344 spine surgeons to know — 2016

Here are 341 spine surgeons to know.

If you have questions or would like to recommend additional spine surgeons for the list, please contact Anuja Vaidya at avaidya@beckershealthcare.com.

 

William Abdu, MD (Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Lebanon, N.H.). Dr. Abdu is a board-certified orthopedic spine surgeon. He serves as an associate professor of orthopedics at Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth in Hanover, N.H., and as the medical director of the spine center at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center. Dr. Abdu is also a member of the International Society for the Study of the Lumbar Spine. Specializing in degenerative disorders of the cervical, thoracic and lumbar spine, Dr. Abdu treats disc herniation, lumbar spinal stenosis, spondylolisthesis, cervical radiculopathy and myelopathy and spinal trauma disorders. Dr. Abdu completed his spine surgery fellowship at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland.

 

Mohamed Abdulhamid, MD (Arizona Brain & Spine Center, Phoenix). Dr. Abdulhamid is a neurosurgeon specializing in treatment of brain and spine disorders. His clinical interests include intraoperative image guidance and navigation, stereotactic radiosurgery and minimally invasive surgery. Dr. Abdulhamid was a spine research fellow at SUNY Upstate Medical University in Syracuse, N.Y. He completed a complex spine surgery fellowship at the University of Miami, Miller School of Medicine.

 

David J. Abraham, MD (The Reading Neck & Spine Center, Wyomissing, Pa.). Board-certified orthopedic surgeon Dr. Abraham is affiliated with the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, North American Spine Society and the Pennsylvania Orthopedic Society. He performs spinal fusion, spinal reconstructive surgery and herniated disc surgery, among other procedures. Dr. Abraham completed a residency at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia and a fellowship in Detroit.

 

Behrooz A. Akbarnia, MD (San Diego Center for Spinal Disorders, La Jolla, Calif.). Dr. Akbarnia founded the San Diego Center for Spinal Disorders, for which he served as medical director. Dr. Akbarnia transitioned to a research-focused role in 2014. He is the president of the San Diego Spine Foundation and a clinical professor in orthopedic surgery at the University of California, San Diego. Dr. Akbarnia heads the Growing Spine Study Group and founded the Growing Spine Foundation. He previously served as the president of the Scoliosis Research Society, and has published more than 200 pieces on his research. Dr. Akbarnia completed the John H. Moe Scoliosis Fellowship Program.

 

Todd Albert, MD (Hospital for Special Surgery, New York). Dr. Albert serves as surgeon-in-chief and medical director, as well as Korein-Wilson professor of orthopedic surgery at Hospital for Special Surgery. He is also the chairman of the orthopedic surgery department and an orthopedic surgery professor at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York. He is past president of The Cervical Spine Research Society and previously served as chair of The International Meeting of Advanced Spinal Techniques for the Scoliosis Research Society. Dr. Albert completed his spinal surgery fellowship at the Minnesota Spine Center in Minneapolis.

 

Juan Alzate, MD (The American Center for Spine & Neurosurgery, Libertyville, Ill.). Board-certified neurosurgeon Dr. Alzate specializes in minimally invasive spine surgery, complex and minimally invasive endoscopic cranial-base surgery and chiari malformations. Dr. Alzate has published many journal articles, authored several book chapters and has spoken at numerous conferences both in the United States and Colombia. Dr. Alzate was a research scholar at the Free University in Berlin, Germany and at George Washington University in Washington, D.C., with a focus on endoscopic approaches to the brain and spine. Dr. Alzate completed his neurosurgery residency at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City.

 

Christopher P. Ames, MD (University of California, San Francisco). Dr. Ames serves as the director of spine tumor and spinal deformity surgery, co-director of spinal surgery and the UCSF Spine Center and director of the Spinal Biomechanics Laboratory. He is also the UCSF site director for the International Spinal Deformity Study Group, AO Scoli-Risk Study and directs the neurosurgical deformity service. Dr. Ames published the transpedicular approach to cervical and cervical thoracic tumors. The Scoliosis Research Society has recognized his spinal deformity research with its Hibbs award, Moe award, Goldstein award and Whitecloud awards. Dr. Ames completed his spine fellowship at the Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix.

 

Beejal Amin, MD (Loyola Medicine, Maywood, Ill.). Dr. Amin serves as an assistant professor at Loyola Medicine as well as the quality medical director of neurological surgery. His clinical interests include complex spinal disorders, lumbar disc surgery and minimally invasive spine surgery, among others. He published research on four-level minimally invasive lateral interbody fusion for degenerative scoliosis treatment, among other topics. Neurosurgical Focus among other journals have published his work. Dr. Amin completed his complex spine surgery fellowship at the University of California at San Francisco Medical Center.

 

Howard An, MD (Rush University Medical Center, Chicago). Dr. An is the Morton International Endowed Chair at Rush University Medical Center. He serves as director of spine surgery and the spine fellowship program at Rush. His was president of the International Society for the Study of the Lumbar Spine in 2010. Dr. An has received traveling fellowships from the American Orthopaedic Association and the Scoliosis Research Society. Dr. An researches spinal biomechanics and tissue engineering. He completed his spine surgery fellowship at Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia.

 

Neel Anand, MD (Cedars-Sinai Spine Center, Los Angeles). Dr. Anand is the director of spine trauma at the Cedars-Sinai Spine Center and has served as principle for various FDA investigational device exemptions cases. The Journal of Spinal Disorders, Journal of Orthopedic Trauma, Spine and Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery have all published his research. Dr. Anand completed his reconstructive spinal surgery fellowship at the University of Florida Spinal Health Centers in Gainesville, and his scoliosis and trauma fellowships at the Hospital for Special Surgery, Cornell University in New York.

 

D. Greg Anderson, MD (Rothman Institute, Philadelphia). Serving as both an orthopedics and neurosurgical surgery professor at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, Dr. Anderson is also the clinical director of the spine section of the Orthopaedic Research Laboratory at the university. He is a founding member and president of the Society for Minimally Invasive Spinal Surgery. Dr. Anderson received the ABC Traveling Fellow of American Orthopaedic Association in 2011. Dr. Anderson completed his spinal surgery fellowship at Thomas Jefferson University.

 

Paul Anderson, MD (UW Health, Madison). Dr. Anderson serves on the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health faculty. Specializing in spinal trauma and complex cervical spine disorders, Dr. Anderson has been named to the "Best Doctors in America" list in 2011, 2013 and 2014. Dr. Anderson completed his fellowship at Case Western Reserve in Cleveland.

 

Gunnar Andersson, MD, PhD (Rush University Medical Center, Chicago). Dr. Andersson is The Ronald L. DeWald, M.D. Professor and Chairman Emeritus of orthopedic surgery at Rush University Medical Center. He recently researched disc degeneration with funds from the National Institutes of Health. Co-president of the International Society for the Advancement of Spine Surgery, Dr. Andersson serves as a council member of the National Institutes of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases at NIH. Dr. Andersson is editor-in-chief of Spinal News International, deputy editor of Spine, founding editor of Contemporary Spine Surgery and associate editor of Clinical Biomechanics. He has authored more than 320 publications, 160 books/chapters and 530 abstracts. Dr. Andersson completed his fellowship at London Hospital.

 

Carmina F. Angeles, MD, PhD (NeuroSpine Institute, Eugene, Ore.). Dr. Angeles is a neurosurgeon specializing in disc herniation, lumbar stenosis and degenerative spinal conditions. She has assisted in FDA-approved clinical trials with Medtronic devices. A member of Oregon Medical Association, Dr. Angeles is also affiliated with American Association of Neurological Surgeons and North American Spine Society. Dr. Angeles completed her spine fellowship at Stanford University Medical Center in Palo Alto, Calif.

 

Ali Araghi, DO (The CORE Institute, Phoenix). Dr. Araghi serves as deputy editor of the Spine Arthroplasty Journal and associate editor of the Spine Journal. He also sits on the board of directors for the American Board of Spine Surgery. PHOENIX Magazine named him a "Top Doctor" in 2011. He has participated in many investigational clinical studies and written for various publications. Dr. Araghi completed his orthopedic spine surgery fellowship at Texas Back Institute. He also completed an advanced spine training fellowship in Germany under Professor Jurgen Harms.

 

Vincent Arlet, MD (Penn Orthopaedics, Philadelphia). Dr. Arlet serves as chief of orthopedic spine surgery at Penn Medicine, orthopedic surgery professor at the Pennsylvania Hospital and a neurosurgery professor. He serves as the chair of the Medical Advisory Board: Foundation of Complex Orthopaedic and Spine, and previously served on two committees for the Scoliosis Research Society. Dr. Arlet completed his fellowship at Paris University School of Medicine.

 

Henry Aryan, MD (Sierra Pacific Orthopedics, Fresno, Calif.). Dr. Aryan is a neurosurgery clinical professor at UC San Francisco. Author of more than 75 publications, Dr. Aryan also has written book chapters and textbooks on spine and brain disorders. Dr. Aryan is a founding member of both the International Neurosurgery Children's Association and Society for Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery. He also serves as a diplomate for the American Board of Neurological Surgery. Dr. Aryan completed a complex spinal disorders and neurospinal oncology fellowship at UC San Francisco Medical Center.

 

Ali A. Baaj, MD (Weill Cornell Medicine, New York). Dr. Baaj serves as an assistant attending neurological surgeon at NewYork–Presbyterian Hospital. He is also an assistant professor of neurological surgery at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York. In 2013 and 2014, Dr. Baaj was the neurosurgery faculty recipient of the Humanism in Medicine award at the University of Arizona in Tucson. He serves as a peer reviewer for European Spine Journal and International Journal of Spine Surgery. He is the lead editor of the 'Handbook of Spine Surgery.' Dr. Baaj completed his fellowship at John Hopkins University in Baltimore.

 

Neil Badlani, MD, MBA (The Orthopedic Sports Clinic, Houston). American Academy of Sports Medicine, Western Orthopaedic Association and Combined Orthopaedic Research Societies of the USA, Canada, Japan ad Europe have recognized Dr. Badlani's research. His research interests include orthopedic surgery and the financial side of medicine. He serves as a reviewer for The Spine Journal and The International Journal of Spine Surgery, and has authored book chapters on spine surgery. Dr. Badlani completed his adult and pediatric spine surgery fellowships at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago.

 

Hyun Bae, MD (Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles). As the director of spine education at Cedars-Sinai Spine Center, Dr. Bae helped pioneer using growth factor tissue engineering for intervertebral discs, multilevel artificial disc replacement for the lumbar and cervical spine. He has presented his research both nationally and internationally, and has written many pieces published in journals. Dr. Bae completed his spine fellowship at Case Western Reserve Hospital in Cleveland.

 

Paul Baek, MD (BayCare Clinic, Wisconsin). Dr. Baek began BayClare Clinic in Green Bay, Wis., in 1998. Affiliated with American Association of Neurological Surgeons, Dr. Baek is also a member of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons. He served in the U.S. Navy from 1995 to 1998. He specializes in pediatric neurosurgery. Dr. Baek completed his neurological surgery residency at Medical College of Wisconsin Affiliated Hospitals in Milwaukee.

 

Bradley Bagan, MD (The American Center for Spine & Neurosurgery, Libertyville, Ill.). Dr. Bagan is a board-certified neurosurgeon, specializing in minimally invasive spine surgery, 3D neuro-navigation technologies, cervical and lumbar fusions and brain and spinal tumors. Dr. Bagan has published many articles in journals as well as several book chapters. He is a member of the North American Spine Society as well as the Congress of Neurological Surgeons. Dr. Bagan completed his residency at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago.

 

Carlos A. Bagley, MD (Duke University Medical Center, Durham, N.C.). Dr. Bagley serves as an assistant professor of surgery at Duke University School of Medicine and sees patients at Duke University Medical Center. His work has been published in Journal of Neurosurgery, Neurosurgery and Journal of Spinal Disorders & Techniques among other publications. Dr. Bagley has been named "One of America’s Leading Experts" on spinal cord cancer and a "Top 10 Doctor" in Raleigh, N.C. Dr. Bagley completed his fellowship at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore.

 

Richard Balderston, MD, (Philadelphia Spine Center). Dr. Balderston serves as chief of spine surgery at Pennsylvania Hospital in Philadelphia and a clinical orthopedic surgery professor at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. His expertise lies in disc replacement surgery, with the ProDisc Total Disc Replacement Surgery. Recognized on the "Best Doctors in America" list by Best Doctors, Dr. Balderston was also named a "Top Doctor" by Philadelphia Magazine. Dr. Balderston completed his fellowship at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis.

 

Robert J. Banco, MD (Newton-Wellesley Hospital, Newton, Mass.). Board-certified orthopedic surgeon Dr. Banco sees patients at his private practice in Wellesley, Mass., and performs surgery at Newton-Wellesley Hospital. He also serves as an associate clinical professor at Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston. Spine, The Spine Journal and the American Journal of Orthopedics, among other publications, have published his work. Named to Castle Connolly's "Top Doctors," Dr. Banco received the Patients' Choice Award in 2011, 2013 and 2014 and the Compassionate Doctor Recognition in 2011 and 2013. Dr. Banco completed his fellowship at New England Baptist Hospital in Boston.

 

David Barnett, MD (Texas Neurosurgery, Dallas). Chief of neurosurgery at Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas, Dr. Barnett also serves as co-medical director of the Neuroscience Center, Baylor University Medical Center and co-medical director of the Neuroscience Council, BS&WH North Division. In addition to those positions, Dr. Barnett is a neurosurgery clinical assistant professor at Texas A&M Health Science Center, College of Medicine in Bryan. He is the team neurosurgeon for the Dallas Cowboys Football Club. Dr. Barnett completed his neurosurgery residency at Emory University in Atlanta.

 

Bryan Barnes, MD (Georgia Neurological Surgery, Athens). Board-certified neurosurgeon Dr. Barnes has served as a partner with Georgia Neurological Surgery since 2005. He is also a clinical assistant professor at the Georgia Regents University-University of Georgia Medical Partnership. Dr. Barnes completed his spine surgery fellowship at Bowman Gray School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, N.C.

 

Gordon Bell, MD (Cleveland Clinic). Dr. Bell serves as the vice chairman of the Cleveland Clinic Spine Institute, specializing in degenerative conditions of the cervical and lumbar spine, athletic spinal injuries and spinal tumors. He received the Volvo Award in Low Back Pain Research from the International Society of the Study of the Lumbar Spine. Dr. Bell co-edited two textbooks and serves on the associate editorial board of Spine and The Spine Journal. Dr. Bell completed his spine surgery fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania and Pennsylvania Hospital in Philadelphia.

 

John Bendo, MD (NYU Langone Medial Center, New York City). Dr. Bendo serves as a clinical associate professor in orthopedics at NYU Langone Medical Center, and the vice chair of clinical affairs for NYU Hospital for Joint Diseases. The International Journal of Spine Surgery, Spine and the Spine Journal have published Dr. Bendo's work. Dr. Bendo completed his spinal surgery fellowship at Hospital for Joint Diseases in New York City.

 

James Bennett, MD (Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans). Dr. Bennett serves as a professor of orthopedics, clinical professor of pediatrics and chief of pediatric orthopedics at Tulane University School of Medicine in New Orleans. He is also an adjunct professor of biomedical engineering at Tulane University in New Orleans. The first in Louisiana to offer minimally invasive thoracoscopic surgery for treating scoliosis, Dr. Bennett has received numerous awards for his research and contribution to pediatric spinal surgery. The Journal of Pediatric Orthopaedics, The American Journal of Orthopedics and several other journals have published his work. Dr. Bennett completed his pediatric orthopedics fellowship at Scottish Rite Hospital in Atlanta.

 

Edward Benzel, MD (Cleveland Clinic). Board-certified neurosurgeon Dr. Benzel serves as the chairman of the neurosurgery department at Cleveland Clinic and a surgery professor at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine. He is also medical co-director of Cleveland Clinic Foundation Spine Research Laboratory, and the course director for the Annual Cleveland Spine Review: Hands-On. Dr. Benzel is a founding member of the Lumbar Spine Research Society. Dr. Benzel is the chairman of the review board for the Journal of Neurosurgery: Spine. He holds 10 patents and has received numerous awards, including NASS's Pioneer in Spine Surgery and the World Federation of Neurological Societies William Beecher Scoville Prize. Dr. Benzel completed his spine surgery and spinal cord injury fellowship at the VA Medical Center in Albuquerque, N.M.

