James E. Brewster, DO

Dr. Brewster was born and raised in the Salt Lake Valley and returns as a fellowship-trained spine surgeon with a special interest in minimally invasive spine surgery and complex spinal deformity/scoliosis correction. After graduating from Brighton High School in 2004, he went on to receive his bachelor’s degree from the University of Utah in Chemistry with an emphasis in Biology. After graduating he studied inflammatory arthritis pathways which ultimately lead to his pursuit of a medical degree. He obtained his medical degree from Midwestern University Arizona College of Osteopathic Medicine. During medical school he studied spinal cord crush injury and the effect of different medicinal treatments. In addition, he furthered his anatomy skills as a teacher assistant for the 1st year medical student anatomy classes. During medical school he was the recipient of the Silver TOUCH award for community service, and he has remained committed to volunteering in his community and looks forward to contributing to the Salt Lake Community at this time.

Dr. Brewster completed his orthopedic surgery residency training at OhioHealth Doctors Hospital in Columbus, OH which included services at Grant Medical Center, one of the busiest trauma centers in the country. During residency Dr. Brewster was awarded resident of the year among 25 other residents and during his last year of residency worked as Chief Resident. Throughout residency his focus was on the spine, not only in clinical training, but through multiple clinical research projects and presentations. He then completed his spine surgery fellowship at The Ohio State University in complex and minimally invasive spine surgery.

His approach to spine care is based on the philosophy that every patient has a unique problem, and treatment should be focused on each individual’s specific complaints and symptoms. While the treatment for many patients may be non-operative, if surgery is chosen, Dr. Brewster always seeks to provide patients with the most effective and innovative options. His goal with any patient undergoing surgery forms the basis for his minimally-invasive approach: to cause as little tissue disruption as possible, while still accomplishing the goal of surgery.