About me
Dr. Lemma is a board-certified, fellowship-trained orthopaedic surgeon, specializing in the surgical treatment of cervical, thoracic, and lumbar spine disorders. He sees patients in Bel Air, Rosedale / White Marsh, and in Baltimore at MedStar Union Memorial Hospital. He currently serves as division chief of spine surgery as well as director of minimally invasive spine surgery at MedStar Union Memorial Hospital.
Pursuing a career in orthopaedic surgery seemed a natural fit to Dr. Lemma's background as a mechanical engineer. After completing his residency and fellowship training at the Johns Hopkins Hospital, he served as division chief of Johns Hopkins Orthopaedic and Spine Surgery at Good Samaritan Hospital, prior to transitioning to MedStar Orthopaedic Institute in 2014.
Dr. Lemma's areas of intellectual interest and clinical expertise center around minimally invasive spine surgery. Using tubular retractors in lieu of traditional open surgery, state-of-the-art technologies, and computer-assisted navigation allows Dr. Lemma to deliver to his patients the best solutions with the least amount of invasion. A large portion of his practice also focuses on spinal problems in the elderly, rheumatoid arthritis of the spine, spinal deformity, and revision spinal surgery.
Dr. Lemma remains active in resident and surgeon education, and was honored to be the recipient of the Teacher of the Year Award from the Johns Hopkins University Department of Orthopaedic Surgery in 2014. He has also been involved in developing innovative spine surgical techniques and new technologies and relates his experiences to other surgeons, both from the podium as well as in smaller teaching seminars. It has been a privilege for Dr. Lemma to be listed by both U.S. News and World Report's and Castle Connolly in their lists of Top Doctors in the U.S., as well as being named among the Top 100 Spine Surgeons in the U.S. by Becker's Healthcare. He was repeatedly named a Top Doctor by Baltimore magazine, most recently in 2023.
Read Dr. Lemma's CV.
Conditions I treat:
- Disc herniation with neck or arm symptoms
- Cervical stenosis/myelopathy
- Rheumatoid arthritis in the cervical spine
- Cervical instability
- Cervical trauma
- Spinal tumors in the neck
- Revision cervical surgery
Mid-back (Thoracic):
- Scoliosis
- Complex fractures
- Spinal tumors
Lower back (Lumbar):
- Disc herniation with low back or leg symptoms
- Lumbar spinal stenosis
- Lumbar spondylolisthesis/instability
- Low back pain
- Scoliosis/deformity
- Failed spinal surgery
Procedures I perform:
Neck (Cervical):
- Artificial disc replacement
- ACDF (Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion)
- Stand-alone ACDF (no plate)
- Cervical laminectomy
- Cervical instrumentation/fusion
- C1-2 fusion
Mid and lower back (Thoraco-Lumbar):
Clinical areas of focus
- Cervical Spine Fusion
- Complex Spine Deformities
- Disc Replacement
- Lumbar Spine Fusion
- Myelopathy Surgery
- Robotic Spine Surgery
- Spine Fracture
- Spine Revision
Conditions and procedures
Conditions I treat
- Cauda Equina Syndrome
- Cervical Disc Degeneration
- Cervical Herniated Disc
- Cervical Radiculopathy
- Cervical Spinal Stenosis
- Cervical Spine Fracture
- Complex Spine Deformities
- Failed Back Surgery Syndrome
- Herniated Disc
- Junctional Kyphosis
- Kyphosis
- Lumbar Scoliosis
- Lumbosacral Radiculopathy
- Myelopathy
- Neurogenic Claudication
- Post Laminectomy Kyphosis
- Post Laminectomy Syndrome
- Radiculopathy
- Ruptured Intervertebral Disc
- Sciatica
- Scoliosis
- Spinal Cord Compression
- Spinal Cord Injury
- Spinal Stenosis
- Spine Deformity
- Spine Fracture
- Spondylolisthesis
- Spondylosis With Myelopathy
Procedures I perform
- Artificial Disc Replacement Surgery In The Cervical Spine
- Back Surgery
- Cervical Decompression
- Cervical Laminoplasty
- Cervical Laminotomy
- Cervical Spine Fusion
- Cervical Spine Revision
- Cervical Spine Surgery
- Complex Spine Surgery
- Decompression Laminectomy
- Disc Replacement
- Disc Surgery
- Diskectomy
- Instrumented Anterior Cervical Discectomy, Fusion (ACDF)
- Laminectomy
- Laminoplasty
- Lateral Access Spine Surgery
- Low Back Surgery
- Lumbar Spine Fusion
- Microdiscectomy
- Minimally Invasive Lumbar Discectomy
- Minimally Invasive Spine Fusion
- Myelopathy Surgery
- Occipito Cervical Fusion
- Posterior Cervical Laminectomy And Fusion
- Posterior Lumbar Laminectomy
- Posterior Lumbar Laminectomy With Fusion, Without Instrumentation
- Posterior Lumbar Laminectomy With Instrumentation And Fusion
- Robotic Spine Surgery
- Scoliosis Surgery
- Spinal Cord Surgery
- Spinal Cyst Removal
- Spine Deformity Correction Surgery
- Spine Fusion
- Spine Instrumentation
- Spine Microsurgery
- Spine Reconstruction
- Spine Revision
- Surgery For Sciatica
- Surgical Treatment Of Myelopathy
- Thoracic Laminectomy
- Vertebrae Surgery
Practice locations
Distance from Change LocationEnter your Location
3333 North Calvert Street Suite 655 Baltimore, MD, 21218
410-554-2175miles away
Insurance
MedStar Health accepts most major health insurance plans. If you are uncertain as to whether your individual health insurance plan is accepted at MedStar Health, please call your insurance company.
