Dr. Gbolahan Okubadejo, Board Certified Spinal and Orthopedic Surgeon

Summary

Becker’s Healthcare Podcast Episode Summary

Guest: Dr. Gbolahan Okubadejo, Board Certified Spinal and Orthopedic Surgeon
Host: Carly Beam (Becker's Healthcare)
Date: January 18, 2026

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Episode Overview

In this episode, Dr. Gbolahan Okubadejo discusses the evolving landscape of spine care, the persistent gaps between patient expectations and medical reality, and the impact of new technologies—especially minimally invasive techniques, robotics, AI, and wellness trends—on patient outcomes in spine and orthopedic surgery. He also reflects on misconceptions about spine surgery and shares his vision for the future of his practice, emphasizing prevention and multidimensional care.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

Dr. Okubadejo’s Background (00:14–01:29)

• Practicing spine surgeon in NYC and NJ with nearly two decades of experience.
• Educational background: Brown University (undergrad), Johns Hopkins (medical school), WashU St. Louis (residency, strong in spine), University of Pittsburgh (fellowship).
• Focuses on cervical and lumbar spine, with expertise in both decompressions and disc replacements.
• Treats both degenerative conditions and maintains some involvement in orthopedics.

Where Patients Get Stuck: Gaps in Back Pain Treatment (01:29–02:45)

• Key Issue: Patients often delay seeing qualified professionals or begin with alternative care (chiropractors, trainers) before properly diagnosing the problem.
  • “The biggest gaps, I think, is where patients initiate care...” (01:41)
• Early engagement with physicians could expedite accurate diagnoses and effective treatments.

Consequences of Delayed Professional Care (02:28–03:39)

• Many patients fear that seeing a spine surgeon inevitably leads to surgery, which is a misconception.
  • "Some people, especially when it comes to seeing a spine surgeon, a lot of patients are fearful that coming to see us means that the only solution that we'll offer is something surgical. And it's actually quite the contrary." (02:45)
• Spine surgeons have a comprehensive view of spine pathology and can guide patients into the least invasive, most appropriate treatment.
• Trusting a spine specialist can lead to better patient outcomes and faster recovery.

The “Dr. Google” Effect: Patients’ Preconceived Notions (03:39–05:08)

• Recent technologies and easily accessible online information have led patients to self-diagnose and request specific procedures that may be inappropriate.
  • “It gets more challenging when patients have very specific ideas as to what treatment they need... That’s why we’re experts...” (03:58)
• Good surgeons tailor procedures to pathology, not to patient requests formed without medical expertise.

Persistent Myths and Misconceptions About Spine Surgery (05:08–06:22)

• Myth 1: "No one gets better from spine surgery."
  • False—modern technology and diagnostic improvements have resulted in higher rates of success and faster recoveries.
• Myth 2: "Spine surgery is inherently very dangerous."
  • “Surgery has never been safer and the outcomes have never been better. So this is a great time to be a spine surgeon.” (05:14)
• Minimally invasive options and technological advancements have dramatically improved the safety and effectiveness of spine surgery.

Innovation in Spine Surgery: Minimally Invasive, Robotics, and AI (06:22–08:49)

• Endoscopic/minimally invasive techniques:
  Enhanced visualization, less anatomical damage, and quicker patient recovery.
  • “We can use a more traditional approach to get into the spine while still using endoscopic techniques to get to the pathology... The less damage you do anatomically... the quicker the recovery is.” (06:38)
• Robotics:
  Advanced imaging allows improved precision in implant placement, especially for fusion cases.
• Artificial Intelligence:
  Integral in both administration and surgery, AI increases efficiency and consistency.
  • “AI is critical. AI makes us a lot more efficient... Our billing is more efficient because a lot of things are automated.” (08:06)
  • AI reduces errors, frees up manpower, and streamlines both patient care and administrative operations.

Healthcare Trends: Prevention and Wellness (08:49–10:00)

• Shift to Prevention:
  Focus on preventing pathology rather than just reacting to it.
  • “The biggest trend in health care currently is... prioritizing prevention as opposed to waiting until you have pathology...” (08:57)
• Wellness/IV Vitamins/Peptides:
  Growing field in medicine and orthopedics, with the use of IV vitamins and peptides to improve longevity and wellness.

