Dr. Mark Makumbi Kayanja is an Associate Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center and a Board-certified Orthopaedic spine surgeon with expertise in complex spinal reconstruction, spinal biomechanics, and emerging technologies in spine surgery. His clinical interests include minimally invasive spine surgery, adult and adolescent spinal deformity, spinal trauma and tumors, osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures, disc arthroplasty, and image-guided and robotic-assisted spinal surgery.

Dr. Kayanja completed his initial General Surgery and Orthopaedic Surgery training in Uganda before relocating to the United States. He subsequently completed a research fellowship at the Cleveland Clinic while pursuing a PhD in Biomechanics through a collaborative “sandwich” doctoral program with Mbarara University in Uganda. He then completed a second Orthopaedic Surgery residency and a fellowship in Spine Surgery at the Cleveland Clinic.

His academic and research career has focused on the biomechanical principles underlying spinal disorders and reconstruction, including vertebral compression fractures and augmentation, spinal instrumentation and fixation, spinal alignment, motion preservation, and the development and evaluation of technology-assisted and robotic approaches to spinal surgery. His early work in spine robotics included investigation of bone-mounted robotic guidance for pedicle and translaminar facet screw placement, providing a foundation for his ongoing interest in the integration of biomechanics, navigation, and robotics into spinal surgery.

Dr. Kayanja has authored numerous peer-reviewed publications and presented his research at national and international scientific meetings, including those of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, North American Spine Society, and International Society for the Advancement of Spine Surgery. His work has received peer-reviewed research funding, and he has been recognized for both scientific contributions and humanitarian service.

In addition to his academic and clinical work, Dr. Kayanja remains actively involved in global spine care and education through the Uganda Spine Mission, where he has contributed to the delivery of specialized spine care and the advancement of surgical education.