In addition to his clinical practice, Dr. Fessler has been engaged in designing and building new tools for minimally invasive spine surgery. His research focuses on the biomechanics of the spine and he uses the laboratory and computer modeling approaches. His work has also led him to become one of the first spine surgeons to perform human embryonic spinal cord transplantation during a trail with patients who suffered thoracic spine injuries.
Dr. Fessler participated in the Illinois panel to protect stem cell research and founded and directed the Institute for Spine Care at Chicago Institute of Neurosurgery and Neuroresearch. He currently sits on the board of directors for the Society of Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery.
Over the past few years, Dr. Fessler has worked with some high-profile patients, including former Indiana Colts quarterback Peyton Manning. He has served as an honored guest of neurosurgical societies in many countries, including Japan, Mexico, Egypt, South Africa, China and Argentina.
Dr. Fessler earned his medical degree at the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine, where he also completed his residency in neurological surgery. His additional training includes research fellowships in physiatry and neurosurgery at the University of Chicago Medical Center.
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Spine Surgeon Leader to Know: Dr. Richard Fessler of Northwestern University
Written by Laura Miller | May 07, 2012
Richard Fessler, MD, PhD, is a professor of neurosurgery at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and a neurosurgeon at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. He previously served as chief of neurological surgery at the University of Chicago and has been a visiting professor at several universities. Throughout his career, Dr. Fessler has focused on minimally invasive spinal surgery and published several articles on his research in the field.
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