Implementation in Practice: Wellness Initiatives and Personal Contributions (10:00–11:44)

• Dr. Okubadejo developed a core fitness product (360 Core Board) to optimize performance and reduce injury risk.
• Ongoing self-education in the field of wellness, including peptide therapy for anti-aging and improved physical performance.
  • “The most exciting aspect of wellness is really the use of peptides... it’s making anti-aging and performance better for longer in life.” (10:12)

Goals for the Next 12–24 Months (11:44–13:05)

• Expand his practice to incorporate pain management, sports medicine, and additional practitioners.
• Emphasize wellness modalities (peptides, PRP) and train nurse practitioners to provide advanced treatments.
  • “I'm personally looking to grow my practice to have other dimensions... having more pain management, having more sports... also within wellness, I have nurse practitioners who are improving their skills...” (12:03)

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Memorable Quotes & Notable Moments

• On Patient Fears:
  • “A lot of patients are fearful that coming to see us means that the only solution that we'll offer is something surgical. And it's actually quite the contrary.” (02:45)
• On Modern Outcomes in Spine Surgery:
  • “The technology has evolved to a point where we're more efficient with our techniques, our diagnostics... Outcomes in spine surgery have never been better.” (05:14)
• On AI in Healthcare:
  • “AI is less fallible than humans with certain things. So certainly efficiency has improved tremendously.” (08:06)
• On Wellness and Prevention:
  • “Prevention looks [like] the form of wellness. So wellness is a huge thing now in medicine, huge thing in orthopedics.” (08:57)
  • “Peptides are finding ways to minimize the role of senescence and having our cells be more efficient for longer.” (10:12)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Background and Training: 00:14–01:29
• Treatment Gaps in Back Pain: 01:29–02:45
• Patient Fears and Outcomes: 02:45–03:39
• Internet-Driven Misconceptions: 03:39–05:08
• Spine Surgery Myths: 05:08–06:22
• Technological Innovations: 06:22–08:49
• Healthcare Trends & Wellness: 08:49–10:00
• Practice Implementation and Personal Innovations: 10:00–11:44
• Future Growth Plans: 11:44–13:05

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Tone and Language

Dr. Okubadejo speaks concisely but with warmth, grounded in both technical expertise and a forward-thinking philosophy. He is candid about challenges and misconceptions, optimistic about where spine surgery and orthopedics are headed, and clearly passionate about prevention, patient education, and technological integration.

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Summary for Listeners

This episode is rich with practical insights for patients, medical professionals, and healthcare administrators alike. Dr. Okubadejo demystifies modern spine surgery, dispels persistent myths, and highlights how advancements in technology—and a shift toward prevention and wellness—are transforming patient care. His personal commitment to multidimensional practice growth and lifelong learning underscores the evolving and holistic nature of contemporary orthopedics.

If you’re interested in the future of spine surgery, practical advice on back pain management, or curious about prevention and wellness trends, this episode offers focused, actionable takeaways from a leader in the field.

Transcript

[A]

This is Carly Beam with the Becker Spine and Orthopedics podcast. And I'm thrilled to be joined today by Dr. Bolin Okubadejo, a spine surgeon in New York City. Thank you so much for being with us today.

[B]

Thanks for having me.

[A]

So before we dive into our questions, could you introduce yourself and share a bit more about your background?

[B]

Absolutely. So my name is Bolajana Kobadejo. I am a practicing orthopedic spine surgeon in the New York metro area. I have offices in both New York and New Jersey. I've been in practice now about 18 years. My focus is primarily spine. I do some orthopedics as well. So I, I went to undergrad at Brown University, Med school at Johns Hopkins, did my residency at Washu Washu wash University in St. Louis is a very balanced program, but very strong on spine. And that's where my interest in spine developed. And in spine, typically you can go one of two routes. You can either go with deformity, where you do a lot of scoliosis work and a lot of realignment of the spine, or you do degenerative work where you're doing disc herniations, focusing on cervical lumbar spine pathology and getting patients moving that way. So that's where my focus is more on the cervical lumbar spine. I do decompressions, I do dish replacements, I do procedures to get patients back into their quality of life. So I did my fellowship at University of Pittsburgh, which is a great hands on fellowship, and I've been in practice since 2008.

