surgery, 3rd Edition. Editors: Alexander R. Vaccaro and Eli M. Baron5. Cullar, J.M, Kim, Terrence, Bhamb, Neil and Lanman, Todd H. Cervical Total Disc Replacement. In: Operative Techniques in Spine Surgery, 3rd Edition. Editors: Alexander R. Vaccaro and Eli M. Baron6. Zachary NaPier, Linda E.A. Kanim, Samantha Thordarson, Michael A. Kropf, Jason M. Cullar, Juliane D. Glaeser, Hyun W. Bae, Demineralized Bone Matrix Bone Biology and Clinical Use,Seminars in Spine Surgery, Volume 28, Issue 4, December 2016,Pages 196-216, ISSN 1040-73837. Kong, C and Cullar, J.M. Overview of the back and spine. Grays Surgical Anatomy. 1st edition, Dec 2019. ISBN 9780702073861Bibliography/publications:A. Research papers peer-reviewed:1. Cuellar, JM, Rasouli, A, Lanman, T., Kanim, L and Delamarter, R. Single and multilevel lumbar total disc replacement adjacent to L5-S1 ALIF (lumbar hybrid): 6 years of follow up. International Journal of Spine Surgery 2021, Vol 15(5):971-977.2. Cuellar, JM, Nomoto, E, Saadat, E., Ma, A, Hill, P., Kropf, M., Lanman, T., Perri, B., Siddique, K., Wagner, W. Rao, R., Wong, A., Eng, M., Stephan, S., Anand, A., Bae, H., Rasouli, A., Outpatient versus inpatient anterior lumbar spine surgery: A multisite, comparative analysis of patient safety measures. International Journal of Spine Surgery 2021, Vol 15(5):937-944,3. Glaeser JD, Salehi K, Kanim LEA, NaPier Z, Kropf MA, Cuellar JM, Perry TG, Bae HW, Sheyn D. NF-kappaB inhibitor, NEMO-binding domain peptide attenuates intervertebral disc degeneration. Spine J. 2020 May 12:S1529-9430(20)30175-3. PMID 324134854. Ryu R, Do A, Chan J, Cuellar J, Schievink W, Baron EM. Postoperative CSF Leak After Lumbar Total Disc Replacement (TDR): A Diagnostic and Management Challenge. World Neurosurg. 2020 137:119-125.5. Lanman, TH and Cuellar, JM. Restoration of spinal motion conversion of anterior cervical fusion with pseudarthrosis to artificial disc replacement. International Journal of Spine Surgery 2020 14(4):483-487.6. Cuellar, JM, Wagner W and Rasouli, A. Low complication rate of anterior lumbar spine surgery in an ambulatory surgery center. International Journal of Spine Surgery 2020 14(5):687-693.7. Cuellar, JM, Lanman TH and Rasouli, A. The Safety of Single- and Multi-level Cervical Total Disc Replacement in Ambulatory Surgery Centers. Spine 2020 15(8):512-521.8. Rasouli A, Cuellar JM, Kanim, LEA, Delamarter, R. Multiple-level lumbar total disc replacement: a prospective clinical and radiographic analysis of motion preservation at 24 to 72 months. Journal of Clinical Spine Surgery, 2019, 32(1):38-42. PubMed ID 300954749. Glaeser JD, Salehi K, Kanim L, Sheyn D, NaPier Z, Behrens P, Garcia L, Cullar JM, Bae HW. Anti-inflammatory peptide attenuates edema and promotes BMP-2-induced bone formation in spine fusion. Tissue Eng Part A. 2018 May 16. PubMed ID 29766758.10. Tzabazis A, Kori S, Mechanic J, Miller J, Pascual C, Manering N, Carson D, Klukinov M, Spierings E, Jacobs D, Cuellar J, Frey WH 2nd, Hanson L, Angst M, Yeomans DC. Oxytocin and Migraine Headache. Headache. 2017 May;57 Suppl 2:64-75. Review. PubMed ID: 28485846.11. Cuellar, JM and Lanman, TH. Text Neck: An epidemic of the modern era of cell phones? The Spine Journal 2017, 17(6):901-902. PubMed ID 2833648312. Cuellar, JM and Passias, P. Cervical Spondylotic Myelopathy: A review of clinical diagnosis and treatment. Bulletin of the Hospital for Joint Diseases 2017; 75(1):21-9.13. Montesano, PX and Cullar JM. Cytokines in the intervertebral discs of patients undergoing lumbar discectomy and fusion for degenerative disc disease. Orthopedics and Rheumatology Open Access Journal 2017; 4(3):555638.14. Montesano, PX, Cullar JM and Scuderi, GJ. Intradiscal injection of an autologous alpha-2-Macroglobulin (A2M) concentrate alleviates back pain in FAC-positive patients. Orthopedics and Rheumatology Open Access Journal 2017; 4(2):555634.15. Cullar JM, Cullar, V.G., Scuderi, G.J. Alpha-2-Macroglobulin: Autologous protease inhibition technology. Phys Med Rehabil Clin N Am 2016, 27(4):909-919, PubMed:277890716. Cullar JM, Stauff MP, Herzog RJ, Carrino JA, Baker GA, Carragee EJ. Does provocative discography cause clinically important injury to the lumbar intervertebral disc? A 10-year matched cohort study. Spine J. 2016 Mar;16(3):273-80. 