About Dr. Foley
Dr. David P. Foley is a fellowship-trained, board-eligible spine surgeon specializing in minimally invasive spine surgery (MIS), motion preservation, cervical spine, and spinal deformity. He proudly serves patients in Austin, Texas and the surrounding Hill Country communities.
A native of Austin, Dr. Foley’s path back home is a personal one. He attended Lake Travis High School, where he was a starting wide receiver on the football program’s first-ever state championship team — an early lesson in discipline, teamwork, and the pursuit of excellence that continues to shape how he practices medicine today. He then pursued a business degree at The University of Texas at Austin, with a subsequent stint as an investment analyst prior to developing a passion for medicine.
Dr. Foley completed prestigious fellowship training at the Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) in New York, consistently ranked as the top orthopedic hospital in the world. There, he trained under some of the most respected names in spine surgery, including Dr. Sheeraz Qureshi (minimally invasive surgery), Dr. Todd Albert (cervical spine), and Dr. Han Jo Kim (complex deformity). Prior to that, he trained in Indianapolis under Dr. Rick Sasso, one of the foremost authorities in cervical spine surgery, particularly disc arthroplasty and reconstruction. As a resident, he was elected to serve as Chief Resident of the Department of Orthopedic Surgery and won the resident clinical research award. As a medical student, he achieved honors in every course throughout his education and was elected as a junior to the Alpha Omega Alpha (AOA) Honor Society (top 5% of class).
Dr. Foley is an active member of the Texas Medical Association (TMA), the Cervical Spine Research Society (CSRS), the North American Spine Society (NASS), the Lumbar Spine Research Society (LSRS), and AO Spine. He is a well-published researcher in the field of spine surgery, with a particular focus on cervical disc arthroplasty and emerging technologies. He has given speeches internationally on motion preservation, deformity correction, and minimally invasive surgery. Dr. Foley has additionally volunteered his time as a reviewer for multiple clinical spine journals.
A Modern Approach to Care
Dr. Foley believes the best outcomes come from a conservative, thoughtful approach to spine care — one built on shared decision-making between surgeon and patient. Surgery is never the first or only conversation; it’s a partnership grounded in listening, education, and mutual trust. When surgery is decided on, his priority is to perform the least invasive surgery and preserve the body’s natural motion whenever possible. By doing so, patients will have less postoperative pain and avoid larger procedures that frequently provide them little additional benefit. He runs a personalized practice designed around individual attention, timely access, and continuity of care from the first visit through full recovery.
Dr. Foley is now welcoming new patients in Austin, Texas.
Areas of Specialty
Dr. Foley’s areas of specialty include:
Neck
- Anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF)
- Cervical disc arthroplasty/replacement
- Posterior cervical laminectomy and fusion
- Laminoplasty
- Cervical foraminotomy
Back
- Robotic MIS transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF)
- MIS lumbar laminectomy
- MIS lumbar microdiscectomy
- Lateral lumbar interbody fusion
- Anterior lumbar interbody fusion
- Lumbar disc arthroplasty/replacement
Deformity
- Deformity correction and instrumented fusion
Education
Undergraduate
Bachelor of Business Administration, Finance/Investment Management
The McCombs School of Business at The University of Texas at Austin
Austin, TX
Master’s Degree
Master of Business Administration, Healthcare Operations Management
Texas Tech University Rawls College of Business
Lubbock, TX
Medical Degree
Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, School of Medicine
Lubbock, TX
Residency
Indiana University School of Medicine, Department of Orthopedic Surgery Residency Program
Indianapolis, IN
Fellowship
Hospital for Special Surgery, Weill Cornell Medical College, Spine Surgery Fellowship
New York, NY
Select Publications
- Foley DP, Qureshi SA. The Surgeon’s Dilemma: The Economic Implications of Sustaining versus Disruptive Innovations. Spine Economics: Examining Costs, Outcomes, and Value. (1st Edition, Chapter 27) Springer Nature.
- Foley DP, Sasso WR, Ye JY, Sasso RC, et al. 20-year radiographic outcomes following single level cervical disc arthroplasty: Results from a prospective randomized controlled trial. Spine (Phila Pa 1976). December 2023.
- Foley DP, Hardacker P, McCarthy M. Emerging Technologies within Spine Surgery. Life. October 2023.
- Suryavanshi J, Foley DP, McCarthy MH. Artificial Intelligence in Spinal Deformity. Journal of Orthopedic Reports. May 2024.
- Sasso WR, Ye J, Foley DP, Vinayek S, Sasso RC. 20-year Clinical Outcomes of Cervical Disc Arthroplasty: A Prospective, Randomized, Controlled Trial. Spine (Phila Pa 1976). August 2023.
Office Location
Dr. Foley sees patients at AOI’s Austin location.
Insurance
Dr. Foley accepts most major insurance plans. Please contact our office at (512) 856-1000 to verify your specific coverage.