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Thomas Kuivila

Thomas Kuivila, MD

Pediatric Orthopedic Surgery

Online booking
Accepting New Patients
Need help scheduling? Call (216) 444-2606

Highlights

Age Groups Seen

  • Child
  • Adolescent

Languages

  • English

Gender

Male

About

Biography

Thomas Kuivila, MD, is Staff Physician, Pediatric Orthopaedic Surgery, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at Cleveland Clinic. He is the Vice Chair for Education of the Orthopaedic & Rheumatologic Institute and is the Residency Program Director in Orthopaedic Surgery.
 
Dr. Kuivila’s special interests include congenital and developmental spinal disorders to include scoliosis, kyphosis and spondylolysis and listhesis. He is also an expert in pediatric orthopaedic traumatology. His research interests include bioabsorbable fixation and minimally invasive scoliosis surgery. 

He did his orthopaedic surgery residency at Cleveland Clinic, served as an A-O international orthopaedic traumatology fellow in Graz, Austria and was a pediatric orthopaedic surgery fellow at Brown University and Rhode Island Hospital in Providence, R.I. Dr. Kuivila then spent six years in the United States Air Force Medical Corps. There, he served as Orthopaedic Department Chairman at Keesler U.S.A.F. Medical Center in Biloxi, Miss., and subsequently as the Chief of Pediatric Orthopaedic Surgery at Wilford Hall U.S.A.F. Medical Center in San Antonio, Tex.

 While in San Antonio, he was also the U.S.A.F. residency program director in orthopaedic surgery and a consultant to the Air Force Surgeon General. Dr. Kuivila brings to the department considerable experience and expertise in the management of complex acquired and congenital pediatric and adolescent orthopaedic disorders of the spine and extremities.

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Locations

  1. Beachwood Family Health and Surgery Center
    • Phone:
    • Fax:
  2. A Building - Crile Building
    • Phone:
    • Fax:

Education & Board Certifications

Education

  • Fellowship: Brown University School of Medicine - Rhode Island Hospital, 1989
  • Residency: Cleveland Clinic, 1988
  • Fellowship: Universitätsklinik für Unfallchirurgie , 1987
  • Internship: Cleveland Clinic, 1984
  • Medical Education: Oregon Health Sciences University School of Medicine, 1983
  • Undergraduate: Oregon State University, 1979

Board Certifications

  • Orthopaedic Surgery: American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery, 1991

Professional Highlights

  • Director, Orthopaedic Surgery Residency Program, Cleveland Clinic
  • Distinguished Teaching Award, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery
  • Golden Apple Teaching Award

Awards

Best Doctors in America, Pediatric Orthopaedic Surgery, 2003-2011

Professional Memberships

American Orthopaedic Association; Fellow, American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons; Pediatric Orthopaedic Society of North America; Fellow, American College of Surgeons; Society of Military Orthopaedic Surgeons

Research & Publications

See publications for this provider. (Disclaimer: This search is powered by PubMed, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine. PubMed is a third-party website with no affiliation with Cleveland Clinic.)

Industry Relationships

Cleveland Clinic physicians and scientists collaborate with industry to advance medical breakthroughs. These partnerships help commercialize discoveries for public benefit while maintaining scientific integrity. To ensure transparency and minimize potential bias, Cleveland Clinic reviews these relationships and publicly discloses when physicians/scientists receive significant compensation for consulting, serve in fiduciary roles, receive royalties, or hold equity interests related to their work. We manage potential conflicts through approval processes, annual reporting, and targeted management plans.

As of 2026-01-05, Dr. Kuivila has reported no financial relationship with industry that is applicable to this listing.

In general, patients should feel free to contact their doctor about any of the relationships and how the relationships are overseen by Cleveland Clinic. To learn more about Cleveland Clinic's policies on collaborations with industry and innovation management, go to our Integrity in Innovation page.

Public Health Service-Reportable Financial Conflicts of Interest. Cleveland Clinic scientists and physicians engage in basic, translational and clinical research activities, working to solve health problems, enhance patient care and improve quality of life for patients. Interactions with industry are essential to bringing the researchers' discoveries to the public, but can present the potential for conflicts of interest related to their research activities. Click here to view a listing of instances where Cleveland Clinic has identified a Public Health Service (PHS)-Reportable Financial Conflict of Interest and has put measures in place to ensure that, to the extent possible, the design, conduct and reporting of the research is free from bias.

* Cleveland Clinic physicians and scientists subscribe to the guidance presented in the PhRMA Code on Interactions with Healthcare Professionals and the AdvaMed Code of Ethics on Interactions with Health Care Professionals. As such, gifts of substantial value are generally prohibited.

Insurances Accepted

Review a list of accepted insurance plans for our Northeast Ohio locations or learn more about purchasing a contracted managed care plan.

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