2015 Jun 29. PubMed: 26133255.17. Cullar JM, Field JS, Bae HW. Distraction Laminoplasty with Interlaminar Lumbar Instrumented Fusion (ILIF) for Lumbar Stenosis with or Without Grade 1 Spondylolisthesis: Technique and 2-year Outcomes. Spine 2016. PubMed ID: 26839990.18. Cullar, VG, Cullar, JM, Kirsch, T and Strauss EJ. Correlation of synovial fluid biomarkers with cartilage pathology and associated outcomes in knee arthroscopy. Arthroscopy October 29, 201519. Cullar JM, Stauff MP, Herzog R, Carrino JA, Baker G, Carragee EJ; USA Does provocative discography cause clinically important injury to the lumbar Intervertebral disc? A ten-year matched cohort study. The Spine Journal 16(3):273-8020. Cullar JM, Petrizzo, A, Vaswani, R, Goldstein, JA, Bendo, JA. Does aspirin administration increase perioperative morbidity in patients with cardiac stents undergoing spinal surgery? Spine 2015, 40(9):629-635. PubMed ID: 2603021421. Tzabazis A, Mechanic J, Miller J, Klukinov M, Pascual C, Manering N, Carson DS, Jacobs A, Qiao Y, Cuellar J, Frey WH 2nd, Jacobs D, Angst M, Yeomans DC. Oxytocin receptor: Expression in the trigeminal nociceptive system and potential role in the treatment of headache disorders. Cephalalgia. 2015 Nov 20. PubMed ID: 2659061122. Zhao YP, Tian QY, Liu B, Cuellar J, Richbourgh B, Jia TH, Liu CJ. Progranulin knockout accelerates intervertebral disc degeneration in aging mice. Sci Rep. 2015 Mar 16;5:9102. PubMed ID: 25777988.23. Cullar JM, Yoo A, Tovar N, Coelho PG, Jimbo R, Vandeweghe S, Kirsch T, Quirno M, Errico TJ. The Effects of Amicar and TXA on Lumbar Spine Fusion in an Animal Model. Spine 2014, 39(19):E1132-1137; PubMed ID: 24979407.24. Cullar JM, Golish, SR, Leroux, EJ, Reuter, MW, Carragee, EJ, Hanna, LS and Scuderi, GJ. Does a fibronectin and aggrecan complex play a role in painful vertebral disks? 2013 PMR 2013, 5(4):297-3021; PubMed ID: 23490723.25. Cullar JM, Alataris K, Walker A, Yeomans DC, Antognini JF. Effect of High-Frequency Alternating Current on Spinal Afferent Nociceptive Transmission. Neuromodulation. 2013; 16(4):318-327; PubMed ID: 2325276626. Cullar JM, Borges PM, Cullar VG, Yoo A, Scuderi GJ, Yeomans DC. Cytokine Expression in the Epidural Space: A Model of Non-compressive Disc Herniation-induced Inflammation. Spine 2013; 38(1):17-23 PubMed ID: 2264803427. Golish SR, Hanna LS, Cullar JM, Fernyhough JC, Campbell DR, Carragee EJ, Scuderi GJ. Are persistently symptomatic vertebral compression fractures associated with abnormal inflammatory profiles? A prospective study. J Spinal Disord Tech. 2011 Apr;24(2):121-5. PubMed ID: 21445026.28. Cullar VG, Cullar JM and Scuderi GS. Identification of meniscus damage biomarker: Implications for the future treatment of knee injury. Therapy 8(3):289-91, 2011.29. Scuderi GJ, Golish SR, Cook FF, Cullar JM, Bowser RP, Hanna LS. (2011) Identification of a novel fibronectin-aggrecan complex in the synovial fluid of knees with painful meniscal injury. J Bone Joint Surg Am. 2011 Feb;93(4):336-40.30. Cullar VG, Cullar JM, Vaccaro AR, Carragee EJ, Scuderi GJ. (2010) Accelerated degeneration after failed cervical and lumbar nucleoplasty. J. Spinal Disord. Tech. Dec;23(8):521-4.31. Cullar VG, Cullar JM, Golish SR, Yeomans DC, Scuderi GJ. (2010) Cytokine profiling in acute anterior cruciate ligament injury. Arthroscopy. Oct;26(10):1296-301.32. Cullar JM, Manering NA, Klukinov M, Nemenov MI, Yeomans DC. (2010) Thermal nociceptive properties of trigeminal afferent neurons in rats. Molecular Pain. Jul 7;6:39.33. Tzabazis AZ, Niv SH, Manering NA, Klyukinov M, Cullar JM, Bhatnagar A, Yeomans DC. (2010) Trigeminal antihyperalgesic effect of intranasal carbon dioxide. Life Sci. 2010 Jul 