Meet Dr. Kubeck

head shot of orthopedic surgeon dr. justin kubeck

Dr. Kubeck was recently honored as one of New Jersey’s top Spine Minimally Invasive Surgeons by New Jersey Monthly! Click here to download the article.

Building a relationship of trust.

According to Justin Kubeck, MD, alleviating pain is the business he is in.

“When people hear that you’re a spine surgeon, they automatically think you’re in the business of operating on people,” Dr. Kubeck said, “but that’s just not accurate.”

Dr. Kubeck went on to explain that although people can usually live with certain disabilities, it’s very difficult to live with constant pain. Pain, he said, is what ultimately drives people to the spine surgeon. Dr. Kubeck added that when a patient first comes to see him, they automatically think he is going to suggest surgery.

“I always tell new patients that we need to see what makes sense for their individual circumstances – whether it’s medication, or therapy, or ultimately, surgery,” Dr. Kubeck explained. “There is a protocol that I follow; I don’t ever just go in and do surgery.”

Dr. Kubeck;s signature approach to spinal care is something he refers to as the Precision Procedure,

“For me, developing the best treatment plan for an individual patient is very proceduralized,” he said. “Once we determine the problem, then I say ‘Here’s what you can expect, here are your options, and here is what we will decide together.’”

In addition to alleviating pain, Dr. Kubeck also believes his job description includes alleviating fear.

“I see it in patients’ eyes when they walk in – they are afraid,” he said. “They’re afraid of the pain, they’re afraid of the surgery, they’re afraid they will never get back to normal.

“My job is to understand their fear and help them to trust that I have their best interests at heart.”

One of the ways Dr. Kubeck does this is by being very transparent with his patients and getting them involved in the process.

“If they know what is going on and remain engaged with their care then their fears go down dramatically,” he explained. “My patients get to know me and we build a relationship – that’s how we build trust, and trust facilitates healing.”

When asked what message he would like his patients to take away from their first visit, Dr. Kubeck answered one word:

Hope.

“I want my patients to know that they CAN get their lives back and live without pain,” he said.

Education & Training

Medical Degree
Jefferson Medical College
Philadelphia, PA

Spine Surgery Fellow under Steve Garfin, MD
University of California
San Diego, CA

Master’s Degree
Business Administration
Jack Welch Management Institute at Strayer University

Bachelor of Science Degree, Cum Laude
Double major in Biology and Theology
University of Scranton
Scranton, PA

Credentials

AAOS Board Certification
AAOS Fellow

Hospital Affiliations

Ocean Medical Center
Brick, NJ
Riverview Medical Center
Red Bank, NJ
Raritan Bay Hospital
Old Bridge, NJ

Honors

Selected as an Executive Chief Resident, representing his class
Selected to represent the Department of Orthopedic Surgery on the GME Sub-Committee
Residency Program liaison to the AAOS

Publications

Anatomy of the Cervical Spine. Kubeck JP, Vaccaro AR, Rauschning W. Spinal Arthroplasty: The Preservation of Motion, 2007.

Anatomy of the Lumbar Spine. Kubeck JP, Vaccarol AR, Rauschning W. Spinal Arthroplasty: The Preservation of Motion, 2007.

Pediatric Orthopedic Emergencies. Sabet, H. Nwosa, C. Kubeck, J. Stracher, M and Splain, S. Emergency Medicine, 2006.

End Organ Effects of High Dose Human Equivalent Methylprednisolone in a Spinal Cord Injury Rat Model. JP Kubeck, S Mathur, K Majid, M Brkaric, A Merola. Spine 2006. Feb 1; 31 (3):257-261.

Surfing for Scoliosis: The Quality of Information on the Internet. M Brkaric, JP Kubeck, S Mathur, N Shanti, K Majid, A Merola.. Spine 2005. Dec 1; 30 (23): 2695-700.

Anterior Thoracotomy and Corpectomy for Treatment of an Unstable Burst Fracture. Quartararo LG, Carbone JJ, Kubeck JP, Saxena A, Vaccaro AR . Fractures of the Cervical Thoracic and Lumbar Spine, 2003.

Atlantoaxial Rotatory Instability. Vaccaro AR, Silber JS, Kubeck JP, Milam RA, Bassewitz HL, Herkowitz HN. Fractures of the Cervical Thoracic and Lumbar Spine, 2003.

Surgical Complications Related to the Management of Traumatic Spinal Injuries. Ghanayem AJ, Vaccaro AR, Kubeck JP, Blam OG. Fractures of the Cervical Thoracic and Lumbar Spine, 2003.

Spino-Pelvic Fixation Techniques. Quartararo LG, Kubeck JP, Carbone JJ, Vaccaro AR. Fractures of the Cervical Thoracic and Lumbar Spine, 2003.

Presentations & Posters

Lumbar Sagittal Plane Alignment with Respect to InstrumentationType and Surgical Technique. Merola A, Newton P, O’Brien M, Haher T, Lowe T, Lenke L, Clements D, Betz R, Crawford A , Sponseller P, Sucato D, Lonner B, Kubeck JP, Caruso S, Shanti N

Poster presentation, 12^th International Meeting on Advanced Spine Techniques Vancouver, Canada 2005
Poster presentation, 40^th Annual Scoliosis Research Society in Miami, 2005

End Organ Effects of High Dose Human Equivalent Methylprednisolone in a Spinal Cord Injury Rat Model. Kubeck JP, Mathur S, Majid K, Brkaric M, Merola A.

Poster presentation, 11^th International Meeting on Advanced Spine Techniques Southhampton, Bermuda July 2004
Podium Presentation at the 39^th Annual Scoliosis Research Society Meeting in Buenos Aires, Argentina, September 2004.
Accepted for publication into Spine, 2005.

Surfing for Scoliosis: The Quality of Information on the Internet. Brkaric M, Kubeck JP, Mathur S, Shanti N, Paulino C, Majid K, Merola A.

Presented at the 39^th Annual Scoliosis Research Society Meeting in Buenos Aires, Argentina, September 2004
Presented at the American Academy of Orthopedics annual meeting February 2005.
Accepted for publication into Spine, 2005

Aggrecan Gene Polymorphism as a Genetic Marker for Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis. Mathur S, Merola A, Kubeck JP, Majid K, Brkaric M, Paulino C.

Podium Presentation at the 39^th Annual Scoliosis Research Society Meeting in Buenos Aires, Argentina, September 2004

Merola A, Mathur S, Kubeck JP, Brkaric M, Haher T, Espat J. Mutations in exon 12 of the aggrecan gene and the phenotypic manifestations in idiopathic scoliosis.

Paper presentation at the Scoliosis Research Society 2003.
Finalist for Hibbs Award in Basic Science.