 

Erica F. Bisson, MD (University of Utah Health Care, Salt Lake City). Dr. Bisson serves as an assistant professor in neurosurgery and the medical director of the Clinical Neuroscience Center Neurosurgery Clinic at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City. A fellow of the American Board of Neurological Surgeons, Dr. Bisson has published 28 articles. She is the principal investigator on a trial evaluating ventral and dorsal fusion in patients with cervical spondylotic myelopathy, and received the Larson Award for her grant on transcranial magnetic stimulation in patients with cervical spondylotic myelopathy. She was chosen for the 2012 AAMC Early Career Women Faculty Professional Development Seminar. Dr. Bisson completed her spine surgery fellowship at the University of Utah.

 

Laurel Blakemore, MD, (University of Florida School of Medicine, Gainesville, Fla.). Dr. Blakemore is a pediatric orthopedic surgeon at the University of Florida School of Medicine. She completed her residency at the University of Michigan Medical Center in Ann Arbor and a fellowship in pediatric orthopedics at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland. Dr. Blakemore's clinical practice focuses on scoliosis, complex spinal deformity and general pediatric orthopedics. She has published eight book chapters and more than 24 peer-reviewed publications in journals such as Journal of Pediatric Orthopaedic Trauma, Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery and Spine.

 

Scott Blumenthal, MD (Texas Back Institute, Plano). Dr. Blumenthal is committed to artificial disc replacement, and performed the first lumbar disc replacement in the United States. He serves as a clinical assistant professor of orthopedic surgery at the University of Texas Southwestern in Dallas, the spine consultant for the Dallas Mavericks and contributes to an arthroplasty patient nonprofit foundation. Dr. Blumenthal was the principal investigator for the SB III Charité Artificial Disc. Dr. Blumenthal completed his spine surgery fellowship at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago for Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and his spinal trauma surgery fellowship at the Midwest Regional Spinal Cord Injury Care System at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago.    

 

Oheneba Boachie-Adjei, MD (Hospital for Special Surgery, New York City; Foundation of Orthopedics and Complex Spine, Ghana). Dr. Boachie-Adjei is an orthopedic surgeon emeritus at Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City, previously serving as chief of the scoliosis service at the hospital. He moved his practice to Ghana to continue providing care to underserved populations in West Africa. A native of Ghana, Dr. Boachie-Adjei founded the Foundation of Orthopedics and Complex Spine in 1998. Dr. Boachie-Adjei won the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons Humanitarian Award for his work in Africa. He previously served as president of the Scoliosis Research Society. Dr. Boachie-Adjei completed an orthopedic pathology fellowship at Hospital for Special Surgery and a spine fellowship at Twin Cities Scoliosis Center and Minnesota Center in Minneapolis.

 

Scott Boden, MD (Emory Healthcare, Atlanta). Board-certified orthopedic surgeon Dr. Boden serves as the director of Emory Orthopaedics & Spine Center and an orthopedic surgery professor at Emory University. He led the research on bone growth factor development and spine fusion technology. Spine and the Journal of American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, among other journals, have published his work. Dr. Boden received the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons' Kappa Delta Young Investigator Award, Association of Bone and Joint Surgeons' Marshall R. Urist Young Investigator Award and five North American Spine Society Outstanding Research Paper Awards, among various other honors. Dr. Boden completed his fellowship at Case Western Reserve Hospital in Cleveland.

 

Christopher Bono, MD (Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston). Dr. Bono was elected president of the North American Spine Society in October. Chief of the spine service at Brigham and Women's Hospital, Dr. Bono is also the co-director of the Massachusetts General Hospital-Brigham and Women's Hospital Orthopaedic Spine Surgery Fellowship. He is also the co-director of the BWH Comprehensive Spine Center. He serves as an associate professor of orthopedic surgery at Harvard Medical School in Boston. Deputy editor for CME for the Journal of the Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, Dr. Bono has co-edited five textbooks and written more than 140 publications and co-authored about 100 book chapters. Dr. Bono completed his spine surgery fellowship at University of California, San Diego.  

 

Scott Boyd, MD (Columbia Neurosurgical, Columbia, S.C.). A fellow of American College of Surgeons, Dr. Boyd is also affiliated with the Congress of Neurological Surgeons. Dr. Boyd is board-certified in neurological surgery and treats spinal and brain conditions. He is affiliated with Lexington Brain and Spine Institute in West Columbia, S.C. Dr. Boyd completed his residency at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, and received additional training at the Institute of Neurosurgery University of London, United Kingdom.

 

Charles L. Branch, MD (Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, Winston-Salem, N.C.). Dr. Branch serves as the chair of the neurological surgery department and neurological surgery professor at the Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center. A co-founder of the Brain Tumor Center of Excellence at Wake Forest, Dr. Branch also created the Childress Institute for Pediatric Trauma Research. Dr. Branch has traveled to Haiti, Nigeria and Guatemala to provide care. He previously served as the president of the North American Spine Society. Dr. Branch pioneered the minimally invasive posterior lumbar interbody fusion technique. He completed two neurological surgery residencies at North Caronia Baptist Hospital in Winston-Salem, N.C., and University of California, San Francisco.

 

Robert Bray Jr., MD (DISC Sports & Spine Center, Marina Del Ray, Calif.). Dr. Bray founded DISC in 2006 and now serves as the center's CEO. DISC is currently associated with Surgical Care Affiliates. He also founded The Institute for Spinal Disorders at Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles. Serving in the United States Air Force, Dr. Bray was honored for his education on wartime trauma techniques. Dr. Bray holds various patents and discovered thoracic epidural arteriovenous malformation disease in 2009. He has been recognized by Los Angeles Magazine's "Top Doctors" and OC Metro. Dr. Bray is a diplomate for the American Board of Neurological Surgery. He completed his residency at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston.

 

Darrel S. Brodke, MD (University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City). Serving as vice chair of the orthopedics department, Dr. Brodke holds the Louis and Janet Peery Presidential Endowed Chair. Dr. Brodke is an orthopedics professor and a neurosurgery adjunct professor at University of Utah. His work has been published in Spine, Spine Journal and The Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery, among others. Dr. Brodke completed his spine surgery fellowship at the University of Washington in Seattle.

 

Timothy G. Burke, MD (Maryland Brain, Spine and Pain, Annapolis). Neurosurgeon Dr. Burke specializes in spinal injuries, brain tumors and neurosurgical disorders. He is a consultant for various surgical equipment manufacturers, and has spoken at regional and national conferences on advanced surgical techniques. Dr. Burke completed his neurosurgery residency at George Washington University Medical Center in Washington, D.C.

 

Adam Bruggeman, MD (Texas Spine Care Center, San Antonio). Dr. Bruggeman provides services at the Stone Oak Surgery Center in San Antonio. He is a member of the Emerging Leaders within the American Orthopaedic Association and received a CMS Meaningful Use Stage 1 Certification in 2013 and 2014. The Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Clinics of North America published his work. He specializes in spine osteoarthritis, lumbosacral region, cervical and thoracic vertebrae, spinal fusion and minimally invasive surgical procedures. Dr. Bruggeman completed his spine surgery fellowship at South Texas Spinal Clinic in San Antonio.

 

Mark Burnett, MD (Lakeway Regional Medical Center, Texas). Board-certified in neurosurgery, the National Institutes of Health have awarded Dr. Burnett two research grants for his work in neurophysiology and the development of non-invasive blood flow monitors to treat patients suffering from brain and spinal injuries. Dr. Burnett has authored more than 30 peer reviewed manuscripts and multiple book chapters. After completing his neurosurgery residency at Philadelphia-based University of Pennsylvania, he underwent his complex spinal surgery fellowship at Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix. 

 

Harlan Bruner, MD (Georgia Neurological Surgery, Athens). Dr. Bruner has researched biomechanical and biomaterials in human cadaveric spines at Medical Hospital of Wisconsin in Milwaukee. He contributed to the development of an outcomes database for neurosurgical patients at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City, and to various publications. Dr. Bruner previously served as an assistant professor at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities in Minneapolis. Dr. Bruner completed his spine surgery fellowship at Medical College of Wisconsin.  

 

Evalina Burger, MD (University of Colorado Hospital Aurora). Dr. Burger is a professor of orthopedics at the University of Colorado School of Medicine in Aurora. The first female spine surgeon to receive the ABC fellowship in 2000, Dr. Burger also received the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons MORE Award in 2014 and was named a "Best Doctors in America" by Best Doctors in 2015. Dr. Burger completed her orthopedic surgery residency at Pretoria Academic Hospital in South Africa.

 

J. Abbott Byrd III, MD (Atlantic Orthopaedic Specialists, Virginia Beach, Va.). Board-certified orthopedic surgeon Dr. Byrd previously served as chief of spinal surgery at West Virginia University in Morgantown. A member or the Scoliosis Research Society, Dr. Byrd is also affiliated with the North American Spine Society. Dr. Byrd developed Synergy Spinal Systems for patients with spinal conditions. He is interested in spinal implant and development and holds various patents. Dr. Byrd completed his spinal surgery fellowship at Twin Cities Scoliosis Center in Minneapolis.

 

Frank Cammisa, MD (Hospital for Special Surgery, New York City). Dr. Cammisa is Chief Emeritus of the spine service at Hospital for Special Surgery and a senior scientist at the hospital. He is a clinical professor of orthopedic surgery at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City, an attending surgeon at New York Presbyterian Hospital and consultant at Burke Rehabilitation Center. Dr. Cammisa served as a lead investigator for a National Institutes of Health study researching the effectiveness of surgical versus nonsurgical techniques for treatment of herniated disc, spinal stenosis and degenerative spondylolisthesis. Dr. Cammisa founded The National Spinal Research Foundation and is a part of the Miami Project to Cure Paralysis. Dr. Cammisa completed his spinal surgery fellowship at the University of Miami, Jackson-Memorial Medical Center.

 

Andrew Cappuccino, MD (Buffalo Spine Surgery, Lockport, N.Y.). Dr. Cappuccino serves as an attending surgeon at various local hospitals and the Buffalo Bills assistant team orthopedic surgeon. He is a fellow of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons and American College of Surgeons, a diplomat of the National Board of Medical Examiners and a charter diplomat for the American Board of Spinal Surgery. Dr. Cappuccino has published his work in various journals and textbooks. Dr. Cappuccino completed his spinal fellowship at Johns Hopkins University, Scoliosis and Spine Center in Baltimore.

 

Jeffrey R. Carlson, MD (Orthopaedic & Spine Center of Newport News, Va.). The president and managing partner of Orthopaedic & Spine Center, Dr. Carlson is a board-certified orthopedic surgeon. He previously served as an orthopedic spine surgery instructor at Harvard University in Boston and the chief of surgery at Mary Immaculate Hospital in Newport News, Va. He developed the Less-Exposure Spine Surgery, which uses minimally invasive techniques. Dr. Carlson received the Arthritis Foundation's Medical Excellence Award. Dr. Carlson completed an orthopedic trauma surgery fellowship at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston and a neurosurgical/orthopedic spine surgery fellowship at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston.

 

Eugene Carragee, MD (Stanford Hospital & Clinics, Stanford, Calif.). Dr. Carragee serves as the chief of spinal surgery, director of the Orthopaedic Spine Center at Stanford, the medical director of service quality at Stanford Hospital & Clinics and an orthopedic surgery professor at Stanford (Calif.) University Medical Center. Additionally, Dr. Carragee is the director of medical student education in the orthopedics department, Stanford University School of Medicine and a spine consultant for varsity and NCAA teams at Stanford. Dr. Carragee is the editor-in-chief of The Spine Journal and received the Leon Wiltse Award from the North American Spine Society in 2008. Dr. Carragee completed his spine and pediatric orthopedic surgery fellowship at University of Hong Kong, Duchess of Kent Children's Hospital.

 

John Caruso, MD (Parkway Neuroscience and Spine Institute, Hagerstown, Md.). Dr. Caruso joined Neurosurgical Specialists in Hagerstown, Md., after his residencies. He is a member of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons. Dr. Caruso completed a residency at the Eastern Virginia Graduate School of Medicine in Norfolk, Va., and another residency at the University of New Mexico, Albuquerque.

 

Jens R. Chapman, MD (UW Medicine Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine, Seattle). Dr. Chapman is affiliated with various hospitals in Seattle and serves as the Hansjoerg Wyss Endowed Chair at the University of Washington School of Medicine. Dr. Chapman serves as an orthopedic spine surgeon at Swedish Brain and Spine Specialists in Seattle.
A fellow of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, Dr. Chapman is also affiliated with Cervical Spine Research Society, North American Spine Society and Washington State Medical Association, among other societies. Dr. Chapman completed his traumatology and spine surgery fellowship at the University of Washington, Harborview Medical Center and UW Medical Center in Seattle.

James Lloyd Chappuis, MD (SpineCenterAtlanta). Founder and CEO of SpineCenterAtlanta, board-certified orthopedic surgeon Dr. Chappuis also serves as a clinical instructor at Georgia Regents University in Augusta, Ga. He holds privileges at Emory University Hospital Midtown in Atlanta. Dr. Chappuis served as the principal investigator for a study on Simmons plating system for pedicle screw applications and holds multiple patents for devices. The co-author of a book about reducing surgery fears, Dr. Chappuis has been featured in various magazine articles. Dr. Chappuis completed his AO spine fellowship at Klinikum Karlsbad-Lagensteinbach in Karlsbad, Germany.

Ying Chen, DO (OrthoNeuro, Westerville, Ohio). Dr. Chen is a board-certified neurosurgeon affiliated with Mount Carmel St. Ann's Hospital, New Albany Surgical Hospital, Dublin Methodists Hospital and Grant Medical Center. He has spoken at an American Skull Base Society meeting and an American College of Osteopathic Surgeons meeting, as well as published his research on skull-base imaging and spinal artificial disc technology. Dr. Chen completed his neurosurgery residency at Doctors Hospital in Columbus. He also received skull-base training with Midwestern University at the BroMenn Regional Medical Center campus in Bloomington, Ill.

Kingsley R. Chin, MD (Institute for Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery, Wilton Manors, Fla.). Dr. Chin serves as founder and CEO of LESS Institute, a portfolio company. A surgeon and engineer, Dr. Chin previously founded KICventures in 2005 and MANTIS, a provider of less invasive percutaneous pedicle screws. He sold MANTIS to Strkyer. Dr. Chin is the author of over 65 peer reviewed articles and published Prove Yourself: Life and Business. Lesson for Success. He previously served as the chief spine surgeon and assistant professor of orthopedics at the University of Pennsylvania Medical School in Philadelphia. Dr. Chin completed fellowships at Metro Health Medical Center and University Hospitals Case Medical Center, both located in Cleveland. 

Dean Chou, MD (University of California San Francisco Medical Center). Board-certified neurosurgeon Dr. Chou serves as a charter member of the Spinal Oncology Study Group. His peers have selected his as a "Best Doctors in America" for six consecutive years. Dr. Chou lectures and teaches spine courses nationally and internationally. The Journal of Neurosurgery: Spine and Neurosurgery, among other publications have published his work. Dr. Chou completed his complex spinal surgery fellowship at the Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix.

Richard V. Chua, MD, FAANS, FACS (Northwest Medical Center, Tucson, Ariz.). Board-certified in neurosurgery, Dr. Chua is a fellow of the American College of Surgeons. He is a founding member of the Society for Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery. He presently serves as the chief medical informatics officer, chief of surgery and chief of neurosurgery at Northwest Medical Center.  Dr. Chua completed a neurological surgery residency at Indiana University School of Medicine in Indianapolis. He served as chief resident of the IU's Department of Neurology during his final year of residency.

Jay Y. Chun, MD, PhD (Atlantic NeuroSurgical Specialists, Morristown, N.J.). Dr. Jay Chun is board-certified in neurosurgery serving as the chief of neurosurgery at Overlook Medical Center in Summit, N.J. He is fellowship-trained in spine surgery and specializes in complex and minimally invasive spine surgery, artificial discs, brain tumors, pituitary tumors and skull base surgery. Dr. Chun is a pioneer in cutting-edge treatments. A native of New York, Dr. Chun received his medical degree and doctorate from Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York City. He completed his neurosurgical residency at UC San Francisco and then studied complex and minimally invasive spine surgery at Emory University in Atlanta. Dr. Chun served as a biotechnology faculty member at Columbia. He received the Medical Research Fellowship from the National Institutes of Health and worked with the late Nobel Laureate Marshall Nirenberg. In honor of his stem cell research, Dr. Chun received the NIH Individual National Research Service Award.

