Spine Executive Vice Chair, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery Program Director, Harvard Combined Orthopaedic Residency Program Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery, Harvard Medical School
Dr. Christopher M. Bono is an experienced adult spine surgeon with particular interest in the management of cervical and lumbar degenerative disorders. He is a national and international leader in spinal research and evidence-based medicine, enabling him to incorporate the latest treatment data into patient discussion for informed surgical decision-making.
Dr. Bono is a board-certified, fellowship-trained adult spine surgeon in the Orthopaedic Spine Center at Massachusetts General Hospital. Dr. Bono obtained his medical degree (MD) from the State University of New York (SUNY) Health Science Center at Brooklyn (now called SUNY Downstate Medical Center). He next completed his orthopaedic residency at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey Medical School (now called Rutgers New Jersey Medical School). Dr. Bono completed a spine surgery fellowship at the University of California, San Diego.
Dr. Bono specializes in cervical spinal stenosis, cervical myelopathy, cervical disc herniations, lumbar spinal stenosis, lumbar disc herniations, and lumbar spondylolisthesis.
Dr. Bono is Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at Harvard Medical School. He is past president of the North American Spine Society (2015-2016) and continues to be quite active in a number of committees. Dr. Bono is the current Editor-in-Chief of The Spine Journal, which holds the highest impact factor among journals dedicated to spine. Dr. Bono is also a member of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, Cervical Spine Research Society, and the International Society for the Study of the Lumbar Spine, holding or having held many leadership positions in these societies as well.
Makanji H, Schoenfeld AJ, Bhalla A, Bono CM. Critical analysis of trends in lumbar fusion for degenerative disorders revisited: influence of technique on fusion rate and clinical outcomes. Eur Spine J. 2018 Mar 15.
Miller LE, McGirt MJ, Garfin SR, Bono CM. Association of Annular Defect Width After Lumbar Discectomy With Risk of Symptom Recurrence and Reoperation: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Comparative Studies. Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 2018 Mar 1;43(5):E308-E315.
Fehlings MG, Kopjar B, Ibrahim A, Tetreault LA, Arnold PM, Defino H, Kale SS, Yoon ST, Barbagallo GM, Bartels RHM, Zhou Q, Vaccaro AR, Zileli M, Tan G, Yukawa Y, Brodke DS, Shaffrey CI, Santos de Moraes O, Woodard EJ, Scerrati M, Tanaka M, Toyone T, Sasso RC, Janssen ME, Gokaslan ZL, Alvarado M, Bolger C, Bono CM, Dekutoski MB. Geographic variations in clinical presentation and outcomes of decompressive surgery in patients with symptomatic degenerative cervical myelopathy: analysis of a prospective, international multicenter cohort study of 757 patients. Spine J. 2018 Apr;18(4):593-605.
Schoenfeld AJ, Sturgeon DJ, Burns CB, Hunt TJ, Bono CM. Establishing benchmarks for the volume-outcome relationship for common lumbar spine surgical procedures. Spine J. 2018 Jan;18(1):22-28.
En'Wezoh DC, Leonard DA, Schoenfeld AJ, Harris MB, Zampini JM, Bono CM. Relationship between size of disc and early postoperative outcomes after lumbar discectomy. Arch Orthop Trauma Surg. 2017 Jun;137(6):805-811.
Reviews: Comments and Ratings
4.9out of 5(105 Ratings, 44 Comments)
April 2025
Yeah, he's one of the best that I've seen. I would recommend him to anybody. Not one want one to just jump under ... put you under the knife and do the best he can help. And right now he's doing the best he can. [redacted] he is one of the best that I've seen.
April 2025
Haven't seen dr Bono in couple years. I owe him my life.i knew when they said I can see him instead of someone else I was in the best hands
April 2025
All positive
April 2025
Great experience.
April 2025
I really appreciate that he fit me in within a week of calling, then had my MRI and follow up scheduled within a week of my initial appointment.
April 2025
very thorough exam, discussion, etc deeply appreciate seeing him
April 2025
Dr. Bono was thorough in his preparation, provided a clear explanation of my condition, and fully answered all of my questions.
April 2025
Doctor Bono is the absolute best!
April 2025
Dr. Bono was very caring. He explained everything very easily to me and my daughter. I felt great compassion from him and in his explanations to us. I feel very confident in his medical ability. His scheduler, [redacted] is absolutely fabulous. She is just so organized and does follow up. I have nothing but positive to say about this office, the ... Read More
Dr. Bono was very caring. He explained everything very easily to me and my daughter. I felt great compassion from him and in his explanations to us. I feel very confident in his medical ability. His scheduler, [redacted] is absolutely fabulous. She is just so organized and does follow up. I have nothing but positive to say about this office, the staff. I would definitely rate a 10. Thank you very much.
April 2025
Very thoughtful, and explains in a way that I understood. Would definitely recommend.
Please join us in congratulating the 13 Mass General orthopaedic surgeons named Top Doctors by Boston magazine for 2022. This impressive achievement is a testament to the commitment of our clinical team to providing safe, high-quality care while ensuring an exceptional patient experience.
Please join us in congratulating the 13 Mass General orthopaedic surgeons named Top Doctors by Boston magazine for 2022. This impressive achievement is a testament to the commitment of our clinical team to providing safe, high-quality care while ensuring an exceptional patient experience.
Please join us in congratulating the 13 Mass General orthopaedic surgeons named Top Doctors by Boston magazine for 2022. This impressive achievement is a testament to the commitment of our clinical team to providing safe, high-quality care while ensuring an exceptional patient experience.
Yeah, he's one of the best that I've seen. I would recommend him to anybody. Not one want one to just jump under ... put you under the knife and do the best he can help. And right now he's doing the best he can. [redacted] he is one of the best that I've seen.
Haven't seen dr Bono in couple years. I owe him my life.i knew when they said I can see him instead of someone else I was in the best hands
All positive
Great experience.
I really appreciate that he fit me in within a week of calling, then had my MRI and follow up scheduled within a week of my initial appointment.
very thorough exam, discussion, etc deeply appreciate seeing him
Dr. Bono was thorough in his preparation, provided a clear explanation of my condition, and fully answered all of my questions.
Doctor Bono is the absolute best!
Dr. Bono was very caring. He explained everything very easily to me and my daughter. I felt great compassion from him and in his explanations to us. I feel very confident in his medical ability. His scheduler, [redacted] is absolutely fabulous. She is just so organized and does follow up. I have nothing but positive to say about this office, the ... Read More
Very thoughtful, and explains in a way that I understood. Would definitely recommend.