Taemin Oh, MD

Pediatric Neurological Surgery
Neurological Spine Surgery, Neurological Surgery
More specialties
Accepting New Patients
Treats Children
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Overview

Meet Columbia Neurosurgery's Dr. Taemin Oh (Pediatric Spinal Neurosurgery)

Dr. Taemin Oh is the Co-Director of Complex Pediatric Spinal Neurosurgery and the Director of Pediatric Neurosurgical Scoliosis. His primary focus is guiding young patients through their surgical journey and advocating for their care.

As a pediatric neurosurgeon, he has an active practice offering contemporary treatments for common neurosurgical conditions such as hydrocephalus, brain cysts/tumors, aneurysms/arteriovenous malformations, and craniosynostosis. In addition, he has specialized expertise on managing pediatric spinal pathologies, including pediatric scoliosis and spinal deformity, spina bifida, tethered cord, cerebral palsy, spasticity, Chiari malformation, and cervical deformity. He is well-versed in both traditional open surgery and minimally invasive, fusionless surgeries, including vertebral body tethering.

After graduating with honors from Yale University, Dr. Oh earned his medical degree from the University of California, Los Angeles, and completed his residency in neurosurgery at the University of California, San Francisco.

He is one of the few pediatric neurosurgeons in the country, and the sole one in New York City, who has dual training in pediatric neurosurgery and pediatric spine surgery, completing two highly regarded fellowships at the University of Utah and Shriner's Hospital for Philadelphia. This comprehensive training has equipped him to address pediatric patients' unique challenges. Reflecting on his expertise in pediatric spine surgery, he has a dual appointment with the Department of Orthopedic Surgery at Columbia.

Dr. Oh is actively involved in research on motion-preserving alternatives to spinal fusion, such as vertebral body tethering, minimally invasive pediatric spine surgery, and spinal column shortening to relieve tension on the spinal cord in patients with tethered cord syndrome. With more than 70 peer-reviewed publications and an H-index of 32, his research is widely recognized and frequently cited in the field. His work has helped shape the direction of pediatric scoliosis care, vertebral body tethering, and other innovative surgical approaches. By combining his research with his surgical expertise, Dr. Oh is expanding access to fusionless alternatives that improve recovery and preserve mobility for children across New York and beyond. His goal is simple: to make surgery safer, recovery faster, and outcomes better for every patient he treats.

Areas of Expertise / Conditions Treated

  • Aneurysms
  • Back Pain
  • Brain Tumor
  • Cerebral Palsy
  • Cervical Spinal Disorders
  • Chiari Malformation
  • Craniosynostosis
  • Hydrocephalus
  • Kyphosis
  • Moyamoya Syndrome
  • Neck Pain
  • Neurofibromatosis
  • Pediatric Neurosurgery
  • Pediatric Spine Deformities
  • Pediatric Spine Surgery
  • Pediatric Tumors
  • Scoliosis
  • Spina Bifida
  • Spinal Cord Tumor
  • Spinal Fracture
  • Spinal Surgery
  • Spine Care
  • Spine Deformity
  • Spine Tumors
  • Tethered Cord Syndrome
  • Vascular Malformations

Academic Appointments

  • Assistant Professor of Neurological Surgery at CUMC

Administrative Titles

  • Co-Director of Complex Pediatric Spinal Neurosurgery
  • Director of Pediatric Neurosurgical Scoliosis

Hospital Affiliations

  • NewYork-Presbyterian / Columbia University Irving Medical Center
  • NewYork-Presbyterian Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital

Languages

  • Korean
  • Spanish

Gender

  • Male

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Insurance Accepted

Affinity Health Plan

  • Essential Plan
  • Medicaid Managed Care

Amida Care

  • Special Needs

Cigna

  • EPO
  • Great West (National)
  • HMO
  • Medicare Managed Care
  • POS
  • PPO

Emblem/GHI

  • Medicare Managed Care
  • PPO

Emblem/HIP

  • ConnectiCare
  • EPO
  • Essential Plan
  • HMO
  • Medicaid Managed Care
  • Medicare Managed Care
  • POS
  • PPO
  • Select Care (Exchange)
  • Vytra

Empire Blue Cross/Blue Shield

  • EPO
  • HMO
  • Medicare Managed Care
  • PPO

Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield HealthPlus

  • Child/Family Health Plus
  • Essential Plan
  • Medicaid Managed Care

Fidelis Care

  • Child/Family Health Plus
  • Essential Plan
  • Medicaid Managed Care
  • Medicare Managed Care

Healthfirst

  • Child/Family Health Plus
  • Leaf (Exchange)
  • Medicaid Managed Care
  • Medicare Managed Care

Local 1199

  • NYP Employee Plan

MagnaCare (National)

  • MagnaCare

Medicare

  • Traditional Medicare

Multiplan

  • Multiplan

MVP Health Care

  • Child/Family Health Plus
  • Essential Plan
  • HMO
  • Medicaid Managed Care

RiverSpring

  • Special Needs

UnitedHealthcare

  • Compass (Exchange)
  • Empire Plan
  • HMO
  • Medicaid (Community Plan)
  • Medicare Managed Care
  • Oxford Freedom
  • Oxford HMO
  • Oxford Liberty
  • POS
  • PPO

WellCare

  • Medicaid Managed Care
  • Medicare Managed Care

World Trade Center Health Plan

  • World Trade Center Health Plan

*Before your appointment, please contact the doctor’s office or your insurance provider to verify that your insurance is accepted. This list of insurances can change, and the insurance plans listed may not be accepted at all office locations for this provider.

