Physician spotlight: Ryan J. Godinsky, MD

Dr. Godinsky appreciates the complexity of spine surgery

A teenaged Ryan Godinsky, growing up in Strongsville, Ohio, thought he wanted to become a doctor. He thought he might someday operate on shoulders and knees, the kind of surgery that he read about with professional athletes. But as he worked his way through medical training, he was pulled in a different direction.

Today, he is Dr. Ryan Godinsky, the newest spine surgeon at Mayfield Brain & Spine. In mid-May, he started serving patients in the practice's new Springboro office, bringing Mayfield's time-tested brand of elite spine care and physical therapy into the Dayton market.

For Dr. Godinsky, he was intrigued by the complexity of treating the spine and the constantly evolving minimally invasive techniques he could use to benefit patients.

"I thought when I was in high school that I wanted to be an orthopedic surgeon, treating athletes and that sort of thing," he says. "During my residency, I concentrated more on spine surgery. I liked that the anatomy is so variable. The intricacies really appealed to me."

Today, Dr. Godinsky's life is as busy as ever. With two young daughters and a new practice to establish in the Dayton area, he isn't finding as much time for "another lifelong passion," time on the golf course. He rides the Peloton when he can, and is helping one daughter develop her tennis game.

Dr. Godinsky met his wife Lisa in medical school at the University of Toledo. Also an Ohio native, Dr. Lisa Godinsky previously practiced at an outpatient clinic in the Cleveland Clinic system. The couple wanted to get back to the Midwest after living the last four years in Arizona, where Dr. Godinsky was a surgeon at the Spine Institute of Arizona.

"Returning to Ohio was important for my wife and me," he says. "We wanted to raise our two daughters in the Midwest. Being closer to friends and family, we felt it would be a great environment for them."

Once that decision was made, connecting with Mayfield made all of the sense in the world to Dr. Godinsky.

"Throughout the country, everybody knows about Mayfield and what it stands for," Dr. Godinsky says.

After earning his medical degree at Toledo, Dr. Godinsky completed his residency in orthopedic surgery at Akron General Medical Center, also part of the Cleveland Clinic system. His interest in spine surgery blossomed there, and continued in the fellowship program at the Spine Institute of Arizona.

Now, he is ensconced at Mayfield Brain & Spine.

"When I first visited Mayfield, it was an impressive experience," he says. "Everything is in place to take excellent care of patients, and I thought to myself, 'This is where I want to practice.'"