Dr. Scott Leary is a board-certified neurosurgeon and fellowship-trained specialist in complex spine surgery. With expertise in minimally invasive spine surgery, artificial disc replacement, and regenerative medicine, Dr. Leary is dedicated to providing innovative, patient-centered care for spinal disorders, including disc herniation, spinal stenosis, degenerative disc disease, scoliosis, spinal tumors and spinal trauma.
Dr. Leary earned his medical degree from Washington University in St. Louis, where his graduating class was ranked #1 in the United States. He completed his neurosurgery residency and a fellowship in Stereotactic Radiosurgery at the Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center. During his residency, Dr. Leary authored three articles that were featured on the cover of the international journal, Neurosurgery. Further refining his skills, Dr. Leary pursued a second fellowship in complex spine surgery under renowned orthopedic surgeon Dr. John Regan, where he gained expertise in advanced spinal reconstructive techniques and minimally invasive approaches. This unique combination makes Dr. Leary one of a very few neurosurgeons to have completed a neurosurgery residency and an orthopedic complex spine surgery fellowship.
Throughout his career, Dr. Leary has been recognized as one of America’s Top Surgeons. He has been featured on television and in print as an expert on brain tumors and back pain as well as for performing novel surgical procedures. He was honored as a finalist for the Health Care Champion Award for Innovation and Research in San Diego by the San Diego Business Journal. He was selected to be on the cover of the 2009 Scripps Annual Report titled “healing stories”.
On March 5, 2011 Dr. Leary appeared on Fox News Channel’s “Fox & Friends Weekend,” a national program that aired live and was seen by millions of viewers across the country. He discussed the miraculous surgery that saved his patient, John Miksa, from total paralysis. On July 31, 2012 Dr. Leary was featured on the cover of The Union Tribune San Diego Newspaper in the article, Operating With Calm Precision.
Dr. Leary has been featured in San Diego Magazine and Castle Connolly’s Top Doctors list for Neurological Surgery every year since 2017.
He has also been a pioneer in regenerative medicine, introducing stem cell therapy for the treatment of degenerative spinal and joint conditions. Dr. Leary’s dedication to advancing neurosurgery through cutting-edge innovation and compassionate care has made him a trusted expert in his field.
He is committed to helping his patients achieve improved mobility, reduced pain, and a higher quality of life through personalized, state-of-the-art treatment.
READ MORE
For his second fellowship, Dr. Leary focused on complex spine surgery. Here, Dr. Leary gained expertise in minimally-invasive spine surgery, artificial disc replacement surgery, endoscopic spine surgery, dynamic spinal stabilization, and complex spinal reconstructive procedures. This unique combination makes Dr. Leary one of very few neurosurgeons to have completed a neurosurgery residency and an orthopedic complex spine surgery fellowship.
Maintaining his commitment to cutting-edge innovation, Dr. Leary is active in clinical research studies and currently serves as a Principal Investigator for FDA-regulated clinical trials to treat symptomatic degenerative disc disease and spinal stenosis. Additionally, he has introduced a stem cell therapy procedure called Bone Marrow Aspirate Concentrate (BMAC therapy) into his practice that is another ground-breaking treatment for degenerative disc disease.
Since joining Senta Clinic, Division of Neurosurgery, Dr. Leary has been honored as one of America’s Top Surgeons by the Consumers Research Council in 2007, 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018. He has been featured on television and in print as an expert on brain tumors and back pain and for performing novel surgical procedures. He was honored as a finalist for the Health Care Champion Award for Innovation and Research in San Diego by the San Diego Business Journal. The following year, he was selected to be on the cover of the 2009 Scripps Annual Report titled “healing stories.” Dr. Leary has been recognized locally in San Diego Magazine’s Top Doctors— 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2023, and 2024. He has also received the prestigious, peer-nominated Castle Connolly National Top Doctors Award for Neurological Surgery for nine consecutive years, 2017-2025.
Dr. Leary is currently the Chief of Spine Surgery Committee at Scripps Memorial Hospital-La Jolla and is affiliated with Scripps Memorial Hospital (La Jolla and Encinitas), Scripps Mercy Hospital, and Sharp Grossmont Hospital, as well as with University Ambulatory Surgery Center.