[A]

That's great to hear and, you know, I'd love to start. What, where do you see the biggest gaps in how patients are experiencing back pain versus how it's treated?

[B]

The biggest gaps, I think, is where patients initiate care. So I think a lot of patients tend to either stay home and try to get by on their own and deal with pain without really seeing anyone professionally. Some patients will start with the chiropractor, maybe talk to their personal, train in the gym before coming in for evaluation with the doctor. I think that's really where the gap begins. I think if they begin by seeing a physician, then we can do proper diagnostics and give them a plan and, and get them going a little more efficiently. So I think the more they see us, the professionals, the doctors, either primary care doctor or spine specialist, the quicker they can get to the end point when it comes to treatment of their back pain.

[A]

Yeah. And can you talk a bit about just kind of, you know, the consequences for patients, but Then also you as physicians and physician practices, when patients aren't going to the professionals first or are putting off their care.

[B]

Absolutely. It's definitely debilitating. Some people have a fear. Some people, especially when it comes to seeing a spine surgeon, a lot of patients are fearful that coming to see us means that the only solution that will offer is something surgical. And it's actually quite the contrary. I think no one understands the spine better than the spine surgeon because we know how it looks from the very inception to something surgical. So we kind of have that the bigger picture worldview where we can get patients into the category of treatment that will get them better most efficiently. My preferences for people to see me once they have pain, and then I can get the diagnostics and give them an idea of what's going on and what to expect. Patients who put their trust in me tend to have very good outcomes. So I think that's really the best way to go.

[A]

Absolutely. And I'm wondering, with the advent of Internet, Google, you have social media chatgpt now, are you seeing patients coming in and they have their own preconceived ideas or misconceptions perhaps, about their conditions?

[B]

Absolutely. Actually, it gets more challenging when patients have very specific ideas as to what treatment that they need. So some patients, regardless of their symptoms, if the pain's been going on for a while, let's say they've had some treatment, physical therapy, maybe injections, they'll research a very specific procedure and they come in looking for that. But without an understanding of how your pathology is, what really determines the treatment, there's no way they know what they need. And that's why we're experts, because a good expert, a good spine surgeon, is trained in all the techniques, and then we match the patient's pathology to the surgical technique that will best suit them. So some patients are great candidates for minimally invasive procedures. Some patients have pathology where minimally invasive is not appropriate for them and they need something more traditional. So I think that's really the disconnect where there's so much information that people educate themselves, but they don't really have the experience or know how to allocate pathology to treatment plan.

[A]

Are there any common myths or misconceptions that you're hearing from patients?

[B]

Yeah, the two major ones. So the first one is no one gets better from spine surgery. A lot of people feel that if they get surgery, that means it's almost like not a death sentence, but they're doomed to be limited indefinitely, and that's definitely false. That's false because the technology has evolved to a point where we're more efficient with our techniques, our diagnostics, so actually get patients much better, much quicker. And the outcomes in spine surgery have never been better. So that's definitely a myth that we're trying to to la as strongly as possible. The other thought that's a major misconception is that spine surgery is very dangerous. And actually it's less dangerous now than it's ever been. And once again, that comes back to technology. Our understanding of the anatomy is better. The options we have when it comes to treatment are more precise. So surgery has never been safer and the outcomes have never been better. So this is a great time to be a spine surgeon. And. And it's a great time if you're having back pain and if you're in the hands of the right person to have your issues resolved.

[A]

Yeah, you bring up a great point about the technologies that we have now in spine surgery. Definitely minimally invasive techniques as well. I'm wondering what innovations in spine have been the most exciting to you recently?