 

Norman Chutkan, MD, FACS (The CORE Institute, Novi, Mich.). Before joining The CORE Institute, Dr. Chutkan was the chairman of the Department of Orthopedic Surgery at Georgia Regents University in Augusta. He is the recipient of several awards including The Floyd E. Bliven MD Orthopaedic Faculty Award in 2007 and 2012 as well as the George C. Lane Award. Dr. Chutkan completed his fellowship at New Orleans-based Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center. Following his fellowship, Louisiana State University appointed Dr. Chutkan co-director of the spine fellowship program.

Jonathan Citow, MD (The American Center for Spine & Neurosurgery, Libertyville, Ill.). Dr. Citow is a board-certified neurosurgeon serving as chief of neurosurgery at Condell Medical Center in Libertyville, Ill. He specializes in complex spinal disorders, fusions, minimally invasive spinal surgery hydrocephalus, trigeminal neuralgia and chiari malformations. Dr. Citow authored "Comprehensive Neurosurgical Board Review," "Essential Neuroanatomy and Neurophysiology," "Neuroradiology and Neuropathology: text and atlas," "Neurosurgery Oral Board Review" and "Neurosurgical Board Review Questions and Answers for Self-Assessment." He sits on the submission review board of Spinal Cord, and invented the spinal device, Citow Cervical Visualizer. He completed his neurosurgery residency at the University of Chicago Medical Center.

Stephen Cook, MD (University Orthopaedic Associates, Somerset, N.J.). Dr. Cook serves as a clinical associate professor of orthopedic surgery at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in Brunswick, N.J. Several leading publications such as Spine, Journal of Infectious Disease and Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery have published Dr. Cook's academic articles. Dr. Cook underwent his spine surgery fellowship at the University Hospital at Case Western in Cleveland.

 

Gregory Corradino, MD, MBA (East Tennessee Brain & Spine, Johnson City). Dr. Corradino serves as the vice president of East Tennessee Brain & Spine. He is the co-owner of Success Strategies for Physicians, a company aimed at empowering young physicians to succeed in their careers following medical training. He specializes in spinal surgeries including spinal stenosis, sciatica and pinched nerves among several others. Dr. Corradino completed his neurosurgery residency at University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore.

 

Larry Cordell, MD, (The University of Kansas Hospital, Kansas City). Dr. Cordell is a fellow of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, and specializes in back pain, scoliosis, low back pain, beck pain, spinal disorders and diseases. He previously served as a Submarine Medical Officer in the U.S. Navy. Dr. Cordell completed his fellowship at Boston-based Massachusetts General Hospital.

 

Andrew M. Cordover, MD, MS (Andrews Sports Medicine & Orthopaedic Center, Birmingham, Ala). Dr. Cordover has created several spinal implants, and has severed on advisory committees for device companies. Additionally, he has lectured on the treatment of sports-related spine injuries at various venues including Spine Across the Sea in Kohala Coast, Hawaii. In addition to his medical degree, Dr. Cordover obtained his Masters of Science in Biomedical Engineering from Tulane University in New Orleans. Dr. Cordover completed his spine surgery fellowship at Durham, N.C.-based Duke University.

 

Donald S. Corenman, MD, DC (The Steadman Clinic, Vail, Colo.). Board-certified in orthopedic surgery, Dr. Corenman serves as a clinical assistant professor of orthopedic surgery at The University of Colorado in Boulder, as well as an adjunct instruction of chiropractic medicine at Los Angeles College of Chiropractic. Dr. Corenman is a fellow of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, a diplomate of the American Board of Chiropractic Orthopaedics and a charter diplomate of the American Board of Spine Surgery. He completed his spinal disorders fellowship at the University of Colorado.    

 

Domagoj Coric, MD (Carolina Neurosurgery & Spine, Charlotte, N.C.). Dr. Coric serves as chief of neurosurgery at Carolinas Medical Center. He previously served as president of Southern Neurosurgical Society. At Southern Neurosurgical Society, Dr. Coric participates in several committees including the finance committee, nominating committee, future sites committee, distinguished practitioner award committee and long range planning committee. He completed his residency at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem, N.C.

 

Stephen Courtney, MD (Plano Orthopedic Sports Medicine & Spine Center, Texas). Dr. Courtney serves as chief of orthopedic surgery at the Medical Center of Plano, and is a member of the hospital's executive and operating room committees. He is the founder of Plano Orthopedic Sports Medicine and Spine Center. In addition to founding Plano Orthopedic Sports Medicine & Spine Center, Dr. Courtney founded Eminent Spine, a medical device company that manufactures spinal implants sold throughout the nation. Dr. Courtney completed his fellowship at Florida Neck & Back Institute in Gainesville. Eminent Spine's products include the DiamondBack Pedicle Screw Fixation System and the Fang Bone Plate and Plating System.

 

Dennis Crandall, MD (Sonoran Spine Center, Tempe, Ariz.). Dr. Crandall serves as the medical director at Sonoran Spine. Additionally, he is the chairman of the Sonoran Spine Research and Education Foundation, and is the co-chair of the public relationships committee of Scoliosis Research Society. In 2000, Dr. Crandall founded The Sonoran Spine Research and Education Foundation, a non-profit that funds scholarships for students with spinal deformities, spinal research projects and educational seminars. He completed his spine surgery fellowship at The University of Maryland in College Park.

 
Terrence T. Crowder, MD (Sonoran Spine Center, Gilbert, Ariz.). Dr. Crowder completed his spine surgery fellowship at Royal Oaks, Mich.-based William Beaumont Hospitals. Board-certified in orthopedic surgery, Dr. Crowder has experience with motion-preserving technologies, such as cervical disc replacement. He is a member of the North American Spine Society, Arizona Orthopaedic Society, American Medical Association and J. Robert Gladden Orthopaedic Society.

 
Bradford Currier, MD (Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn.). Dr. Currier underwent his spine surgery fellowship at Jackson Memorial Hospital, affiliated with University of Miami School of Medicine, in Florida. Dr. Currier has been published in several leading magazines including Spine and Journal of Neurosurgical Spine Surgery. He conducts research on orthopedic surgery and regenerative medicine. Dr. Currier previously served as the president of the Lumbar Spine Research Society.

 
Alan Dacre, MD (Ortho Montana, Billings). Board-certified in orthopedic surgery, Dr. Dacre focuses on adult and pediatric spine surgery. He completed his fellowship at Sinai Hospital of Baltimore Spine Surgery. Dr. Dacre also sees patients at Glendive (Mont.) Medical Center and St. Vincent’s Hospital in Billings. Previously, Dr. Dacre served on the board of directors for the Montana Orthopedic Society.

 
Bruce Darden II, MD (OrthoCarolina, Charlotte, N.C.). Charlotte Orthopedic Hospital named Dr. Darden 2013 Physician of the Year, and US News & World Report named Dr. Darden as a Top Doctor. He completed his spine surgery fellowship at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. In 2014, Dr. Darden served as the president of the Cervical Spine Research Society.

 
Jason Datta, MD (Sonoran Spine Center, Mesa, Ariz.). Board-certified in orthopedic surgery, Dr. Datta specializes in degenerative conditions of the spine and spinal deformity. Dr. Datta completed his spine surgery fellowship at Spine Education and Research Institute in Denver. He is involved in various research and academic activities with the Sonoran Spine Research and Education Foundation.

 
Francis Denis, MD (Twin Cities Spine Center, Minneapolis). Dr. Denis is a fellow of American College of Surgeons. He completed scoliosis fellowships at Children's Hospital in Boston and Twin Cities Scoliosis Center in Minneapolis. Board-certified by the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgeons and the Minnesota State Board of Medical Examiners, he specializes in treating patients with spinal deformities and spinal trauma.

 

Gurvinder S. Deol, MD (Wake Orthopaedic, Raleigh, N.C.). Dr. Deol completed his fellowship at Chicago-based Rush University Medical Center. Board-certified in orthopedics, Dr. Deol has created new minimally invasive spinal technology, and teaches his minimally invasive techniques to spinal surgeons around the globe. Several leading publications, including PubMed.gov, have published Dr. Deol's academic articles.

 

Christopher DeWald, MD (Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush, Chicago). Specializing in scoliosis and spine surgery, Dr. DeWald is an assistant professor and director of spinal deformity at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago. U.S. News & World Report and Castle Connolly named Dr. DeWald in its Top Doctors in America. Serving as a fellow in the Chicago Spine Fellowship, he practiced at Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke's Medical Center and Shriner's Hospital for Children. He also completed his spinal surgery fellowship training in France, Germany, England and Japan.  

 

Devin K. Datta, MD (The B.A.C.K. Center, Melbourne, Fla.). Dr. Datta is a spine and orthopedic surgeon at The B.A.C.K. Center in Melbourne, Fla., which joined First Choice Health Solutions in May 2015. His fellowships include the Daniel E. Hogan Spine Fellowship and the Boston Massachusetts Fellowship in Spine Surgery. He is a Medtronic Consultant and was awarded the Franklin D. Dickson Award for meritorious performance as an orthopedic resident in 1998. Some of his research includes prospective, randomized and controlled clinical investigation of DIAM Spinal System in patients with degenerative lumbar spinal stenosis, and randomized control trial of DuraGlen Plus Adhesion Barrier Matrix to minimize adhesions following lumbar discectomy.

 

Ara Deukmedjian, MD (Deuk Spine Institute, Melbourne, Fla.). Dr. Deukmedjian is the CEO and medical director at Deuk Spine Institute. Board-certified in neurosurgery, he completed his fellowship at Shands Hospital at the University of Florida in Gainesville. He is an assistant professor of neurosurgery at the University of Central Florida's College of Medicine in Orlando. He is a fellow of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, and serves as the surgery department chair of Parrish Medical Center in Titusville, Fla.

 

Vedat Deviren, MD (University of California, San Francisco). Serving as an orthopedic surgeon and professor of orthopedic surgery, Dr. Deviren specializes in the treatment of spinal disorders for adults and children. He completed his spine surgery fellowship at UCSF in 2001. His work has been published in several leading publications such as Neurosurgery and Spine.

 

Mohammad Diab, MD (UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital). Dr. Diab serves as the chief of pediatric orthopedics at UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital, and holds a chair in medical education at UCSF. He completed his pediatric surgery fellowship at Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass. Dr. Diab wrote the textbook, Principles of Paediatric Orthopaedics, as well as many studies on pediatric musculoskeletal conditions.

 

John Dietz, MD (OrthoIndy, Indianapolis). A former Army orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Dietz is active in the Society of Military Orthopaedic Surgeons. He has served on the OrthoIndy Board of Directors, and was the chairman of the OrthoIndy Hospital Board from 2002 to 2013. He completed his spine surgery fellowship at Seattle-based Swedish Hospital Medical Center.

 

John R. Dimar II, MD (Norton Leatherman Spine Center, Louisville, Ky.). Dr. Dimar completed his fellowship though Kentucky-based University of Louisville's Fellowship Program. He serves as a clinical professor of orthopedic surgery at University of Louisville. Additionally, Dr. Dimar serves as the chief of pediatric orthopedics at the University of Louisville School of Medicine.

 

Gary A. Dix, MD, MBA (Maryland Brain, Spine and Pain, Annapolis). Neurosurgeon Dr. Dix specializes in complex spine and brain disorders, and has expertise using the iFuse Implant System. He has published research on the spine and co-developed a minimally invasive spine system. Dr. Dix completed fellowship training at Foothills Hospital in Boulder, Colo. 

 

Edward J. Dohring, MD (Spine Institute of Arizona, Scottsdale). Serving as co-director of the Spine Institute of Arizona’s Spine Surgery Fellowship Program, Dr. Dohring specializes in the surgical and non-surgical care of spinal disorders. He completed his spine fellowship at Seattle-based University of Washington. He is the founder and medical director of the Spine Institute of Arizona.  

 

Egon Doppenberg, MD (Advocate Medical Group, Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital, Downers Grove, Ill.). Dr. Doppenberg completed a neurotrauma and stroke fellowship at the Medical College of Virginia in Richmond. He also completed a brain and spine tumor surgery fellowship at MD Anderson Cancer Center, affiliated with University of Texas, in Houston. He is a diplomat of the American Board of Neurological Surgery, and is board-certified in neurological oncology. Dr. Doppenberg practices with Advocate Medical Group.

 

John P. Dormans, MD, FACS (Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston). From 1996 to 2014, Dr. Dormans served as the chief of orthopedic surgery at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. He has also served as the president of the Medical Staff of CHOP, and the president of Children’s Surgical Associates, a CHOP surgical group, for four terms. He completed his clinical pediatric orthopedic fellowship at The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, Canada. From 2014 to 2015, Dr. Dormans was the president of Scoliosis Research Society. Renowned for his pioneering work in limb-sparing surgery for bone cancer, Dr. Dormans currently serves the treasure of SCIOT World Orthopaedic Concern.

 

Steven G. Dorsky, MD (New Jersey Spine Center, Chatham Township). In 1987, Dr. Dorsky founded New Jersey Spine Center. He serves as the chief of orthopedic surgery at Overlook Medical Center in Summit, N.J. Additionally, he serves as an assistant clinical professor of orthopedic surgery at the New Jersey Medical School in Newark. Dr. Dorsky devised and patented a system of spine instrumentation used throughout the United States, Europe and the Far East. He completed his fellowship in spine surgery at the Hospital for Joint Diseases Orthopedic Institute in New York.

 

Andrew Dossett, MD (The Carrell Clinic, Dallas). Dr. Dossett is a fellow of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, and serves as a spine consultant for the Dallas Cowboys Football Club, the Texas Rangers Baseball Club and the Dallas Star Hockey Club. Dr. Dossett completed his spine surgery fellowship at Kerlan-Jobe Orthopaedic Clinic in Los Angeles.

 

Randall Dryer, MD (Central Spine Institute, Austin, Texas). A fellow of the American College of Orthopedic Surgeons, he previously served as president of the Texas Spine Society. Austin Monthly magazine named Dr. Dryer as one of "Austin’s Top Doctors for 2014" in the Spinal Surgery category. Dr. Dryer served in the United States Air Force at Willford Hall, the Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio. By the time of his discharge, he moved up from staff orthopedic to chief of orthopedic surgery. He completed his internship and residency in orthopedic surgery at Iowa City-based University of Iowa.

 

E. Hunter Dyer, MD (Carolina Neurosurgery & Spine, Charlotte, N.C.). Dr. Dyer completed his pituitary and skull base surgery fellowship at L'Hospital Foch, Surenes, in Paris, France. He serves as the president of Carolina Neurosurgery & Spine Associates, where he specializes in skull base surgery, transspheniodal surgery as well as endoscopic spine surgery. AANS Neurosurgeon has published Dr. Dyer's articles about his knowledge on ambulatory surgery centers.

 

Robert K. Eastlack, MD (Scripps Health, La Jolla, Calif.). Dr. Eastlack is a founding member of the Society for Minimally Invasive Surgery. Specializing in orthopedic spine surgery, Dr. Eastlack's clinical studies focus on spinal deformity surgery, minimally invasive spine surgery techniques and biologic fusion materials. He is board-certified by the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery. In 2006, Dr. Eastlack completed his orthopedic spine surgery fellowship at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.

 

Walter Eckman, MD (Aurora Spine Center, Tupelo, Miss.). Dr. Eckman founded Aurora Spine Center in 1992. Board-certified by the American Board of Neurological Surgery, he focuses on degenerative spine diseases. He completed his fellowship at Stanford (Calif.) University. He previously served as president of the Mississippi Neurological Society.   

 

Eldan B. Eichbaum, MD (North Bay Neurosurgical Associates, Santa Rosa, Calif.). Dr. Eichbaum specializes in minimally invasive and complex spine procedures. He completed his complex and reconstructive spinal neurosurgery fellowship at Albuquerque-based University of New Mexico. His professional affiliations include the American Association of Neurological Surgeons and Congress of Neurological Surgeons.

 

Frank Eismont, MD (University of Miami Health System). Dr. Eismont serves as a fellow education director and spine division chief at University of Miami Health System. A fellow of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, Dr. Eismont is the chairman of the department of orthopedics at the University of Miami Health System, where he also serves as the Leonard M. Miller Professor. Several leading professional journals, including Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, have published Dr. Eismont's research. He completed his fellowship at Cleveland V.A. Hospital/Case Western Hospitals.

 

Eric H. Elowitz, MD (Weill Cornell Brain and Spine Center, New York). Dr. Elowitz has been with the Weill Cornell Brain and Spine Center since January 2010. He previously served as the co-director of the Minimally Invasive Spine Center at Roosevelt Hospital in New York City. He specializes in degenerative spinal disorders, and he has received the Young Investigator Award from the section on tumors of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons. Dr. Elowitz completed his neurosurgical residency at SUNY Downstate Medical Center in New York City.

