Dr. Varma was a multi-sport athlete in high school, where he played baseball, basketball, football, wrestling, and water-polo at the varsity level and was recognized with several individual awards, including a prestigious scholar athlete award. He went on to attend Cornell University in the Ivy League, where he was a 4-year varsity Division baseball player, earned a starting position, and voted by his teammates to receive the Ted Thoren award, named after the Hall of Fame Coach. While at Cornell he competed against Division-I programs throughout the northeast as well as Florida, Texas, and California. Currently, he enjoys running, biking, basketball, skiing, snowboarding, and yoga.
His special interest in sports led him to pursue an extra year of fellowship training in Sports Medicine. Although this is not a requirement for training in spine surgery, Dr. Varma felt that this experience, which included treating college and professional athletes, would add further depth to his understanding of how to comprehensively treat spine patients. Dr. Varma understands the important role physical activity plays in a patient’s overall health and well-being. For patients with spine conditions, returning to activity is an important consideration in developing a comprehensive, individualized plan, whether or not they require surgery.