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List of insurance plans we accept
- Blue Choice Advantage & Healthy Blue (HMO, POS)
- UnitedHealthcare and AARP Medicare Complete Plans/ UHC Group Medicare Advantage Plans HMO, POS, PPO
- United Healthcare Options (PPO) (includes Empire PPO, GEHA, Compass Rose)
- CFBCBS Federal Employee Program (Std/Basic PPO/Blue Focus)
- Medicare Fee for Service
- Aetna Better Health of Maryland
- Kaiser Permanente Signature
- Kaiser PermanenteSelect-Added Choice
- Cigna HealthSpring Medicare Advantage
- Kaiser Permanente Medicare Plus (Medicare Supplemental Plan)
- Kaiser Permanente Select
- Kaiser MD Medicaid MCO
- Kaiser Virginia Premier
- Kaiser Permanente Signature-Added Choice
- Kaiser Permanente Flexible Choice POS
- UnitedHealthcare Medicare Adv/Special Needs Plans
- Private Health Care Systems (PHCS) (PPO)
- UHC Community Plan of MD
- CFBCBS EPO
- Aetna Innovations: HMO & EPO Plus
- Select HMO/HealthFund/Health Network
- Aetna HMO
- Open POS II
- Innovation Health: Open POS Plus
- Choice POS & Choice POS II
- Aetna Managed Choice Open Access (POS)
- Open EPO Plus
- Opoen HMO Option
- Open HMO
- Innovation Health: POS
- Aetna HMO-Open Access/Select OA/HealthFund/Health Network Option OA
- Innovation Health: Open Network Only Plus
- Aetna Elect Choice/ Open Access (POS)
- Innovation Health: POS Plus
- Aetna Managed Choice (POS)
- Innovation Health: PPO
- Aetna Open Choice (PPO)
- Innovation Health: Indemnity
- Aetna Traditional Choice (PPO)
- BlueChoice Open Access
- CFBCBS Blue Choice Opt Out Open Access
- HealthyBlue PPO
- CFBSBC Blue Preferred PPO
- Choice Fund PPO
- PPO and PPO Plus
- CIGNA EPO
- POS OA & OA Plus
- Network OA
- CIGNA HMO Open Access (OA)
- United Healthcare Choice
- Coventry Health Care National Network PPO
- Aetna Worker's Compensation Network
- Mamsi Life & Health (Indem./PPO)
- Optimum Choice Preferred (POS) & OCI Direct (HMO)
- M.D. IPA Preferred (POS)
- M.D. IPA (HMO)
- United Student Resources
- United Healthcare Choice Plus
- United Healthcare Select Plus (POS)
- United Healthcare Select HMO - EPO/NPP
- MedStar Select (MedStar Associates' Plan)
- MedStar Family Choice - Maryland Health Choice
- Tricare for Life (Medicare Supplemental Plan)
- Tricare Prime
- FIRST HEALTH
- First Health PPO
- Coventry of Delaware HMO/PPO
- Coventry Health Care of Virginia
- CIGNA Indemnity
- Great-West Healthcare POS/CIGNA
- CIGNA POS/Network POS
- CIGNA HMO & Network (HMO)
- CFBCBS (NCA) Indemnity
- CFBCBS Maryland Indemnity or PPO
- CFBCBS Maryland Point of Service Plan (MPOS)
- CFBCBS Blue Choice Opt Out Plus Open Access (POS)
- CFBCBS BlueChoice HMO
- Aetna Medicare Advantage HMO & PPO Plans
- Aetna Student Health Insurance
- Aetna Quality Point of Service (POS)
- Aetna Elect Choice/ EPO (Aetna Health Fund) Innovation Health: Network Only Plus
Videos
Education
Board Certification: American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery, Orthopaedic Surgery
Fellowship: Johns Hopkins University (2003)
Residency: Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine (2002)
Medical School: Case Western Reserve University School of Dentistry Office of the Registrar (1997)
Awards
- 2015-2021, 2023 Baltimore Magazine Top Doctors
- 2015-2016 Best Doctors in America
- 2014 Teacher of the Year Award, Johns Hopkins University, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery
- 2014 Becker's Top Spine Surgeons in the US
- 2011 Becker's Top 100 Spine Surgeons in the US