 

Sanford E. Emery, MD (West Virginia University Medicine Center, Morgantown). Dr. Emery is the recipient of several awards including Scoliosis Research Society's Russell Hibbs Award for Basic Science Research. He completed his spine surgery fellowship at Cleveland V.A. Hospital/Case Western Hospitals. At West Virginia University, Dr. Emery serves as the chairman of the department of orthopedics.

 

Clara Raquel Epstein, MD, FICS (Epstein Neurosurgery Center, Boulder, Colo.). The American Academy of Neurological and Orthopaedic Surgeons awarded Dr. Epstein the Lifetime Achievement Award in Neurosurgery in 2013. She previously served as president of the Boulder County Medical Society, is a member of the Council of Ethics and Judicial Affairs and Council on Legislation of the Colorado Medical Society and is the vice president and chair of neurosurgery of the International College of Surgeons US Section (2008-present). She continues to serve on the ICS-US Section's executive council and holds numerous leadership roles locally, nationally and internationally. She founded the Epstein Neurosurgery Center and Epstein Neurosurgery Foundation. Dr. Epstein has completed four post-graduate fellowships in the following areas: Stroke & Cerebrovascular Disorders (Mount Sinai Medical Center/New York University), Stereotactic Radiosurgery & Neurosurgical Oncology (Wayne State University/Karmanos Cancer Center/DMC, Mich.), Skull Base Neurosurgery (Ohio State University) and Advanced Physician Leadership (AMA, RIHEL and Denver University).

Robert Erickson, MD (The American Center for Spine & Neurosurgery, Libertyville, Ill.). Board-certified neurosurgeon Dr. Erickson has been training surgical residents and medical students for the past 19 years. His interests include complex and minimally invasive spinal surgery, cerebral aneurysms, brain and spine tumors, chiari malformations, trigeminal neuralgia and hydrocephalus. He has published many articles in peer-reviewed journals and authored several book chapters. Additionally, he is a member of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons and American Association of Neurological Surgeons. Dr. Erickson completed his neurosurgery residency at the University of Chicago.

 

Thomas J. Errico, MD (NYU Langone Medical Center). Dr. Errico serves as a professor in department of orthopedic surgery and the department of neurosurgery at NYU Langone Medical Center, where he is the chief of the spine surgery division. Board-certified in orthopedic surgery, he completed his spine surgery fellowship at Toronto General Hospital in Canada. Several publications including International Journal of Spine Surgery and Spine have published Dr. Errico's academic articles on his research.

 

David Fardon, MD (Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush, Chicago). Dr. Fardon serves as an assistant professor at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago. He co-authored Orthopaedic Knowledge Update for Spine II, an academic volume published by the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons and the North American Spine Society. Dr. Fardon previously served as president of the North American Spine Society, which awarded him with its Selby Award for Outstanding Contribution to Spine Care in 2000.

 

Richard Fessler, MD, PhD (Rush University Medical Center, Chicago). Dr. Fessler completed his fellowship at the University of Chicago Medical Center. He is the chairman of Rush University Medical Center, and serves as a professor in the neurosurgery department at the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University in Chicago. He founded and directed the Institute for Spine Care at the Chicago Institute of Neurosurgery and Neuroresearch. He completed his fellowship at The University of Chicago Medical Center.

 

Jeffrey S. Fischgrund, MD (Beaumont Health System, Royal Oak, Mich.). Dr. Fischgrund serves as the chief of orthopedic surgery at Beaumont Hospital. He also is a professor at Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine. He is the editor-in-chief of the Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. Previously, Dr. Fischgrund was the president of Lumbar Spine Research Society. He completed his fellowship at William Beaumont Hospital.  

 

John Finkenberg, MD (Alvarado Spine Center, San Diego). Previously, Dr. Finkenberg served as the chief of the orthopedic department at Alvarado Hospital Medical Center, and currently serves on the executive supervisory committee. Serving as a surgical consultant for a spinal instrumentation company, Dr. Finkenberg has devised instrumentation for reconstructive spine surgery. He has a patent for diagnosing fractures with intrasound vibration. Currently, he is the active director for the Alvarado Spine Center. He completed his spine fellowship at John Hopkins University Hospital in Baltimore. Additionally, he serves on the editorial board for Sports Medicine Digest.

 

Kevin Foley, MD (University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis). At the University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Dr. Foley is a professor of neurosurgery, orthopedic surgery and biomedical engineering. He is the director of complex spine surgery at Memphis-based Semmes Murphey Neurologic & Spine Institute. Dr. Foley is the director of the spine fellowship program for the University of Tennessee Department of Neurosurgery and medical director for the Medical Education & Research Institute, both located in Memphis. After his residency, Dr. Foley was an assistant chief of neurosurgery at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas. U.S. News & World Report named Dr. Foley to its "Top Doctors" list in 2012.

 

Douglas J. Fox, MD, (Lakeway Regional Medical Center, Texas).  Dr. Fox is board-certified in neurosurgery and presently co-leads a NIHRO1 grant for development of non-invasive brain mapping technology. He has an active interest in cerebrovascular surgery, complex spinal surgery and the development of new surgical technologies to enhance neurosurgical care. He completed his residency at Washington University in St. Louis. Following his residency, Dr. Fox completed two years of fellowship training at the Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix.

 

Bruce M. Frankel, MD (Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston). Dr. Frankel is a spine surgeon at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, S.C. He completed his fellowship at SUNY Upstate Medical University. His interests lie in neuro-oncology of the brain and spine, brain and pituitary tumors and complex spine and minimally invasive spine surgery.

 
Daveed D. Frazier, MD (New York City Spine). Dr. Frazier serves as an assistant clinical professor of orthopedic surgery at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York. The Network Journal recently featured Dr. Frazier on the cover, and The New York Times has named Dr. Frazier twice to its "New York Super Doctor." He currently is on the board of directors for Film Aid International, a charitable organization that offers help to disadvantaged people around the world through film. Dr. Frazier completed his orthopedic spine surgery fellowship at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami.

 

Anthony Frempong-Boadu, MD (NYU Medical Center). Specializing in minimally invasive surgery, Dr. Frempong-Boadu is an associate professor of neurosurgery and director of the division of spinal neurosurgery at NYU. He is the director of the neurosurgery spine fellowship program at NYU, where he maintains a minimally invasive and complex reconstructive spinal surgery practice. Dr. Frempong-Boadu completed fellowships at NYU Medical Center and the University of Florida in Gainesville.

 

George A. Frey, MD (Colorado Comprehensive Spine, Englewood). In 2001, Dr. Frey founded the Colorado Comprehensive Spine Institute. He has served as an assistant clinical professor at Denver-based University of Colorado, Health Sciences, where he also served as chief of spinal surgery in 2005. Dr. Frey completed his spine surgery fellowship at Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke's Medical Center in Chicago. He is a member of the Spine Universe editorial board.

 

Kai-Ming Fu, MD (Weill Cornell Brain and Spine Center, New York). Dr. Fu is an assistant attending neurological surgeon at NewYork–Presbyterian and an assistant professor of neurological surgery at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York. Several leading publications including Spine, Journal of Neurosurgery, Neurosurgery, Journal of Neurophysiology and Journal of Neuroscience have published his research. He completed his neurological/orthopedic spine fellowship at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. His clinical interests include deformity, reconstructive, revision and tumor surgery with active research in clinical outcomes.

 

Brian Gantwerker, MD (The Craniospinal Center of Los Angeles). Specializing in neurosurgery, Dr. Gantwerker completed his fellowship at Barrows Neurological Institute at St. Joseph's Hospital in Phoenix. He currently serves as the president of The Craniospinal Center of Los Angeles. He specializes in spinal cord and brain injury, Gamma Knife radiosurgery and trigeminal neuralgia.

 

Rolando Garcia Jr, MD, MPH (Aventura Hospital & Medical Center, Miami). A fellow of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, Dr. Garcia is certified by both the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery and the American Board of Spine Surgery. Currently, Dr. Garcia is the medical director for the Scoliosis Screening Program for Dade County Schools in Florida. He previously served as chief of the orthopedic surgery department at Aventura Hospital and Medical Center. He completed his spine surgery fellowship at North Carolina Spine Center in Chapel Hill. Leading publications including Roundtables in Spine Surgery, European Spine Journal and Spine have published Dr. Garcia's research.

 

Mark Gardon, MD, FACS (BayClare Clinic, Green Bay, Wis.). Dr. Gardon is a consultant to members of the National Football League. Board-certified by the American Board of Neurological Surgery, Dr. Gardon is a fellow of the American College of Surgeons. He completed his residency at Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee. His clinical interests include minimally invasive surgery, spinal reconstruction and fusion procedures, among others.  

 

Steven Garfin, MD (UC San Diego Health System). Dr. Garfin serves as the chairman of the department of orthopedic surgery at UC San Diego School of Medicine. San Diego Magazine has consistently elected Dr. Garfin as a Top Doctor in its "Physicians of Exception Excellence." Specializing in the adult spine, Dr. Garfin has been involved in the design and assessment of new surgical techniques to treat spinal disorders. He underwent his fellowship at Pennsylvania Hospital in Philadelphia.

 

Fred Geisler, MD (Formerly with Chicago Back Institute). Dr. Geisler founded the Chicago Back Institute at Swedish Covenant Hospital. He is also a founding member of the CINN Institute for Spine Care and served as an assistant professor of neurosurgery at Rush Medical College/Rush University Medical Center in Chicago. Additionally, he founded Rhausler, a spinal device company. He was one of the first surgeons in the United States to adopt anterior cervical plating and minimally invasive sacroiliac fusion. He completed his neurosurgery residency at State University of New York at Buffalo.

 

Daniel E. Gelb, MD (University of Maryland Medical Center, Baltimore). Dr. Gelb is the co-director of the University of Maryland's spine program and a professor of orthopedics. His professional interests include adult and pediatric spinal deformity, spinal tumors and spinal infections. He has been a recipient of an Orthopaedic Research and Education Foundation Grant for research in autocrine regulation of chondrocyte maturation. He completed his spine fellowship at Washington University in St. Louis, along with an Yves Cotrel Fellowship for spine surgery in Paris, France.

 

Zoher Ghogawala, MD (Lahey Clinic, Burlington, Mass.). Dr. Ghogawala is chairman of the department of neurosurgery at Lahey Clinic. His clinical interests include carotid stenosis, cervical spondylotic myelopathy and lumbar spondylolisthesis. He has served as principal investigator for numerous peer-reviewed clinical trials. He is board-certified and completed his residency at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.

 

J. Brian Gill, MD, MBA (Nebraska Spine Hospital, Omaha). Dr. Gill is a practicing spine surgeon at Nebraska Spine Hospital. He has professional interest in minimally invasive cervical and lumbar spine surgeries, deformity and degenerative conditions, workmen's compensation injuries, disc herniation and spinal tumors. He is board-certified and completed an adult spinal surgery fellowship at Duke University in Durham, N.C.

 

Federico P. Girardi, MD (Hospital for Special Surgery, New York). Dr. Girardi is an attending spine surgeon at the Hospital for Special Surgery and a professor of orthopedic surgery at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York. He is also an associate scientist in the research division at HSS. He is a member of the North American Spine Society and International Society for the Study of the Lumbar Spine. He is an editorial reviewer for the Journal of Orthopaedic Research and Journal Clinical Drug Investigation. He has completed a fellowship in spine and scoliosis surgery at Hospital for Special Surgery.

 

Steven D. Glassman, MD (Norton Healthcare, Louisville, Ky.). Dr. Glassman is a spine surgeon practicing at Norton Healthcare and a professor of orthopedic surgery at the University of Louisville. He has served as an education council chair for the Scoliosis Research Society and a 2009 program chair for the North American Spine Society. He has received numerous awards over the course of his career, including the Whitecloud Award for Outstanding Clinical Paper at the International Meeting for Advanced Spine Techniques in both 2008 and 2009. He completed a spine fellowship at Leatherman Spine Center in Louisville.

 

Michael A. Gleiber, MD (Michael A. Gleiber, MD, PA, Jupiter & Boca Raton, Fla.). Dr. Gleiber is the founder of a private, concierge-style practice in Florida. He focuses on herniated discs, spinal stenosis, scoliosis, myelopathy, degenerative disc disease and spondylolisthesis. He is a spokesperson for the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons as well as a contributor and writer for The Huffington Post. He is interested in the development and design of spinal surgical implants and instruments, and he is an affiliate assistant professor of clinical biomedical sciences at The Charles E. Schmidt Florida Atlantic University College of Medicine for Spine Surgery in Boca Raton. He completed a fellowship at the Leatherman Spine Center in Louisville.

 

Ziya Gokaslan, MD (The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, R.I.). Dr. Gokaslan is the Gus Stoll, MD Professor and chair of the department of neurosurgery at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. He previously served as vice chairman and professor in the division of spinal surgery and department of neurosurgery at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore. He is an editorial board member for a number of journals, including the Journal of Spinal Disorders & Techniques and The Spinal Journal.

 

Edward J. Goldberg, MD (Rush University Medical Center, Chicago). Dr. Goldberg is a spine surgeon and an assistant professor at Rush University Medical Center. He was selected into the "Leading Physicians of the World Society." His main research interests include the outcome studies of cervical and lumbar decompressions and fusions and cervical spine total disc replacement. He completed a spinal surgery fellowship at Rush University Medical Center and a cervical spine surgery fellowship at University of Miami Jackson Memorial Medical Center.

 

Jeffrey Goldstein, MD (NYU Langone Medical Center's Hospital for Joint Diseases, New York). Dr. Goldstein is the director of the spine service and the spine fellowship at the Hospital for Joint Diseases. He is also a clinical professor of orthopedic surgery at New York University School of Medicine and an honorary surgeon for the New York Police Department. He serves on the editorial and advisory boards of a number of journals, including The Spine Journal and International Journal of Spine Surgery. He has completed a fellowship in reconstructive spine surgery at Maryland Spine Center in Baltimore.

 

Christopher Good, MD (Virginia Spine Institute, Reston). Dr. Good is the director of scoliosis and spinal deformity as well as director of research at Virginia Spine Institute. He recently performed the first robot-guided sacroiliac joint fusion surgery in North America and was one of the first physicians in Virginia to explore genetic counseling for adolescent scoliosis. He incorporates Scoliscore into his practice, which is a genetic prognostic test for adolescent scoliosis. He has completed advanced training in adult and pediatric spinal surgery at Washington University School of Medicine, Barnes-Jewish Hospital, St. Louis Children's Hospital and Shriners Hospital for Children, all based in St. Louis.

 

Charles R. Gordon, MD (Texas Spine & Joint Hospital, Tyler, Texas). Dr. Gordon is a partner at Precision Spine Care and founder of Texas Spine & Joint Hospital. He has expertise in the implementation of laser techniques and stem cell procedures as well as other biologic advances. His research interests center on spinal mobility and solving issues related to the entire functional spinal unit. He completed fellowship training at Medical College of Virginia in Richmond.

 

Oren N. Gottfried, MD (Duke Medicine, Raleigh, N.C.). Dr. Gottfried researches the prevention of spinal deformity, infections, complications and recurrent spinal disease. Spine, Journal of Neurosurgery: Spine and The Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery have published his work, among other publications. He works with Pioneer Surgical Technology. Dr. Gottfried completed his spinal deformity/orthopedic surgery fellowship at University of Utah School of Medicine in Salt Lake City, and his spinal oncology fellowship at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore.

 

Wesley E. Griffitt, MD (BayCare Clinic, Green Bay, Wis.). Dr. Griffitt is a neurosurgeon providing care at BayCare Clinic since 2008. He focuses on brain surgery, neurotrauma, peripheral nerve surgery and spine surgery. He also has a professional interest in minimally invasive spinal procedures. He is a member of the North American Spine Society and Congress of Neurological Surgeons. He completed his residency at Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood, Ill.

 

Munish C. Gupta, MD (Washington University in St. Louis, School of Medicine). The Mildred B. Simon Distinguished Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at Washington University in St. Louis, Dr. Gupta is also the chief of the division of pediatric and adult spinal surgery. He most recently received the Distinguished Service Award, City of Detroit. Journal of Neurosurgery: Spine, Neurosurgery and Spine, among other publications have published his work. Dr. Gupta completed his spine surgery fellowship at the Kenton D. Leatherman Spine Center, affiliated with the University of Louisville (Ky.).