Credentials & Experience

Education & Training

  • MD, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California
  • Residency: University of California, San Francisco
  • Fellowship: University of Utah Medical Center, Pediatric Neurosurgery
  • Fellowship: Shriner’s Hospital for Children in Philadelphia, Pediatric Spine Surgery

Honors & Awards

  • 2009: Magna Cum Laude, Yale University
  • 2009: Distinction within major, Political Science
  • 2012: Clinical and Translational Research Fellowship Program, UCSF
  • 2013: Pre-Doctoral Research Fellowship, Northwestern University
  • 2019: AANS/CNS Section on Pediatric Neurological Surgery & NREF
  • 2019-2020: Research Fellowship Grant
  • 2022: Meghan Rose Bradley Foundation Award, Best Tumor Abstract

Research

Dr. Oh has authored more than 70 peer-reviewed publications in a variety of neurosurgical and spine surgery journals. His primary research interests are centered around improving patient care, advances in surgical technique, as well as vertebral body tethering.

Selected Publications

Oh T, Patel M, Nice E, Pahys JM, Hwang SW, Samdani AF. Results of a Retrospective FDA Investigational Device Exemption Study for Anterior Vertebral Body Tethering in Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis with 3-Year to 10-Year Follow-Up. JB JS Open Access. 2025 Sep 11;10(3):e25.00171. doi: 10.2106/JBJS.OA.25.00171. PMID: 40927595; PMCID: PMC12417003.Oh T, Nehme C, Samdani AF, Pahys JM, Ishmael TG, Nice E, Hwang SW. Changing Complication Trends after Anterior Vertebral Body Tethering: 10-Year Experience. Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 2025 May 29. doi: 10.1097/BRS.0000000000005409. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 40443191.Amanullah AA, Oh T, Toll BJ, Patel A, Samdani AF, Pahys JM, Kim AJ, Vellanki A, Steindler J, Ishmael TG, Hwang SW. “Risk Factors for Progression of Cervical Congenital Scoliosis and Associated Compensatory Curve Behavior.” Journal of Clinical Medicine. 2024;13(11):3039. PMID: 38892749Chang D, Oh T, Roland J, Matthay K, Vo K, Edwards C, Sun P, Auguste K, Gupta N. “Pediatric Neuroblastoma with Intraspinal Extension: the Role of Surgical Management.” JNS Pediatrics. 2023:1-11. PMID: 38100763Oh T, Han KJ, Ambati VS, Yue JK, Burke JF, Lu AY, Sun PP. “Pediatric Cervical Spine Trauma: Injury Patterns, Diagnosis, and Treatment.” Pediatr Neurosurg. 2024;59(5-6):210-228. PMID: 39307125Yue JK, Krishnan N, Andrews JP, Semonche AM, Deng H, Aabedi AA, Wang AS, Caldwell DJ, Park C, Hirschorn M, Ghoussaini KT, Oh T, Sun PP. “Update on Pediatric Mild Traumatic Brain Injury in Rural and Underserved Regions: a Global Perspective.” J Clin Med. 2023;12(9):3309. PMID: 37176749Chalif EJ, Morshed RA, Oh T, Dalle Ore C, Aghi MK, Gupta N. “Neurosurgical Outcomes for Pediatric Central Nervous System Tumors in the United States” Neurosurgery. 2023;92(2):407-420. PMID: 36637275Yue JK, Chang D, Caton MT Jr, Haddad AF, Dalle Ore CL, Wozny TA, Oh T, Wang AS, Tonetti DA, Auguste KI, Sun PP, Cooke DL, Hetts SW, Abla AA, Gupta N, Roland JL. “The Hybrid Operative Suite with Intra-Operative Biplane Rotational Angiography in Pediatric Cerebrovascular Neurosurgery: Utility and Lessons Learned.” Pediatric Neurosurgery. 2022. PMID: 35508115Lee YM, Lu AY, Oh T, Hwang JY, Lu DC, Sun PP. “C2 Translaminar Screw Fixation in Pediatric Occipitocervical Fusion.” Childs Nerv Syst. 2022;38(6):1125-1135. PMID: 35426055Liu CW, Lenke LG, Tan LA, Oh T, Chao KH, Lin SD, Pan RY. “Selection of the Lowest Instrumented Vertebra and Relative Odds Ratio of Distal Adding-on for Lenke Type1A and 2A Curves in Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.” Neurospine. 2020;17(4):902-909. PMID: 33401869 For a complete list of publications, please visit https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=oh+taemin