Dr. Robert Owen was born and raised in Topeka, Kansas. He attended Washington University in St. Louis, where he earned an undergraduate degree in Biology and History, received a Howard Hughes Medical Institute research grant, and graduated Phi Beta Kappa and summa cum laude with highest honors. He was then awarded a national research scholarship to work at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to study the anthrax virus. After completing his research, he attended Emory University School of Medicine, where he was elected to the Alpha Omega Alpha national medical honor society and received the Ralph Cohen Anatomy Award, given to the student with the highest achievement in surgical anatomy.

Dr. Owen completed his orthopedic surgery residency at Washington University in St. Louis, which is consistently ranked as one of the top orthopedic surgery residency programs in the United States. During his time there, he received both the Resident Teaching Award and the Consultant of the Year Award. Following residency, he was awarded an orthopedic spine surgery fellowship at the prestigious University of Utah Spine Program, one of the most selective spine fellowships in the country.

Dr. Owen has authored multiple research publications and book chapters and has presented on the local, regional, and national level, including publications in the leading orthopedic spine journals, Spine and The Spine Journal. He received the Best Clinical Research Award from the national AO Spine Organization during his fellowship for his work on preoperative spine blocks. He also serves as a scientific reviewer for the Global Spine Journal.

Areas of interest: cervical and lumbar disc herniations, cervical spinal stenosis, lumbar spinal stenosis, lumbar radiculopathy, cervical myelopathy and radiculopathy, adult degenerative scoliosis, acquired flatback, degenerative disc disease, spine fractures, spine tumors and metastatic disease of the spine.

Surgical interests: complex surgery of the cervical, thoracic, and lumbar spine, cervical discectomies and fusions, cervical disc replacements, lumbar decompressions and fusions, minimally invasive spine surgery, revision spine surgery, management of spine fractures, spine tumors and metastatic disease of the spine.

Fellowship: University of Utah; Salt Lake City, UT

Residency: Washington University in St. Louis; St. Louis, MO

Medical School: Emory University; Atlanta, GA  |  Alpha Omega Alpha Honors Medical Society

Undergraduate: Washington University in St. Louis; St. Louis, MO; BA, Biology and History with Honors