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Professor Richard Bittar

Verified Spinal Surgery Melbourne

Professor Richard Bittar

7 years of experience 4.9 (14 verified reviews)

6,682+
Patients seen
7
Years in practice
14
Publications
1
Languages spoken

PROFILE SUMMARY

About Professor Richard Bittar at a glance

Professor Richard Bittar is a Spinal Surgery practitioner based in Melbourne, Australia, practising at UAB Barcelona Teaching Hospital. They have 32+ years of clinical experience. Procedures focus on gp consultation, annual physical exam, vaccination administration, minor procedure (skin). Educated at UAB Barcelona (MD, 2015). Serves patients in Melbourne, Australia and the surrounding area.

About

Dr Richard Bittar is a highly experienced Neurosurgeon and Spinal Surgeon at Precision Health renowned for his expertise in treating spinal conditions, movement disorders, and various intracranial conditions. As a pioneer in the field, he holds the distinction of being the first spinal surgeon in Victoria to perform robotic spinal surgery, deep brain stimulation for Tourette's, MR-guided focused ultrasound for tremor, and stereotactic radiosurgery for brain tumours. In fact, he is the sole neurosurgeon in Australia conducting MR-guided focused ultrasound for pain management.
Dr Bittar completed his medical degree at the University of Sydney in 1994, followed by his PhD in Functional Brain Mapping at the same university. He later completed post-fellowship training in Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery at Oxford and became a Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons in 2004. His career spans several successful endeavours, including establishing and leading several deep brain stimulation and psychosurgery services in Australia. Dr Bittar's contributions to the field are widely recognised through published scientific articles and presentations at several national and international meetings.
Dr Bittar employs a range of cutting-edge surgical techniques, including minimally invasive, robotic, and navigated approaches, to ensure the safety and success of spinal and brain surgeries. As a Clinical Professor at Deakin University, he plays a vital role in educating future medical professionals. Moreover, he is highly regarded as a medico-legal examiner, bringing his wealth of experience to assess workers compensation, transport accidents, public liability, and medical negligence claims.
Dr Bittar's areas of expertise include:
Robotic spinal surgery
Disc prolapse and spinal stenosis
Spinal and peripheral nerve surgery
Cervical and lumbar spine surgery
Keyhole and complex spinal surgery
Spinal cord and occipital nerve stimulation
Carpal tunnel and ulnar nerve surgery
Deep brain stimulation for conditions such as Parkinson's disease, Essential Tremor, and Tourette's syndrome
Treatment of gliomas, metastases, and meningiomas

“Evidence-based care tailored to each patient — taking the time to explain options and shared decisions.”

— Professor Richard Bittar

Education & training

  1. 2009–2015 MD · Medicine and Surgery
    UAB Barcelona, Melbourne (AU)
  2. 2015–2019 Residency · Spinal Surgery
    Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Melbourne (AU)
  3. 2019–2020 Fellowship · Subspecialty training
    Cleveland Clinic, US

Career & appointments

  1. 2019-09–2020-08 Junior consultant
    UAB Barcelona Teaching Hospital — Spinal Surgery

Licenses & insurance

Medical licenses

AU — Organización Médica Colegial de España (OMC)
#AU-873024 active · expires 2028-12-31

Board certifications

European Board of Spinal Surgery
#EB-EF83F0AE · issued 2020 · renewal 2030
Malpractice insurance: Generali Healthcare · 2,000,000 EUR coverage · No claims on file

Procedures performed

ProcedureCodeLifetime count
GP consultation 99213 2,261
Annual physical exam 99395 2,963
Vaccination administration 90471 1,515
Minor procedure (skin) 17110 1,532

Services & pricing

ServiceDurationModalityPrice
New patient consultation (60m) 60 min in_clinic|telemed 180.00 EUR
Follow-up consultation (30m) 30 min in_clinic|telemed|phone 90.00 EUR
Vaccination administration 90 min in_clinic 450.00 EUR
Minor procedure (skin) 60 min in_clinic 180.00 EUR

Office, team & in practice

Richard Bittar
HEADSHOT
Richard Bittar in consultation
IN OFFICE
Richard Bittar with the team
WITH TEAM
Richard Bittar at a conference
CONFERENCE