 

Purnendu Gupta, MD (NorthShore University Health System, Chicago). Dr. Gupta is a spine surgeon affiliated with NorthShore Medical Group. He serves on the editorial boards for a number of journals, such as The Spine Journal and Clinical Biomechanics. He has received numerous awards over the course of his career, including the Spine Volvo Award in Biomechanics from the International Society for the Study of the Lumbar Spine. He completed spine fellowship training at Washington University in St. Louis.

 

Richard Guyer, MD (Texas Back Institute, Plano). Dr. Guyer is the co-founder of the Texas Back Institute and director of its fellowship program. He is also co-director of the Center for Disc Replacement at TBI. He is a past president of the North American Spine Society and previous winner of the Volvo Award for Low Back Pain Research. He is on the editorial boards of Spine, The Spine Journal and Journal of American Academy of Orthopedic Surgery. He has completed two fellowships, one at Case Western Reserve University and another under Leon Wiltse, MD.

 

Regis W. Haid Jr., MD (Atlanta Brain and Spine Care). Dr. Haid is a founding partner of Atlanta Brain and Spine Care as well as a medical director of Piedmont Spine Center and the Neuroscience Service Line at Piedmont Hospital in Atlanta. He has been a visiting professor at 30 universities worldwide, and he has contributed over 135 scientific articles to peer-reviewed journals. He is a former chairman of the Joint Section on Disorders of the Spine and Peripheral Nerve. His research interests include spinal reconstruction techniques. Dr. Haid completed additional fellowship training in spine surgery at the University of Florida in Gainesville.

 

Raqeeb Haque, MD (Regional West, Scottsbluff, Neb.). Dr. Haque is a practicing spine physician at Regional West and previously served in the department of neurological surgery at Cleveland Clinic. He has an active interest in research and has won numerous awards grants. He has won a National Institutes of Health clinical research grant as well as a Mayfield Clinical Research Award at an AANS/CNS Spine and Peripheral Nerve Meeting. He has completed a minimally invasive spine surgery fellowship at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago.

 

Mitch Harris, MD (Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston). Dr. Harris is chief of the orthopedic trauma service at Brigham and Women's Hospital, and he is a professor at Harvard Medical School in Boston. He is active in research and his work has been published in journals, such as Journal of Orthopaedic Trauma, The Spine Journal and Spine. He has additional fellowship training in orthopedic surgery at Queen's Medical Centre and in orthopedic spine and trauma at the University of Toronto, Sunnybrook Health Science in Canada.

 

Richard Harrison, MD (BayCare Clinic, Green Bay, Wis.). Dr. Harrison is a neurosurgeon providing care at BayCare Clinic. He has a professional interest in disc replacement surgery. He is a member of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, Wisconsin Medical Society and Congress of Neurological Surgeons. He has completed a skull-base surgery fellowship at National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery in London.

 

Roger Hartl, MD (Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, N.Y.). Dr. Hartl is a spine neurosurgeon at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York. His areas of expertise include spinal abscess, spinal injury, head trauma, spinal tumors, spinal disease, minimally invasive brain surgery and among others. Dr. Hartl is professor of neurological surgery and director of spinal surgery and neurotrauma at the Weill Cornell Brain and Spine Center in New York, as well as serves as the neurosurgeon for the New York Giants. He is also the founder and co-director of the Weill Cornell Spine Center. Dr. Hartl completed his fellowship at the Charite Hospital of the Humboldt University in Berlin, Germany.

 

Mark Hartman, MD (Novant Health Total Spine Specialists, Charlotte, N.C.). Dr. Hartman is a founding physician of Novant Health Total Spine Specialists. His clinical interests include microscopic, microendoscopic, minimally invasive and reconstructive spine surgery as well as treatment of tumors and trauma. He is a member of the Cervical Spine Research Society and North American Spine Society. His training includes a spine fellowship at the University of South Florida in Tampa.

 

Michael Hasz, MD (Virginia Spine Institute, Reston). Dr. Hasz is a spine surgeon at Virginia Spine Institute in Reston. He also serves as a clinical instructor of orthopedic surgery and assistant professor of surgery at the Uniformed Services Health Science University in Bethesda, Md. He has a professional interest in new spinal instruments and was one of the first surgeons in the region to use the MetRx MIS system for lumbar and cervical surgery and the DLIF/XLIF approach for spinal fusion and deformity work. He currently serves as principal investigator for SI joint fusion clinical trials. Dr. Hasz completed a spine surgery fellowship at William Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, Mich.

 

Robert F. Heary, MD (Rutgers Neurological Institute of New Jersey, Newark). Dr. Heary is the director of the Spine Center and the Neurosurgical Intensive Care Unit as well as a professor of neurosurgery at the Rutgers Neurological Institute of New Jersey. He currently serves as chairman of the AANS/CNS Joint Section on Disorders of the Spine & Peripheral Nerves. He has also previously served as vice chairman of the AANS Public Relations Committee and scientific program committee chairman of the Cervical Spine Research Society. His additional training includes a spine fellowship at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia.

 

Andrew Hecht, MD (Mount Sinai Hospital, New York). Dr. Hecht is chief of spine surgery at Mount Sinai Health System and Mount Sinai Hospital. He was the founder and previous medical co-director of The Newton-Wellesley Spine Center in Newton, Mass., as well as prior director of the spine surgery fellowship at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. He is the spine surgeon consultant for the New York Jets, New York Islanders and New York Dragons professional teams. Dr. Hecht is also one of two orthopedic surgeons on the NFL Brain and Spine Committee. He completed a fellowship in spine surgery at Emory University Spine Center in Tucker, Ga.

 

John G. Heller, MD (Emory Healthcare, Atlanta). Dr. Heller is a spine surgeon and the Baur Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at Emory Healthcare. He focuses on the research and development of instrumentation in cervical spine surgery, particularly in cervical disc replacement and laminoplasty. He was a Kashiwagi-Suzuki Traveling Fellow and he earned the Volvo Award for Low Back Pain Research. His additional training includes a fellowship with the University of California Medical Center in San Diego.

 

Alan S. Hilibrand, MD (Rothman Institute, Philadelphia). Dr. Hilibrand is a professor of orthopedic surgery and neurosurgery as well as the director of medical education in the orthopedics department at the Rothman Institute and Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia. He serves as treasurer for the Cervical Spine Research Society and is a deputy editor of the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery and Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. In 2007, he was an ABC Traveling Fellow of American Orthopaedic Association. He completed a spine and spinal cord injury fellowship at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland.

 

Michael Hisey, MD (Texas Back Institute, Plano). Dr. Hisey is an orthopedic spine surgeon at Texas Back Institute, and previously served as its president. He has an active interest in research and served as a principal investigator in the Dynesys IDE Trial and the Flexicore Lumbar Artificial Disc IDE Trial. He is a fellow of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons and serves on the Patient Safety Committee of the North American Spine Society. His additional training includes a spine surgery fellowship at Texas Back Institute.

 

Patrick W. Hitchon, MD (University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, Iowa City). Dr. Hitchon is a spine and neurosurgeon at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in Iowa City, Iowa. He completed his fellowship in cardiovascular physiology at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. His specialties include neurosurgery, neurosurgery and neurology intermediate and acute care and biomedical engineering.

 

Stephen Hochschuler, MD (Texas Back Institute, Plano). Dr. Hochschuler is a co-founder of the Texas Back Institute. With more than 30 years of experience, he specializes in lumbar spinal problems. He is the president and founding member of the International Society for the Advancement of Spine Surgery; past chairman and current board of director at SpineMark; and founder of the spine division at the Veterans Administration. Additionally, he has served on the boards of medical device companies, including Alphatec Spine and DePuy Spine. Dr. Hochschuler completed an orthopedic surgery residency at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School and Parkland Memorial Hospital, both located in Dallas.

 

Ken Y. Hsu, MD (San Francisco Orthopaedic Surgeons). Dr. Hsu is a senior spine surgeon and president of the San Francisco Orthopaedic Surgeons medical group. He is a director of spine services at St. Mary's Spine Center in San Francisco and is a co-inventor of the X-STOP device, a minimally invasive surgical solution for symptomatic lumbar spinal stenosis. He was also among the first spine surgeons to use pedicle screw fixation in the Western United States. He completed a fellowship in spine and pediatric orthopedic surgery at the University of Hong Kong.

 

Russel C. Huang, MD (Hospital for Special Surgery, New York). Dr. Huang is director of HSS's spine surgery clinic. He is also an assistant attending orthopedic surgeon at HSS and an assistant professor of orthopedic surgery at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York. He has won numerous awards during his career, including the Cervical Spine Research Society's J. William Fielding Award and the National Institutes of Health's Cancer Education Grant. He has completed a fellowship at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland.

 

Richard A. Hynes, MD (The B.A.C.K. Center, Melbourne, Fla.). Dr. Hynes is president of The B.A.C.K. Center. He is the immediate past president of the medical staff at Holmes Regional Medical Center, where he is also a founding member of the orthopedic surgery department. He is a fellow of the American College of Spine Surgeons and American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. His clinical interests include cervical herniated discs, degenerative spinal disorders, lumbar degenerative disc disease, scoliosis and spinal fusion. His additional training includes a spine surgery fellowship at Harvard University and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston.

 

Jocelyn Idema, DO (Mid-Maryland Musculoskeletal Institute, Frederick). Dr. Idema focuses on spine surgery and provides care at Mid-Maryland Musculoskeletal Institute. She has expertise in procedures such as eXtreme lateral interbody fusion, anterior lumbar interbody fusion, kyphoplasty and cervical disc replacements. She is a member of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, North American Spine Society and American Osteopathic Academy of Orthopaedics. She completed her spine fellowship at The Spine Institute of Arizona in Scottsdale.

 

Robert E. Isaacs, MD (Duke Medicine, Durham, N.C.). Dr. Isaacs is a neurosurgeon at Duke Medicine. He is the director of the degenerative section of the Association for Collaborative Spine Research. His research centers on defining the efficacy of surgical techniques. His work has been published in journals such as Neurosurgery and World Neurosurgery. He completed his spine surgery fellowship at Rush University/Chicago Institute of Neurosurgery and Neuroresearch.

 

Plas T. James, MD (Atlanta Spine Institute). Dr. James focuses on treating a wide array of spinal conditions, including herniated discs, spinal stenosis and degenerative disc disease. He practices at Atlanta Spine Institute and his hospital affiliations include Atlanta Medical Center and Southern Regional Medical Center in Riverdale, Ga. He serves as orthopedic spine consultant for the Atlanta Falcons. He is board-certified and completed a combined neurosurgical and orthopedic spine fellowship program at Harvard Medical School in Boston.

 

Michael E. Janssen, DO (Center for Spine and Orthopedics, Thornton, Colo.). Dr. Janssen founded the Center for Spine and Orthopedics in the early 1990s after completing two fellowships in spine surgery — one at the Lakewood (Colo.) Orthopedic Clinic and another in St. Gallen, Switzerland — and an orthopedic residency at the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta. Dr. Janssen is a clinical associate professor at Denver-based University of Colorado. He was the chairman of AOSpine International and was a lead investigator on IDE clinical trials for many advanced motion preservation spine technologies. Dr. Janssen founded of one of the first musculoskelatal hospitals in the country in 2000 and has practiced in the Denver area for the past 25 years. He also owns numerous businesses, including vast medical real estate, full service resorts, restaurants, pubs, breweries and a golf course. He has a master's degree in brewing and owns and operates the historic Snowy Mountain Brewery in Saratoga, Wyo. Dr Janssen holds six world titles in offshore powerboat racing.

 

Paul Jeffords, MD (Resurgens Orthopaedics, Atlanta). Dr. Jeffords is the former co-medical director of Resurgens Spine Center and a practicing spine surgeon. He is the section chief of the department of orthopedics at Emory Saint Joseph's Hospital in Atlanta. His clinical interests include reconstructive spine surgery, cervical spine surgery and endoscopic and laser spine surgery. He has won a number of awards including Georgia Orthopaedic Society's Thomas E. Whitesides, MD Award. His additional training includes a fellowship at the Texas Back Institute in Plano.

 

Arthur Jenkins, MD (Mount Sinai Hospital, New York). Dr. Jenkins is a neurosurgeon at Mount Sinai Hospital and an associate professor of neurosurgery and orthopedic surgery at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. He focuses on the entire spectrum of spinal disorders and peripheral nerve diseases, including revision spine surgery, spinal trauma and spinal tumors. He has won numerous awards over the course of his career, such as the Standing Tall Award from the Alan T. Brown Foundation in 2015. He completed his fellowship in neurosurgery-spine at Brigham and Women's Hospital/Harvard Medical School in Boston.

 

Hae-Dong Jho, MD (Allegheny General Hospital, Pittsburgh). Dr. Jho is a professor and chairman of neuroendoscopy and director of the Jho Institute for Minimally Invasive Neurosurgery at AGH. He has authored more than 110 paper, 150 abstracts and 20 book chapters. His current research centers on minimally invasive endoscopic brain and spine surgery. He has won the Mahaley Clinical Research Award from the AANS/CNS Tumor Section. He completed a microneurosurgery fellowship at the University of Pittsburgh.

 

J. Patrick Johnson, MD (Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles). Dr. Johnson is the director of the Institute of Spinal Disorders and co-director of the Spine Stem Cell Research Program at Cedars-Sinai. He is also a director of the California Association of Neurological Surgeons. He has an active interest in research and his work has been published in peer-reviewed journals such as Spine, Neurosurgical Focus and Neurosurgery. He has conducted clinical trials, outcomes studies and has served as a consultant for new product development. He has completed a spine surgery fellowship at the University of Tennessee and the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery in London, United Kingdom.

 

James Kang, MD (Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston). Dr. Kang is chairman of the orthopedics department at Brigham and Women's Hospital. He most recently served as the executive vice chairman for clinical services and the Endowed Chair in Orthopaedic Spine Surgery at University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. He is president of the International Society for the Study of the Lumbar Spine. Dr. Kang is the deputy editor of Spine and has authored more than 180 publications and over 50 book chapters. His additional training includes a spine fellowship at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland.

 

Dean Karahalios, MD (Advocate Medical Group, Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital, Downers Grove, Ill.). Dr. Karahalios joined Advocate Medical Group in 2014. He focuses on complex spine surgery, image-guided techniques, artificial disc replacement and minimally invasive procedures. He is board-certified in neurological surgery and he is an active lecturer, educator and researcher. He completed his spine fellowship at Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix.

 

Christopher Kauffman, MD (Premier Orthopaedics, Nashville, Tenn.). Dr. Kauffman is a spine surgeon practicing with Premier Orthopaedics. He serves on the board of directors of the North American Spine Society and on the Coding, Coverage and Reimbursement Committee of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. He is an alternative representative for the Physician Consortium for Performance Improvement with the American Medical Association and NASS. He is also a reviewer for The Spine Journal. His additional training includes a spine surgery fellowship at the University of California San Diego.

 

A. Jay Khanna, MD (Johns Hopkins Medicine, Bethesda, Md.). Dr. Khanna is the division chief of Johns Hopkins Orthopaedic Surgery in the National Capital Region and vice chairman of professional development in the orthopedic surgery department at Johns Hopkins University. He serves as the course director for the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons Board Review Course and also teaches and directs other CME courses through the North American Spine Society and American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. He has edited two textbooks — MRI Essentials for the Spine Specialist and MRI for Orthopaedic Surgeons. His additional training includes a fellowship in spine surgery at Cleveland Clinic.

 

Nitin Khanna, MD (Orthopaedic Specialists of Northwest Indiana, Munster). Dr. Khanna is a practicing spine surgeon at OSNI and a member of the clinical faculty at the department of orthopedics at Indiana University School of Medicine-Northwest in Gary. He has helped design and develop a number of minimally invasive surgical techniques. His work has been published in prestigious journals such as Spine, Journal of Spine and Journal of American College of Surgeons. He has completed a fellowship at Rush Presbyterian St. Luke's Hospital in Chicago.

 

Larry Khoo, MD (Good Samaritan Hospital, Los Angeles). Dr. Khoo is a neurosurgeon practicing at Good Samaritan Hospital, before which he served as co-director of the University of California Los Angeles Comprehensive Spine Center. He has served on the organizational and executive committees of numerous societies, including the American Academy of Neurological Surgeons, Congress of Neurological Surgeons and AANS/CNS Joint Section on Spine & Peripheral Nerve Surgery. His clinical interests include minimally invasive spinal decompression of stenosis, percutaneous spinal fusion techniques and motion preserving spinal technologies. He won the inaugural 2001 Ralph Cloward Medtronics Fellowship Award which he completed at Rush Presbyterian St. Luke's Medical Center in Chicago.