[B]

So things that are minimally invasive and things that are robotic. So. So what I've enjoyed the most most recently are new endoscopic techniques. So when endoscopic techniques were first introduced, we were limited in terms of the approach to the spine, in terms of how we could get to the pathology. But that technology has evolved to a point where we can use a more traditional approach to get into the spine while still using endoscopic techniques to get to the pathology, to have excellent visualization of the pathology, and to resolve symptoms very quickly. And the less damage you do anatomically to solve pathology, the quicker the recovery is. So that's one arm, the endoscopic arm. The other arm is the robotics. So with robotics, we can plan our procedures better, use advanced imaging prior to surgery, marry that to intraoperative imaging. And our placement of implants has never been better. So we're able to get our screws in better. When it comes to fusion cases, our cages, we can see the antibody spaces. Also with robotics, AI is also playing a role when it comes to spine surgery. So it's a great time. It's a great time to be in the field.

[A]

And how much are you using AI in your clinical, but then also just kind of your administrative or day to day work?

[B]

AI is critical. AI is critical. AI makes us a lot more efficient. We're able to use less manpower in the office because we have AI agents that are helping us. Depending on which EMR system you're using or how you incorporate it into your flow. We're definitely much more efficient in the office. Our billing is more efficient because a lot of things are automated. So anything that you can use an algorithm to match up to get production is what fits into the realm of AI. So AI is less fallible than humans with certain things. So certainly efficiency has improved tremendously.

[A]

Yeah. And then Boland, I'd love to hear is, what are two or three more health care trends that you've been following lately?

[B]

So the biggest trend in health care currently is, is the trend of prioritizing prevention as opposed to waiting until you have pathology and being in pain. And then we come up with solutions. Prevention. So prevention looks the form of wellness. So wellness is a huge thing now in medicine, huge thing in orthopedics. So we're studying the way to use IV vitamins, you know, to make our bodies as healthy as possible. A newly emerging field when it comes to longevity. There's the use of peptides in medicine that's becoming bigger and bigger. So that's really the most exciting thing is the wellness realm. And we're diving deeper into that and trying to develop our own protocols and bring more of these treatments to our patients. So I think that's really the biggest thing. And as I mentioned, the minimally invasive techniques when it comes to the technical aspect, surgically. So those two things I would say are the biggest trends in our field.

[A]

Right now in terms of these wellness protocols. You're talking about what has been working at your practice and what are you hoping to grow?

[B]

So I promote wellness. I, I have a vested interest in prevention. I personally, I've been on, on this path for some time. I, I invented a, a core fitness product called 360 Core Board that's been on the market now for about half, half a decade or so. So I've been invested in optimizing the body's performance to minimize the, the risk of injury or, or just to be able to cope with pathology and, and avoid having surgery. And then when it comes to wellness itself, you have to pursue that education independently because it's an emerging field. So this, this is not information we learned during our training. So I've made the effort to attend seminars. I've made trips to try to understand as much as I can within this realm. And the most, the most exciting aspect of wellness is really the use of peptides. And peptides are precursors to hormones. And that's very big when it comes to longevity and having the body work more efficiently as we age because the body tends to become less efficient with senescence, and the peptides are finding ways to minimize the role of senescence and having our cells be more efficient for longer. So it's making anti aging and performance better for longer in life. So that's really a very exciting area that we're diving deeper into.

[A]

That's very well said. And I love how you've worded that too, you know, prioritizing prevention. And last question I had for you is just, you know, what does, how else does growth look like in your work for the next 12 to 24 months? What are your biggest goals for 2026?

[B]

So my goals are very personal when it comes to the structure of my practice. So, you know, I'm a spine surgeon because I'm looking at kind of a more a wider view of orthopedics and trying to be more multidimensional. I'm personally looking to grow my practice to have other dimensions incorporated into my practice beyond spine surgery. So having more pain management, having more sports when it comes to arthroscopy, and having other practitioners join my practice so I can deliver more of these cares to my patients. And also within wellness, I have nurse practitioners who are improving their skills when it comes to delivering a lot of these treatments directly to patients. When it comes to peptides, when it comes to prp. These are all emerging, exciting aspects of medicine and orthopedics specifically. I'm planning to incorporate more and more of these into my practice.

[A]

Well, Bolin, thank you again for joining us on today's podcast. It's great to connect and I hope to see you stay in touch in the future.

[B]

Absolutely. Thanks for having me.