3;87(1-2):36-41.34. Scuderi GJ, Woolf N, Dent K, Golish SR, Cullar JM, Cullar VG, Yeomans DC, Carragee EJ, Angst MS, Bowser R, Hanna LS. (2010) Identification of a complex between fibronectin and aggrecan G3 domain in synovial fluid of patients with painful meniscal pathology. Clinical Biochem. Jul;43(10-11):808-14.35. Cullar, J.M., Golish, S.R., Reuter, M.W., Cullar, V.G., Angst, M.S., Carragee, E.J., Yeomans, D.C. and Scuderi, G.J. Cytokine evaluation in individuals with low back pain using dscographic lavage. The Spine Journal 2010 Mar;10(3):212-8.36. Cullar, J.M., Scuderi, G.J., Cullar V.G, Golish, S.R. and Yeomans, D.C.. (2009) Diagnostic utility of cytokine biomarkers in the evaluation of acute knee pain. Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery Oct; 91(10):2313-20.37. Scuderi, G.J., Cullar, J.M., Cullar, V.G.., Yeomans, D.C., Carragee, E.J. and Angst, M.S. (2009). Epidural interferon gamma-immunoreactivity: a biomarker for lumbar nerve root irritation. Spine Oct 1; 34(21):2311-2317.38. Carragee, E.J., Don, A. Hurwitz, E. Cullar, J.M., Carrino, J. and Herzog, R. 2009 ISSLS Prize Winner: Does discography cause accelerated progression of degenerative changes in the lumbar disc: A ten-year cohort-controlled study. Spine 34(21):2338-45.39. Merrill, A.W., Cullar, J.M., Judd, J.H., Carstens, M.I. and Carstens, E. (2008) Effects of TRPA1 agonists mustard oil and cinnamaldehyde on lumbar spinal wide dynamic range neuronal responses to innocuous and noxious cutaneous stimuli in rats. J. Neurophysiol. 99(2):415-425.40. Dutton R.C., Cullar J.M., Eger E.I., Antognini, J.F. and Carstens E. (2007) Temporal and Spatial Determinants of Sacral Dorsal Horn Neuronal Windup in Relation to Isoflurane-induced Immobility. Anesthesia & Analgesia 105(6):1665-74.41. Simons C.T., Cullar J.M., Moore, J.A., Pinkerton K.E., Uyeminami D., Carstens M.I., Carstens E. (2005) Nicotinic receptor involvement in antinociception induced by exposure to cigarette smoke. Neuroscience Letters 389(2):71-642. Cullar J.M., Antognini J.F., Montesano P.X. and Carstens, E. (2005) Application of nucleus pulposus to L5 dorsal root ganglion in rats enhances nociceptive dorsal horn neuronal windup. Journal of Neurophysiology 94(1):35-4843. Cullar, J.M., Dutton, R.C., Antognini, J.F. and Carstens, E. (2005) Differential effects of halothane and isoflurane on dorsal horn neuronal windup and excitability. British Journal of Anesthesiology 94(5):617-2544. Cullar, J.M., Antognini, J.F. and Carstens, E. (2004) An in vivo method for recording single unit activity in lumbar spinal cord in mice anesthetized with a volatile anesthetic. Brain Research Protocols 13(2):126-134.45. Cullar, J.M., Antognini, J.F., Eger, E.I and Carstens, E. (2004) Halothane depresses C- fiber evoked windup of deep dorsal horn neurons in mice. Neuroscience Letters 363(3):207-1146. Cullar, J.M., Montesano, PX, Carstens, E (2004) Role of TNF-alpha in sensitization of nociceptive dorsal horn neurons induced by application of nucleus pulposus to L5 dorsal root ganglion in rats. Pain 110(3):578-58747. Nojima, H, Cullar, JM, Simons, CT, Carstens, MI, Carstens, E (2004) Spinal c-fos expression associated with spontaneous biting in a mouse model of dry skin pruritis. Neuroscience Letters 361(1-3):79-82.48. Nojima, H., Simons, C.T., Cullar, J.M., Iodi-Carstens, M., Moore, J.A., Carstens, E. (2003) Opioid modulation of scratching and spinal c-fos expression evoked by intradermal serotonin. The Journal of Neuroscience 23(34):10784-1079049. Boucher, Y., Simons, C. T., Cullar, J. M., Jung, S. W., Carstens, M. I., Carstens, E. (2003) Activation of brain stem neurons by irritant chemical stimulation of the throat assessed by c-fos immunohistochemistry. Experimental Brain Research 148 (2):211-850. Cullar, J. M., Jinks, S. L., Simons, C. T., Carstens, E. (2003) Deletion of the preprotachykinin A gene in mice does not reduce scratching behavior elicited by intradermal serotonin. Neuroscience Letters 339(1):72-6