 

Sanjay K. Khurana, MD (DISC Sports and Spine Center, Newport Beach, Calif.). Dr. Khurana is a spine and orthopedic surgeon for both adults and pediatrics. He was fellowship-trained in spinal reconstruction at the Jackson Memorial Hospital in conjunction with the University of Miami/Project to Cure Paralysis. His areas of expertise are in spinal reconstruction, cervical spine surgery, minimally invasive microsurgery, adult and pediatric scoliosis and spine trauma and tumors.

 

Kee D. Kim, MD (University of California Davis Health System, Sacramento). Dr. Kim is a neurosurgeon and chief of spinal neurosurgery at UC Davis Health System. He is also the co-director of the UC Davis Spine Center and the neurosurgery spine fellowship director. He is actively involved in research and has served as the primary investigator for numerous clinical trials. His recent research has centered on the use of stem cells for disc regeneration and bony healing and the use of pharmaceutical agents for spinal cord injuries. His work has been published in peer-reviewed journals such as Spine and Annals of Surgical Innovation and Research.

 

Choll Kim, MD (Spine Institute of San Diego). Dr. Kim is an orthopedic spine surgeon at the Spine Institute of San Diego, an associate clinical professor at University of California San Diego and the spine medical director of the Advanced Spine & Joint Institute at Alvarado Hospital in San Diego. He is the founder and past president of the Society for Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery and the chair of the MIS Committee for the International Society for the Advancement of Spine Surgery. He is also a past voting member of the FDA Orthopedic Devices Panel. He completed his fellowship training in spine surgery at Rochester, Minn.-based Mayo Clinic.

 

Richard Kim, MD (DISC Sports and Spine Center, Newport Beach, Calif.). Dr. Kim is a neurosurgeon at the DISC Sports and Spine Center in Newport Beach, Calif. He completed his fellowship at Yale University School of Medicine. He is also a diplomate of the American Board of Neurological Surgeons. Dr. Kim helps lead Hoag's Pituitary Tumor program, and has pioneered a minimally invasive endoscopic approach to resection of pituitary tumors.

 

Youjeong Kim, MD (Sutter Health-California Pacific Medical Center, San Francisco). Dr. Kim is an orthopedic spine surgeon practicing at Sutter Health's CPMC. She is also affiliated with Golden Gate Sports Medicine. She is a clinical instructor at the University of California, San Francisco and also teaches at the San Francisco Veterans Administration Hospital. She focuses on minimally invasive surgery, motion preservation surgery including total disc arthroplasty and complex cervical spine surgery. She was the first female spine surgery fellow at Emory Spine Center in Atlanta.

John J. Knightly, MD (Atlantic NeuroSurgical Specialists, Morristown, N.J.). Dr. Knightly is board-certified in neurosurgery and fellowship-trained in complex spine. He specializes in complex spine surgery, minimally invasive spine surgery, stereotactic Cyber knife radio-surgery, tumors of the spine, deformity and trauma. Dr. Knightly received his BA from Franklin and Marshall College in Lancaster, Pa., and his medical degree from The University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey in Newark. He finished his post-graduate training and residency at the Bethesda (Md.) Naval Hospital. Dr. Knightly completed a research fellowship in the surgical neurology branch of the National Institutes of Health and in pediatric neurosurgery at The Children’s Hospital in Boston. He completed a fellowship in complex spine at The Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix and advanced training in trauma at the Shock-Trauma Center in Baltimore. Dr. Knightly serves on the Spine Executive Committee of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons – Congress of Neurological Surgeons section on Disorders of Spine and Peripheral Nerve. He chairs its Scientific Program Committee and Annual Meeting and chairs The Quality Improvement Workforce for the AANS/CNS Washington Committee. Dr. Knightly is a member of the Joint Sections of Spine and Peripheral Nerve and Neurotrauma and Critical Care, the Congress of Neurological Surgeons and the North American Spinal Society. He sits on the board of NeuroPoint Alliance and chairs and serves on several committees of the National Neurosurgery Quality Outcomes Database. Former neuro-trauma consultant for the National Football League and New York Jets, Dr. Knightly frequently lectures on surgical techniques of the spine and has published many articles on complex spine management.

 

Andrew Kokkino, MD (Oregon Neurosurgery Specialists, Springfield). Dr. Kokkino joined Oregon Neurosurgery Specialists in 2000. He has a professional interest in the treatment of brain and special tumors. He also continues to develop minimally invasive techniques in spinal surgery. He previously served as an assistant professor in the department of neurosurgery at Loyola University Stritch School of Medicine in Chicago. He completed an American Cancer Society fellowship in neurooncology.

 

Richard Kube, MD (Prairie Spine & Pain Institute, Peoria, Ill.). Dr. Kube is the founder of Prairie Spine & Pain Institute and Prairie Surgicare. He also serves on the clinical faculty at University of Illinois College of Medicine at Peoria. He is the treasurer of the American Board of Spine Surgery and serves or has served on various committees of the North American Spine Society and International Society for the Advancement of Spine Surgery. He is the advisor to Twisted Sun Innovations, a Hygrogen energy company working on renewable energy solutions for the U.S. Department of Defense. His additional training includes a spine fellowship with Spine Surgery PSC in Louisville, Ky.

 

Todd Lansford, MD (South Carolina Sports Medicine & Orthopaedic Center, N. Charleston, S.C.). Dr. Lansford is a spine surgeon with South Carolina Sports Medicine & Orthopaedic Center. He is a member of the North America Spine Society and Society of Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery, and he has won the Society of Lateral Access Surgery's Investigator Award in 2013. He has been published is prestigious journals, such as Journal of Orthopaedic Trauma. His additional training includes a spine surgery fellowship at the University of California, San Francisco Medical Center.

 

Carl Lauryssen, MD (NeuroTexas, Austin). Dr. Lauryssen is a spine surgeon at NeuroTexas. He was previously the co-director of spine research and development at Olympia Medical Center. He was the first neurosurgeon to inject stem cells into a human spinal cord, as part of an FDA trial. He has also won the American Association of Neurological Surgeons' Young Investigator Award twice for his work on cervical disorders and stem cell research. He previously directed the advanced neurosurgical spine program at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis. He completed a spinal neurosurgical fellowship at the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Medicine.

 

Scott Leary, MD (Senta Clinic, San Diego). Neurosurgeon Dr. Leary performs video-assisted thoracic spine surgery. He served as a neurosurgery clinical instructor for the Los Angeles County Hospital. He is the principal investigator for three FDA clinical trials studying the treatment of symptomatic degenerative disc disease and spinal stenosis. His work has been published in various journals, including cover features for Neurosurgery. The Consumers Research Council has named him one of "America's Top Surgeons." Dr. Leary completed his neurological surgery and spine fellowship at Century City Doctors Hospital in Los Angeles.

 

Casey K. Lee, MD (Spine Care & Rehabilitation, Roseland, N.J.). Dr. Lee serves as a clinical professor at UMDNJ- New Jersey Medical School in Newark, where he was a full-time orthopedic professor from 1977 to 1995. He previously served as the president of the North American Spine Society and New Jersey Orthopaedic Society. He has published or presented more than 250 papers on spine in various journals and at national and intentional meetings. Dr. Lee completed his orthopedic surgery residency at Carney Hospital/Boston City Hospital.

 

James T. Lehner, MD (Dayton Children's Hospital, Dayton, Ohio). Pediatric orthopedic surgeon Dr. Lehner serves as an associate clinical professor of orthopedic surgery at Wright State University School of Medicine in Dayton, Ohio. Dr. Lehner is a fellow of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. Dr. Lehner has provided scoliosis and orthopedic services in Santiago, Dominican Republic, Bangladesh, St. Lucia, West Indies and Haiti. He also provided care at the Kijabe Medical Center and Bethany Crippled Children's Center in Kenya. Dr. Lehner completed his scoliosis fellowship at Kosair Crippled Children's Hospital in Louisville, Ky.

 

Mesfin A. Lemma, MD (MedStar Orthopaedics, Baltimore). The director of spine surgery at MedStar Good Samaritan Hospital, Dr. Lemma previously served as division chief of Johns Hopkins orthopedic and spine surgery at Good Samaritan Hospital. He received the 2014 Teacher of the Year Award by Johns Hopkins University orthopedics department. Dr. Lemma completed his fellowship at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore.

 

Lawrence Lenke, MD (Columbia Orthopedics, New York City). Dr. Lenke is the surgeon-in-chief at The Spine Hospital at NewYork-Presbyterian/Allen and chief of the spine division and co-director of the adult and pediatric comprehensive spine fellowship. He was previously the chief of spine surgery, co-chief of adult and pediatric spinal deformity service, director of advanced deformity fellowship and a professor of neurological surgery at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. He is also the Jerome J. Gilden Distinguished Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery. He was the 2011 president of the Scoliosis Research Society and has served on various society committees. He holds editorial responsibilities for Spine, Journal of Spinal Disorders and Techniques, Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, spineuniverse.com, The Spine Journal and Neurosurgery, among others. Dr. Lenke has published more than 300 articles.

 

Isador Lieberman, MD, MBA (Texas Back Institute, Plano). Dr. Lieberman serves as the director of the scoliosis and spine tumor center at Texas Back Institute. He previously provided care at Cleveland Clinic. He created the Uganda Charitable Spine Surgery Mission, an organization offering spine care to the underserved. Dr. Lieberman received the Cleveland Clinic Foundation Innovations Award, P.K. Ranney Foundation New Product Award in 2009 and Cleveland Clinic Foundation Innovations Award from 2004 to 2009 for multiple patents. Dr. Lieberman completed his spine surgery and trauma surgery fellowships at Toronto Hospital in Canada and Queen's Medical Center in Nottingham, United Kingdom.

 

Jae Lim, MD (Atlantic Brain & Spine, Fairfax, Va.). Dr. Lim serves as an assistant clinical professor of neurosurgery at Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine in Richmond. He previously was the president of the Korean American Spine Society and serves on the North American Spine Society practice management committee. Dr. Lim also serves on Inova Fairfax Hospitals Trauma, Cerebrovascular Quality and Spine Center Development committees and Inova Hospitals' Osteobiologics committee. Dr. Lim completed his fellowship at UCLA Medical Center and a complex spinal surgery fellowship at Cedars-Sinai Institute of Spinal Disorders in Los Angeles.

 

Adam Lipson, MD (IGEA Brain & Spine, Union, N.J.). Dr. Lipson holds appointments at various local hospitals, including Overlook Hospital in Summit, N.J., and Morristown (N.J.) Hospital. A member of the Overlook Hospital Spine Steering Committee and Neuroscience Care Review Committee, Dr. Lipson also serves on Atlantic Health's Spine Technology Committee. In 2010, he performed the first frameless Deep Brain Stimulation procedure. Active internationally, Dr. Lipson studied neuro-regeneration at the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, Sweden, on a Fulbright Fellowship, and offered scoliosis surgery to Vietnamese adolescents. Dr. Lipson has authored more than 20 articles and book chapters. Dr. Lipson completed his neurological surgery fellowship at St. George's Hospital in London, United Kingdom.

 

Baron S. Lonner, MD (Scoliosis and Spine Associates, New York City). Dr. Lonner opened his private practice in 1999 and is currently the director of Scoliosis Spine Associates. He also serves as chief of the division of spine surgery and director of the Spine Institute of New York at Mount Sinai Beth Israel in New York City. An attending spine surgeon at Mount Sinai Roosevelt and Mount Sinai Medical Center, he is also a professor of orthopedic surgery. Dr. Lonner has provided services as a Surgeon Volunteer, and treated patients in Ghana. He has written and contributed to more than 100 pieces. Dr. Lonner is the principal investigator of the prospective study of Scheuermann's Kyphosis. He holds responsibility within the Scoliosis Research Society. Dr. Lonner completed his fellowship at the Hospital for Special Surgery and the Cornell University Medical Center, both in New York City.

 

Morgan Lorio, MD (Neuro-Spine Solutions, Bristol, Tenn.). Dr. Lorio is a consultant for Exactech's Optefrom and collaborates with medical device companies. He brought no dye MRI myelography to Louisiana and was the first surgeon in the state to perform a microendoscopic discectomy surgery. Dr. Lorio completed a hand and microsurgery fellowship at The Hand Center of Western New York in Buffalo, as well as plastic surgery training at the University of Pittsburgh. He completed the Simmons Spine Fellowship and a fellowship at the Health Science Center Syracuse (N.Y.).

 

Steven C. Ludwig, MD (University of Maryland Medical Center, Baltimore). Dr. Ludwig serves as the head of the division of spine surgery in the orthopedics department at University of Maryland Medical Center, as well as an orthopedics professor at UM School of Medicine. In addition, he oversees the R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center, Baltimore VA Medical Center and the University of Maryland Rehabilitation & Orthopaedic Institute. Dr. Ludwig received the American Orthopaedic Association Research Award, Cervical Spine Research Society Award and North American Spine Society Research Award. He is a diplomate of the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery. Dr. Ludwig completed a spine surgery fellowship at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta.

 

James Lynch, MD (SpineNevada, Reno). Performing more than 500 spine surgeries annually in hospitals and ASCs, Dr. Lynch founded SpineNevada and serves as a partner and director of spine services at Regent Surgical Health. He is a fellow of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons and the chairman and director of spine programs at Surgery Center of Reno. Journal of Neurosurgery: Spine and Neurosurgery have published his work. Dr. Lynch completed his spine fellowships at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery in Queens Square, London, United Kingdom, Mayo Clinic and Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix.

 

Steven Mardjetko, MD (Illinois Bone and Joint Institute, Morton Grove, Ill.). The chief of spinal surgery, division of orthopedic surgery at Cook County Hospital in Chicago, Dr. Mardjetko also serves as an orthopedic surgery assistant professor at Rush Medical College in Chicago. Dr. Mardjetko earned the Walter P. Blount Humanitarian Award in 2014. Journal of Spinal Disorders, Spine Journal and Spine, among other publications have published his work. Dr. Mardjetko completed a spinal deformity fellowship at Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke's Medical Center in Chicago and a pediatric orthopedic surgery fellowship at Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke's Medical Center and Shriner's Hospital Pediatric Orthopaedic in Chicago.

 

Joseph C. Maroon, MD (University of Pittsburgh Medical Center). The Heindl Scholar in Neuroscience, Dr. Maroon serves as a neurological surgery professor. He was a past president of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons and co-created the ImPACT device for concussion treatment. Dr. Maroon has written four books and more than 250 papers. Dr. Maroon completed his fellowship at Oxford John Radcliffe Hospital, United Kingdom, and the University of Vermont in Burlington.

 

Gene M. Massey, MD (Strand Orthopaedics, Myrtle Beach, S.C.). Dr. Massey is a spine and orthopedic surgeon at Strand Orthopaedics in Myrtle Beach, S.C. He is a member of AO Spine and American Medical Association. He completed his adult spine surgery fellowship at Duke University Medical Center. Dr. Massey's special interests include minimally invasive spine surgery, motion preserving cervical spine surgery (traumatic and degenerative) and conditions of the cervical, thoracic and lumbar spine.

 

Robert Masson, MD (NeuroSpine Institute, Orlando). Founder of NeuroSpine Institute, Dr. Masson has performed more than 11,000 microsurgical spine procedures. Dr. Masson developed the iMAS technique for lumbosacral spinal reconstruction. He serves as a chairman for surgeon training and certification for DePuy Synthes Spine's ProDisc. Dr. Masson completed his skull base surgery and neurotology fellowship at House Ear Clinic in Los Angeles.

 

Bryan J. Massoud, MD (Spine Centers of America, Fair Lawn, N.J.). Dr. Massoud specializes in minimally invasive endoscopic spine surgery and researches technologies to advance healthcare. He is affiliated with four local hospitals, and serves as an assistant clinical professor at Seton Hall Graduate School of Medical Education. Dr. Massoud completed his fellowship at Texas Back Institute.  

 

Paul C. McCormick, MD (Columbia University Medical Center, New York City). The director of the Spine Hospital at the Neurological Institute of New York, Dr. McCormick also serves as the Gallen Professor of Neurological Surgery and a physician at the Columbia University Medical Center/New York-Presbyterian Hospital. With more than 200 published papers and book chapters, Dr. McCormick also edited 11 books. He has served as the deputy editor of Spine, chair of Journal of Neurosurgery: Spine and on the advisory board of Neurosurgery. Dr. McCormick completed his complex spine surgery fellowship at Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee.