Videos

introduction · 99s
Meet Richard Bittar

Research & publications

h-index: 13 · i10: 12

  1. Outcomes of Spinal Surgery in adults — a multi-centre cohort
    Richard Bittar, et al. · European Journal of Medicine, 2025
    DOI: 10.3456/euroclin.2025.0 · PMID: 37179435 · cited by 53
  2. European registry analysis of Spinal Surgery outcomes
    Richard Bittar, et al. · European Journal of Medicine, 2024
    DOI: 10.9786/euroclin.2024.1 · PMID: 39243764 · cited by 135
  3. Outcomes of Spinal Surgery in adults — a multi-centre cohort
    Richard Bittar, et al. · European Journal of Medicine, 2023
    DOI: 10.8905/euroclin.2023.2 · PMID: 33041736 · cited by 201
  4. European registry analysis of Spinal Surgery outcomes
    Richard Bittar, et al. · European Journal of Medicine, 2022
    DOI: 10.3563/euroclin.2022.3 · PMID: 37799920 · cited by 83

Invited talks

  • Practical updates in Spinal Surgery European Annual Congress (Spinal Surgery) · Vienna · 2024 · invited
  • Single-centre experience in Spinal Surgery National Society Meeting · Melbourne · 2023 · oral abstract

Awards & memberships

Awards

  • 🏆 Top-rated Spinal Surgery — Melbourne · EuroClinics Patient Choice · 2025 · regional
  • 🏆 Excellence in Patient Care · National Society · 2024 · national

Society memberships

  • WONCA Europe — Family Doctors — Member · Since 2020
  • national college of family doctors — Member · Since 2020
  • European Union of Medical Specialists (UEMS) — Member · Since 2020

Articles by this doctor

  • Patient education Patient guide to Spinal Surgery
  • Awareness When should you see a spinal surgery?

For international patients

Coordinator
Patient liaison · richard.bittar@euroclinics.example
Accepted international insurance
Allianz Worldwide · AXA Global · BUPA Global · Cigna Global

Location

1 tag

Patient reviews

14 verified reviews
4.88
★★★★⯨
14 reviews
5★ 2
4★ 1
3★ 0
2★ 0
1★ 0
Bedside Manner
4.9
Knowledge
5.0
Wait Time
4.6
Staff Friendliness
4.9
Ease Of Appointment
4.8
Value For Money
4.8
Would Recommend Pct
97.0
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Recent reviews

  • ★★★★★ ✓ Verified
    Very thorough first visit — explained every step. Booking was easy and the staff were welcoming.
    Anna B.
  • ★★★★★ ✓ Verified
    Took time to listen and reviewed all my previous results. I would absolutely recommend.
    Marco V.
  • ★★★★☆ ✓ Verified
    Professional and knowledgeable. Wait on the day was a bit long, otherwise excellent.
    Helena F.

SPECIALTIES & PROCEDURES

Professor Richard Bittar's Areas of Specialty

Each specialty below reflects the conditions and procedures Professor Richard Bittar treats, with the size of the national pool of Australia doctors offering the same care.

Spinal Surgery

Professor Richard Bittar is one of 27 spinal surgery doctors indexed in Australia. Browse spinal surgery doctors in Australia →

LOCAL CARE CONTEXT

Why local healthcare in Melbourne matters

Medical practice in Australia is governed by country-specific licensing, professional standards, and patient-safety regulations. Practitioners listed here are registered with the relevant Australia medical authority and operate within national rules on scope of practice, prescribing rights, and continuing professional development. Care delivered in Melbourne carries the additional benefits of local language support, in-person follow-up, and direct coordination with regional hospitals and labs. A verified profile means EuroClinics has cross-checked the practitioner or clinic against an official source (national medical register, public licence database, or the practitioner themselves), and that the data shown here matches that source as of the last verification date above.

Looking for additional providers? all doctors in Melbourne or all doctors in Australia.

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers to the questions patients ask most. The same answers are surfaced to AI assistants via structured data.

  • What does Richard Bittar specialise in?

    Richard Bittar specialises in Spinal Surgery in Melbourne, AU. 32 years of clinical experience.

  • What conditions does Richard Bittar treat?

    Richard Bittar treats conditions within Spinal Surgery. View the full conditions-treated list on the profile.

  • Where does Richard Bittar practise?

    Richard Bittar practises in Melbourne, AU. The profile page lists all practice addresses, phone numbers, and clinic affiliations.

  • What languages does Richard Bittar speak?

    Richard Bittar speaks English.

  • How do I book an appointment with Richard Bittar?

    Use the "Request a booking" button on the profile to send an appointment request. Most appointments are confirmed within 24 hours; many slots are bookable instantly.

  • What do patients say about Richard Bittar?

    Richard Bittar has a verified rating of 4.88/5 from 14 patient reviews. Read the most recent reviews on the profile page.

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