What do you attribute your success to?

• Hard work, perseverance, passion for becoming the best spine surgeon possible. I am truly blessed.

Areas of research

• Molecular mechanisms of pain and inflammation.Artificial disc replacement of the spine.Surgical outcomes and safety in outpatient spine surgery

Teaching and speaking

• 1.Lecture to orthopaedic surgery residents, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Spinal infections April 29, 2016. 2.Lecture to spine surgery fellows, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Cervical myelopathy, November 1, 2017.3.Spine Journal Club moderation with spine fellows and faculty; Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, January 9, 2019.4.Lecture to spine surgery fellows, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Total Disc replacement and motion-sparing surgery, February 5, 2020.5.Lecture to spine surgery fellows, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Cervical Total Disc replacement , December 20, 2021.6.Lecture to spine surgery fellows and spine surgery department, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Lumbar Total Disc replacement , January 19, 2022.7.Lecture to spine surgery fellows and spine surgery department, Cervical Total disc replacement Cervical Total Disc replacement , November 30, 2022.8.Lecture to spine surgery fellows and spine surgery department, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Lumbar Total Disc replacement , January 18, 2023.1.Cullar, Jason. Lumbar Disc Replacement. Castellvi Spine Meeting, Duck Key, FL May 12, 20232.Cullar, Jason. Cervical Disc Replacement. Castellvi Spine Meeting, Duck Key, FL May 12, 20233.Cullar, Jason. Lumbar Disc Replacement: Patient Selection. Castellvi Spine Meeting, Duck Key, FL May 12, 20234.Cullar, Jason. Lumbar Disc Replacement The Experience. Castellvi Spine Meeting, Duck Key, FL May 12, 20235.Cullar, Jason, Medical Grand Rounds at John F. Kennedy Hospital, Atlantis, Florida: Artificial Disc Replacement; June 9, 20226.Cullar, J, Lanman, T, Mottole, N, Wernke, M, Carruthers, E and Valdevit A. Facet joint loading after one-, two-, and three-level cervical disc arthroplasty. Annual conference of the International Society for the Advancement of Spine Surgery (ISASS) 2022, Nassau, Bahamas, June 1-4.

Favorite Place to Vacation

• France, Italy, Spain

Hobbies / Sports

• Hiking, fishing, music, photography

Areas of research

Clinical research in the areas of total disc replacement, safety and outcomes of outpatient spine surgery,

Basic science and clinical research in ant-inflammatory non-surgical treatments of arthritis with A2M.

Dr. Jason M. Cuellar, MD, PhD, FAAOS's Practice location