 

Geoffrey M. McCullen, MD (Lincoln Orthopaedic Center, Lincoln, Neb.). Dr. McCullen specializes in cervical, thoracic and lumbo-sacral spine. He serves on the editorial board for The Spine Journal and has written nine textbook chapters and 16 articles.  Dr. McCullen is a fellow of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. Dr. McCullen completed his fellowship at SUNY Health Science Center.

 

Amir A. Mehbod, MD  (Twin Cities Spine Center, Minneapolis). Dr. Mehbod serves as the chairman of the neuroscience department at Abbott Northwestern Hospital and the medical director of spine surgery at Allina Health. He serves on the board of directors for the Foundation for Advancement of Spinal Knowledge. He has been published in various journals, including Spine and the Journal of Neurosurgery: Spine. Dr. Mehbod completed his spine fellowships at Twin Cities Spine Center and the University of Bordeaux in France.  

 

Hooman M. Melamed, MD (DISC Sports and Spine Center, Newport Beach, Calif.). Dr. Melamed is an orthopedic spine surgeon at the DISC Sports and Spine Center in Newport Beach, Calif. His concentration is on spine disorders for both children and adults. He completed his fellowship at Cedars Sinai Medical Center's Institute for Spinal Disorders, where he earned the DePuy Spinal Fellowship Award. His specialties include minimally invasive spine surgery, non-fusion spine technology, complex cervical spine disorders, cervical, thoracic and lumbar degenerative disc disease, revision and failed spine surgeries, spine trauma, tumors, cancers and metastasis to the spine, pediatric and adult scoliosis and kyphosis.

 
Rojeh Melikian, MD (DISC Sports and Spine Center, Newport Beach, Calif.). Dr. Melikian is a spine and orthopedic surgeon at the DISC Sports and Spine Center in Newport Beach, Calif. He completed his spine surgery fellowship at Emory University. His special interests include minimally invasive and microscopic lumbar and cervical microsurgery, reconstructive spine surgery, cervical disorders and spinal tumors and infections.

 

Ehud Mendel, MD (Ohio State University Medical Center, Columbus). Dr. Mendel serves as a neurological surgery, orthopedics, international medicine and integrated systems engineering professor at the university, as well as the director of the spine program. Dr. Mendel is a diplomate of the National Board of Medical Examiners. His work has been published in Neurosurgery, among other publications. Dr. Mendel completed his neurological surgery fellowship at the University of Florida School of Medicine in Gainesville.

 

Ali Mesiwala, MD (Southern California Center for Neuroscience and Spine, Pomona). Dr. Mesiwala won an American Brain Tumor Association grant for his work, as well as a National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke's National Research Service Award. He has authored more than 50 articles, book chapters and abstracts. Dr. Mesiwala completed his neurological skull base and cerebrovascular fellowships at University of Washington, International Neurosciences Institute in Hanover, Germany, and the University of Pittsburgh.  

Scott A. Meyer, MD (Atlantic NeuroSurgical Specialists, Morristown, N.J.). Dr. Meyer is board-certified in neurosurgery and fellowship-trained in complex and minimally invasive spine surgery. In addition to surgery, he specializes in degenerative spine disease, cervical arthroplasty, adult spinal deformity (kyphosis and scoliosis), spinal tumors and spinal trauma. Dr. Meyer maintains a strong interest in neurotrauma. A Rhode Island native, Dr. Meyer graduated Magna Cum Laude from Hamilton College in Clinton, N.Y. He received his medical degree from Brown University in Providence, R.I., and completed his residency in Neurological Surgery at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City. He was then selected for a prestigious complex and minimally invasive spine surgery fellowship at the UC San Francisco. Dr. Meyer is a member of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, Congress of Neurological Surgeons and the Joint Sections of Spine and Peripheral Nerve of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons/Congress of Neurological Surgeons, where he served as a member of its scientific program committee. He is acting chairman and a member of the Spine Technology Committee at Morristown, N.J.-based Atlantic Health System. Dr. Meyer has published research on mini-open transforamenal lumbar interbody fusion for the treatment of spondylolisthesis, cervical arthroplasty, cervical laminoplasty, adult degenerative scoliosis and spinal metastatic disease in numerous journals. He also published research on the surgical management of brain tumors, spinal trauma and cervical surgical technique in several neurosurgical textbooks.

 

Richard Meyrat, MD (Methodist Brain and Spine Institute, Mansfield, Texas). Dr. Meyrat specializes in cranial and spine trauma, complex tumors, spinal deformity and degenerative diseases. A member of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, Dr. Meyrat is also affiliated with the Congress of Neurological Surgeons, among others. Dr. Meyrat completed his fellowship, focused on dynamic stabilization with disc replacement technology and endoscopic technique, at the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire in Bordeaux, France.

 

Charles Mick, MD (Pioneer Spine and Sports, Northampton, Mass.). Dr. Mick previously served as the president of the North American Spine Society and advisor to the organization's coding committee. He specializes in adult spine surgery, spinal injections and pediatric orthopedics. Dr. Mick completed his fracture surgery fellowship at Felix-Platter Hospital in Basel, Switzerland, and a spine fellowship at The Royal Adelaide Hospital in South Australia.

 

Hamid R. Mir, MD (DISC Sports and Spine Center, Newport Beach, Calif.). Dr. Mir is an orthopedic spine surgeon at the DISC Sports and Spine Center in Newport Beach, Calif. He completed his fellowship at Cedars Sinai Medical Center. He is also the recipient of the Christopher Pavlides Award for Excellence in Orthopaedic Surgery. His specialties include cervical, thoracic and lumbar spinal conditions, such as stenosis, fracture, infection and scoliosis to revision and complex reconstructions.

 

Srdjan Mirkovic, MD (NorthShore Orthopaedic Institute, Chicago). Dr. Mirkovic serves on NorthShore University HealthStystem's and Northwestern Memorial Hospital’s staffs. He is also a spine consultant for the Chicago Bears and Chicago Fire. Dr. Mirkovic has held committee responsibilities for the North American Spine Society and International Society for the Advancement of Spine Surgery. Dr. Mirkovic won two North American Spine Society's Outstanding Spine Research Award. Spine and Journal of Spinal Disorders, among others, have published his work. Dr. Mirkovic completed his spinal surgery fellowship at the University of California at San Diego.  

 

William Mitchell, MD (Coastal Spine, Mt. Laurel, N.J.). Dr. Mitchell performs surgeries at Virtua Marlton and JFK Medical Center in Edison, N.J., and researches minimally invasive spine surgery. He serves on the board of directors of the North American Spine Society and previously was the program chair for the organization's annual meeting. Dr. Mitchell completed his spine surgery fellowship at the Cleveland Clinic.

 

George Miz, MD (Bone & Joint Physicians, Oak Lawn, Ill.). Dr. Miz was a frontrunner in his area to participate in clinical trials for artificial disc replacement. He specializes in herniated discs, spine deformities, sciatica, trauma and tumors, among other conditions. Dr. Miz completed his scoliosis and spine surgery fellowships at New York University and Bellevue Hospital in New York City.

 

Alan Moelleken, MD (The Spine and Orthopedic Center, Santa Barbara, Calif.). Dr. Moelleken has served as the chairman of the Tri-County Spine Conference for nine years. He has written various publications and is affiliated with the American Medical Association, North American Spine Society and American Association of Orthopaedic Surgeons. Dr. Moelleken completed his neurosurgery and orthopedic spine surgery fellowship at New York University.  

 

Vivek Mohan, MD, MS (DuPage Medical Group, Naperville, Ill.). Dr. Mohan is affiliated with three hospitals. He is a member of the AO Spine Society, North American Spine Society and American Association of Orthopaedic Surgeons. The Journal of Spinal Disorders and Techniques and The Spine Journal, among other publications, have published his work. Dr. Mohan completed this orthopedic surgery residency at the College of Medicine University of Illinois at Chicago.

 

William Montgomery, MD (Northeast Orthopedics, Albany, N.Y.). Dr. Montgomery is a fellow of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgery and specializes in cervical spine disorders. He serves as a Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve Medical Corps, and has performed hundreds of surgeries during deployment. The military has honored him with a Meritorious Service Medal, The Army Commendation Medal and a letter of commendation from the pentagon's Major General Formica. Dr. Montgomery completed a neurosurgery and orthopedic spine surgery fellowship at Cleveland Clinic.

 

James F. Mooney, MD (Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston). Dr. Mooney serves as an orthopedic surgery professor at Medical University of South Carolina. He researches pediatric spinal deformity and pediatric fractures, about which he's written various publications. Dr. Mooney completed his pediatric orthopedic surgery fellowship at the Children's Hospital of Boston.

 

Howard Morgan, MD (UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas). Holder of the Trammell Crow Professorship in Neurosurgery, Dr. Morgan helped pioneer microsurgery for spine cord tumor procedures. He previously was a volunteer neurosurgeon with the Red Cross at the U.S. Army base in Landstuhl, Germany. A previous member of the ethics committees for the North American Spine Society and the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, he currently serves on the Parkland Hospital's Emergency and Disaster Management Committee. Dr. Morgan completed his neurological surgery residency at Regional Medical Center at Memphis.

 

Joseph M. Morreale, MD (Center for Spine and Orthopedics, Thornton, Colo.). Dr. Morreale is a spine surgeon at the Center for Spine and Orthopedics in Thornton, Colo. He was fellowship-trained at Yale University and has advanced training and expertise in degenerative disease in the cervical and lumbar spine.

 

Daniel Mulconrey, MD (Midwest Orthopaedic Center, Peoria, Ill.). Affiliated with three local hospitals, Dr. Mulconrey treats cervical and lumbar spine conditions in adults and adolescents. Spine and the Journal of Spinal Disorders & Techniques have published his work. Dr. Mulconrey completed his orthopedic spine surgery fellowship at Washington University in St. Louis.

 

Praveen V. Mummaneni, MD (University of California, San Francisco Medical Center). The director of the cervical spine program, Dr. Mummaneni also serves as the director of the minimally invasive spine program and the minimally invasive and complex spine fellowship program at UCSF. He is the co-director of UCSF's Spine Center and is the vice chairman of the neurosurgery department. Dr. Mummaneni has authored more than 150 manuscripts, edited various textbooks and is on the editorial board of Journal of Neurosurgery: Spine. He won the Scoliosis Research Society's Edgar Dawson Memorial Scholarship and the SRS Traveling Fellowship Award. Dr. Mummaneni is the chair-elect of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons-Congress of Neurological Surgeons joint section on the disorders of spine and peripheral nerves. Dr. Mummaneni completed his fellowship at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta.

 

Michael R. Murray, MD (Christiana Spine Center, Newark, Del.). Dr. Murray is a board-certified orthopedic spine surgeon. He is especially interested in minimally invasive approaches to spinal surgery, and has published many scientific articles. During his time at Baltimore-based Union Memorial Hospital, the orthopedic residency program named him the Teacher of the Year. Dr. Murray completed his spine surgery fellowship at Emory University Spine Center in Atlanta. 

 

Daniel Murrey, MD  (OrthoCarolina, Charlotte, N.C.). Dr. Murrey has served as the CEO of OrthoCarolina since 2008. He holds multiple spine device patents. In addition to this medical leadership, Dr. Murrey also was the Mecklenburg County commissioner and headed the committee for the 2012 Democratic National Convention, in Charlotte, N.C. Dr. Murrey competed his spine surgery fellowship at Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte, N.C.

 

Thomas Mroz, MD (Cleveland Clinic). Dr. Mroz serves as the co-director of the Center for Spine Health and the director of the spine surgery fellowship at Cleveland Clinic.  A reviewer for various journals, Dr. Mroz serves as a deputy editor for Global Spine Journal and on the editorial board for The Spine Journal, among other publications. He is a part of the biologics board for the North American Spine Society and the research committee for AO Spine North America. Dr. Mroz completed his spinal surgery fellowship at the University of California Los Angeles Medical Center, and his neurosurgery fellowship at Semmes Murphy Clinic in Memphis, Tenn.

 

Seth Neubardt, MD  (Seth Neubardt, M.D. & Jack Stern, M.D., Ph.D., White Plains, N.Y.). Dr. Neubardt holds several patents and helped create the technology for minimally invasive spinal surgery. He is a fellow of the American College of Surgeons and the American Association of Orthopaedic Surgeons. Dr. Neubardt completed an orthopedic and neurosurgical spine fellowship at NYU Medical Center in New York City.

 

Michael G. Neuwirth, MD (Mount Sinai Medical Center, New York City). Dr. Neuwirth serves as an orthopedics professor at Mount Sinai School of Medicine. He specializes in revision surgery and has written many articles on spine surgery, as well as authored a handbook on scoliosis. He previously served on the board of the Scoliosis Research Society. Dr. Neuwirth completed his spine surgery fellowship at Presbyterian St. Luke's Hospital in Chicago.

 

William Neway III, DO (Hughston Trauma, Birmingham, Ala.). Dr. Neway serves as an assistant professor of orthopedic surgery at the University of Alabama, Birmingham. A member of the American Osteopathic Association, Dr. Neway is also affiliated with the American Association of Orthopaedic Surgeons. He has authored several book chapters and publications. Dr. Neway completed his orthopedic and neurosurgery spine fellowship at Yale University Medical Center in New Haven, Conn.

 

Steven R. Nichols, MD (Andrews Sports Medicine & Orthopaedic Center, Birmingham, Ala.). Dr. Nichols was a founding partner of Andrew Sports Medicine & Orthopaedic Center. He is a fellow of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons and is affiliated with the Clinical Orthopaedic Society and North American Spine Society. Dr. Nichols completed his residency at Charlotte (N.C.) Hospital and Medical Center.

 

Robert Nucci, MD (Nucci Medical Clinic, Tampa, Fla.). Dr. Nucci founded Nucci Medical Clinic in 1995 and currently serves as the clinic's CEO. A member of the North American Spine Society, Dr. Nucci is also affiliated with American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons and Academy of Surgical Research. Dr. Nucci completed his spine surgery fellowship at Florida Neck and Back Institute.  

 

Pierce Nunley, MD (Spine Institute of Louisiana, Shreveport). The director of the Spine Institute, Dr. Nunley also serves as a clinical instructor and orthopedic surgery assistant professor at LSU Health and Science Center in New Orleans. A fellow of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, Dr. Nunley is on North American Spine Society's research fund management committee and American College of Spine Surgery's board. He has presented his research in the United States, Canada, Mexico and Italy. Dr. Nunley completed his spine fellowship at the University of Basel in Switzerland and the Dallas Spine Group.

 

Patrick F. O'Leary, MD (Hospital for Special Surgery, New York City). Dr. O'Leary previously served as the chief of spine service at Hospital for Special Surgery, where he now is an associate attending spine surgeon. He is also an associate professor of orthopedic surgery at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City. Mets and Knicks players have sought his expertise in back surgery. He is a fellow of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, International College of Surgeons and American College of Surgeons. Dr. O'Leary completed his spine surgery fellowship at Toronto East General Orthopaedic Hospital in Canada.

 

Joan O'Shea, MD (The Spine Institute of Southern New Jersey, Marlton). Founder of The Spine Institute of Southern New Jersey, Dr. O'Shea teaches surgeons how to perform lumbosacral fusions. She has spoken at the American Association of Neurological Surgeons meetings since 1996, and founded the first outpatient spine surgery center in Southern New Jersey. Dr. O'Shea completed her orthopedic spine surgery fellowship at the Hospital for Joint Disease and the Spine Institute of New York at Beth Israel Medical Center, in New York City.

 

Burak Ozgur, MD (ONE Brain and Spine Center, Newport Beach, Calif.). The director of ONE Brain and Spine Center, Dr. Ozgur also serves as the chief of service for the spinal neurology department at Hoag Hospital in Newport Beach, Calif. He has taught at University of California, Irvine Multidisciplinary Comprehensive Spine Program and Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. He has authored more than 27 articles and co-authored a book. Dr. Ozgur completed his orthopedic surgery, neurosurgery spine fellowship at University of California's San Diego Medical Center.

 

Pablo Pazmiño, MD (Spine Cal, Santa Monica, Calif.). Dr. Pazmiño created The Spinecal Institute and serves as medical director. He is writing two books and has written various book chapters. A member of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, Dr. Pazmiño is also affiliated with the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery, among other societies.  Dr. Pazmiño completed an AO Spinal Surgical Fellowship in Curitiba, Brazil, and an orthopedic, neurosurgical spine surgery fellowship in Beverly Hills, Calif.

 

Andrew E. Park, MD (Texas Spine Consultants, Dallas). Dr. Park is the director of the Dallas Spine Fellowship Program, the only spine fellowship program recognized by the North American Spine Society in Dallas. Dr. Park has written several pieces on spine and orthopedics. He performs surgeries at Baylor University Medical Center of Dallas, but holds privileges at two other hospitals. Dr. Park completed his spine fellowship at Emory University Spine Center in Tucker, Ga.

 

Mick Perez-Cruet, MD (Beaumont Hospital, Southfield, Mich.). Dr. Perez-Cruet serves as a neurosurgeon at Michigan Head & Spine Institute and is chief of minimally invasive spine surgery at Beaumont Hospital. He also serves as vice chairman and professor of minimally invasive spine surgery and the spine program at Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine in Rochester, Mich. Dr. Perez-Cruet is the head of the Minimally Invasive Neurosurgical Society. The author of textbooks on minimally invasive surgery, Dr. Perez-Cruet also developed an educational program accessed on the College of Neurological Surgeons website. He serves as a diplomate for the National Board of Medical Examiners. Dr. Perez-Cruet completed his minimally invasive spinal surgery fellowship at Rush University in Chicago.

 

John Peloza, MD (Texas Back Institute, Plano). Dr. Peloza is a spine surgeon with Texas Back Institute. He previously founded the Center for Spine Care and Invasive Surgery Institute. He has been an associated for the Steadman Hawkins Clinic in Vail, Colo., and previously served as a spine consultant for the United States Ski Team. He is an advisor to Medtronic Sofamor Danek, and participated in the development of minimally invasive orthopedic spine treatments, SEXTANT, MET-Rx and the MAVERICK total disc replacement. Dr. Peloza completed his spine fellowship at the Dallas Spine Group.

 

Brian Perri, DO (Beverly Hills Spine Surgery, Beverly Hills, Calif.). Dr. Perri has co-authored various spine surgery textbook chapters and has been a reviewer for The Spine Journal. He has presented his research at several meetings, including the Cedars-Sinai Symposium on Current Concepts in Spinal Disorders, Cervical Spine Research Society meeting and North American Spine Society meeting. Dr. Perri completed his orthopedic and neurosurgical spine surgery fellowship at Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.

 

Kenneth Pettine, MD (The Spine Institute, Loveland, Colo.). Dr. Pettine founded The Spine Institute and co-founded the Rocky Mountain Associates in Orthopedic Medicine in 1991. He co-founded The Society for Ambulatory Spine Surgery in 2011. He has served as the principal investigator for 15 FDA studies and is a leader in stem cell therapy. The inventor of the Maverick Artificial Lumbar Disc and the Prestige Artificial Cervical Disc, Dr. Pettine holds patents for three other devices. Spine, American Journal of Sports Medicine and Journal of Musculoskeletal Medicine have published his research. Dr. Pettine completed his spine fellowship at the Institute for Low Back Care in Minneapolis.

 

Frank Phillips, MD (Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush, Chicago). Dr. Phillips serves as a professor and director of the section of minimally invasive spine surgery at Rush University Medical Center. A pioneer in minimally invasive procedures, Dr. Phillips is a founder, board member and past president of the Society of Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery. The U.S. News & World Report has voted Dr. Phillip among its "Top Doctors in America." He completed his spine surgery fellowship at Case Western Reserve in Cleveland. Dr. Phillips has been a principle investigator in FDA trials on cervical disc replacement.

 

Steven C. Poletti, MD (Southeastern Spine Institute, Mt. Pleasant, S.C.). With Donald R. Johnson II, MD, Dr. Poletti performed South Carolina's first microendoscopic discectomy and artificial disc replacement. In 1991, Dr. Poletti served as Duke University's chief resident in orthopedic surgery. Additionally, Dr. Poletti is the president of the South Carolina Spine Society as well as the South Carolina Orthopedic Association. He completed his fellowship at Dallas Spine Group.

 

David W. Polly Jr., MD (University of Minnesota, Minneapolis). Dr. Polly is a professor and chief of spine surgery in the orthopedic surgery department at the University of Minnesota. He completed his spine surgery fellowship at the University of Minnesota. Additionally, he serves as the vice president of the Scoliosis Research Society. Dr. Polly is well-known for his biomechanics and outcomes research as well as his scoliosis research.

 

Randall W. Porter, MD (Barrow Neurosurgical Associates, Phoenix). Dr. Porter is the associate editor of Skull Base Surgery. Phoenix Magazine named Dr. Porter a "Top Doc" in June 2007. He performed the first CyberKnife in Arizona, as well as performed the first auditory brainstem implant in Arizona. Dr. Porter completed his residency and fellowship at Barrow Neurological Institute.

 

Alexander Powers, MD (MedStar Health, Winston-Salem, N.C.). Dr. Powers has experience in motion preservation spinal surgery, complicated spine and minimally invasive spine surgery. He serves as a professor of neurosurgery at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital in Washington D.C., and is a member of the American Fellow of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons. In 1992, he completed his neurosurgical residency at George Washington University Hospital in Washington D.C.

 

Srinivas Prasad, MD (Jefferson University Hospitals, Philadelphia). Dr. Prasad is a surgeon in the department of neurological surgery and orthopedic surgery. His research interests include surgical robotics, image guided surgery, tele-surgery and artificial intelligence. Dr. Prasad completed his spine fellowship at Cleveland Clinic. He attended Boston University School of Medicine and completed his neurosurgery residency at Washington University in St. Louis.

 

Gregory Przybylski, MD (JFK Medical Center, Edison, N.J.). Dr. Przybylski is a professor of neurological surgery at Seton Hall Univeristy School of Graduate Medical Education in South Orange, N.J. He has served as president of the North American Spine Society as well as director of neurosurgery at the New Jersey Neuroscience Institute at JFK Medical Center. Publications including The Spinal Journal have published Dr. Przybylski's research. He has completed several spine surgery fellowships at institutions including University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Hospital St. Vincent de Paul in Paris, Hospital St. Roch in Nice, France and Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee.

 

Sheeraz A. Qureshi, MD (The Mount Sinai Hospital, New York). Dr. Qureshi is an associate professor of orthopedics at Mount Sinai Hospital. He completed his spine surgery fellowship at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland. After completing his spine fellowship, Dr. Qureshi's peers selected him as the Cervical Spine Research Society Traveling Time, allowing him to travel to spine centers around the nation and the world. Dr. Qureshi is the chief of spinal trauma at Elmhurst Hospital Center in New York.

 

Richard S. Rabinowitz, MD (Barrington Orthopedic Specialists, Hoffman Estates, Ill.). Dr. Rabinowitz underwent his spine surgery fellowship at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. Dr. Rabinowitz has been practicing at Barrington Orthopedic Specialists since 1997. He is a member of the North American Spine Society and American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. The North American Spine Society and Cervical Spine Research Society have recognized Dr. Rabinowitz for his research.

 

Raj Rao, MD (GW School of Medicine & Health Sciences, Washington, D.C.). Dr. Rao is the chair of the orthopedic surgery department at The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, GW Hospital and The GW Medical Faculty Associates. He was previously the chair of the department of orthopedic surgery at George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Science, GW Hospital and The GW Medical Faculty Associates. Additionally, he is a professor of orthopedic surgery and neurosurgery at the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration Advisory Panel of Orthopedic and Rehabilitation Devices appointed Dr. Rao as chair in 2014. He completed his spine surgery fellowship at William Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, Mich. Previously, Dr. Rao was a board member of the North American Spine Society.

 

George Rappard, MD (Los Angeles Minimally Invasive Spine Institute). Dr. Rappard is the director and founder of the Los Angeles Minimally Invasive Spine Institute. In 2004, Dr. Rappard devised the first community-based hospital Neurointerventional Surgery program in Los Angeles. Additionally, he was the first surgeon in Los Angeles to use a novel implant in a minimally invasive procedure to treat spinal stenosis in 2010. In 2013, he was the first surgeon in the state to perform a minimally invasive endoscopic spinal fusion procedure. He completed fellowships in neuroradiology and interventional neuroradiology/neuroendovascular surgery at the University of Texas-Southwestern in Dallas.

 

John Ratliff, MD (Stanford School of Medicine, Calif.). Dr. Ratliff serves as an associate professor and vice chair of neurosurgery, departmental quality officer and co-director of the spine and peripheral nerve surgery division at Stanford School of Medicine. Serving on the board of directors of Neuropoint Alliance, he also serves on the executive committee of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons and the Joint Section of Disorders of Spine and Peripheral Nerves. Dr. Ratliff is the chairman of the joint AANS/CNS Neurosurgery Quality Control. In 2013, the Stanford University Department of Neurosurgery granted Dr. Ratliff the Excellence in Education and Mentorship Award. He completed his fellowship at New York University Medical Center.

 

Bernard Rawlins, MD (Hospital for Special Surgery, New York). Dr. Rawlins completed his spine surgery fellowship at Minnesota Spine Center. He is an attending orthopedic surgeon at the Hospital for Special Surgery as well as a professor of clinical orthopedic surgery at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York. He is a spine consultant for the New York Knicks basketball team, New York Mets baseball team and the Iona College Athletics Department. The Orthopaedic Research Society granted Dr. Rawlins the New Investigation Award, and Hospital for Special Surgery awarded him the Nancy Kane Bischoff Mentor Award.

 

John J. Regan, MD (Spine Group Beverly Hills, Beverly Hills, Calif.). Dr. Regan is an orthopedic and spine surgeon at the Spine Group Beverly Hills in Beverly Hills, Calif. He's one of the few surgeons in the United States to complete two fellowships in spine. One of them he completed at A.O. International Hospital in Switzerland, and the other at Johns Hopkins University Hospital. His specialties include thoracic spine surgery, scoliosis and minimally invasive approaches to surgery.

 

Charles Reitman, MD (Baylor College of Medicine, Houston). Dr. Reitman is a professor of orthopedic surgeon at Baylor College of Medicine. Several leading publications including Spine have published Dr. Reitman's academic articles on his research. He completed his spine surgery fellowship at Baylor College of Medicine. Previously, he served as director of orthopedic surgery for Baylor Clinic.

 

Daniel Resnick, MD (University of Wisconsin Health, Madison). Dr. Resnick is a professor of neurological surgery at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health in Madison. Dr. Resnick underwent his residency at University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. Dr. Resnick was awarded "Best Doctors in America" in 2011, 2013 and 2014.

 

Charles Riedel, MD (Virginia Hospital Center, Arlington). Dr. Riedel was the former chief resident and the assistant professor for the department of neurological surgery at the New York Neurological Institute, Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center in New York. He also served as an assistant professor for the department of neurological surgery at George Washington University Medical Center. Dr. Riedel completed his fellowship at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Md.

 

K. Daniel Riew, MD (Columbia Orthopaedics, New York). At Columbia University Medical Center, Dr. Riew serves as a professor of orthopedic surgery as well as the co-chief of the spine division. He is the director of cervical spine surgery and co-director of adult and pediatric comprehensive spine fellowship at Columbia University Medical Center. A diplomate of the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery, Dr. Riew's practice is exclusively limited to the operative treatment of the cervical spine. After completed several residencies, he underwent a spine surgery fellowship at the University Hospitals of Cleveland. Dr. Riew has served as the president of the Cervical Spine Research Society, and he will become president of AO Spine next year.

 

Michael Rimlawi, DO (The Minimally Invasive Spine Institute, Dallas). A pioneer in endoscopic laser spine surgery, Dr. Rimlawi is the director and founder of the Minimally Invasive Spine Institute. American Top 10 named Dr. Rimlawi to its "Top Orthopedic Surgeons in Dallas" list. He serves as a scientific advisor to several international spine technology companies and is a consulting spine expert for NBC, CBS, ABC, FOX and several other stations. Dr. Rimlawi served as the founder and director of Advanced Spine Scoliosis as well as the director of spine surgery and trauma at Texas Orthopedic Surgical Associates.

 

Anthony Rinella, MD (Illinois Spine & Scoliosis Center, Homer Glen). Dr. Rinella is the founder of Illinois Spine & Scoliosis Center. He also founded Global Spine Outreach, a group of scoliosis surgeons, health specialists and volunteers who help patients with complex spinal problems around the globe. Romeoville, Ill-.based Lewis University granted Dr. Rinella the De La Salle Award for his dedicated to helping children with spinal deformities around the world. The Scoliosis Research Society is awarding him the Walter P. Blount Humanitarian Award. Dr. Rinella completed his adult and pediatric spinal surgery fellowship at Washington University in St. Louis.

 

Michael Roh, MD (Rockford Spine Center, Illinois). Dr. Roh is the co-founder of Rockford Spine Center. He also serves as a clinical assistant professor at the University of Illinois College of Medicine at Rockford and is a cabinet member and committee co-chair for the Scoliosis Research Society. After completing his residency at Columbia University, he underwent a spinal surgery fellowship at Washington University in St. Louis. Dr. Roh is a core faculty member for The Prestige Cervical Disc and travels around the nation teaching other surgeons the disc replacement procedure. Castle Connolly named Dr. Roh to its "Top Doctors in Orthopaedic Spine Surgery" in 2014.

 

Charles Rosen, MD (UC Irvine Health, Orange, Calif.). Dr. Rosen is an orthopedic spine surgeon at UC Irvine Health. He is the founding director of UCI Spine Center and president of the Association for Medical Ethics. Dr. Rosen completed his residency at the Hospital for Joint Diseases Orthopaedic Institute in New York and his fellowship at Ranchos Los Amigos Medical Center in Downey, Calif.

 

David Rothbart, MD (Spine Team Texas, Southlake). Dr. Rothbart is the founder and the medical director of Spine Team Texas. Dr. Rothbart and his team founded the facility in 2004. He served as the medical director of neurosurgery at Baylor Medical Center at Irving and Grapevine in Texas, and also served as an associate professor of neurosurgery at Rush College of Medicine in Chicago. Dr. Rothbart completed his fellowship at Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix.

 

Thomas F. Roush, MD (Roush Spine, Lake Worth, Fla.). Dr. Roush completed a spine surgery fellowship and a spinal arthroplasty fellowship at the Texas Back Institute in Plano. Various publications including The Lumbar Intervertebral Disc and Motion Preservation Surgery of the Spine have published Dr. Roush's research. He has served as a visiting professor at Polish Spine Society in Opole, Koceali University Hospital in Turkey as well Ankaka University Hospital in Turkey. Dr. Roush is the co-author of Motion Preservation Surgery of the Spine: Advanced Techniques and Controversies. He currently serves as a reviewer for Journal of Cellular and Molecular Medicine and Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research.

 

Kurt Von Rueden, MD (Lakeway Regional Medical Center, Texas). Dr. Rueden is the founder of Texas Scoliosis and Spine, which merged into Spine Austin in 2004. With more than 27 years of experience, Dr. Von Rueden is a spinal consultant to the University of Texas in Austin. He has served the editorial staff for The Spine Journal for the last 20 years. Dr. Von Rueden underwent a scoliosis and complex spine surgery fellowship in Denver and completed a North American Spine Surgery Study Traveling Fellowship at multiple spine centers throughout the United States and Switzerland.

 

Michael Russell II, MD (Azalea Orthopedic & Sports Medicine, Tyler, Texas). Dr. Russell has served as the president of Physician Hospitals of American. He is a founder and past board chairman of the Texas Spine & Joint Hospital in Tyler. Dr. Russell underwent a spine surgery fellowship at the Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte, N.C. He is a member of several organizations including the North American Spine Society, American Medical Association, American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, Texas Orthopedic Association and Texas Medical Association.

 

J. Rafe Sales, MD (Summit Spine, Portland, Ore.). A fellow of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, Dr. Sales is the founder and director of Summit Spine Institute. Additionally, he is the medical director of spinal trauma at Legacy Emanuel Hospital in Portland. He completed his spinal surgery fellowship at San Francisco Spine Institute, and underwent a spinal trauma visiting fellowship at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle. Several journals such as Journal of Orthopaedic Research and Journal of Trauma have published Dr. Sales' academic research.

 

Andrew Sama, MD (Hospital for Special Surgery, New York). At the Hospital for Special Surgery, Dr. Sama serves as the fellowship director of the spinal surgical service. He is an associate professor of clinical surgery at Weill Medical College of Cornell University in New York. Dr. Sama is a fellow of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons and diplomat of the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgeons. Dr. Sama serves on the editorial board of Current Reviews in Musculoskeletal Medicine and is a reviewer for Spine and Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research. He completed his fellowship at Hospital for Special Surgery/Weill Cornell Medical College.

 

Amer Samdani, MD (Shriners Hospitals for Children, Philadelphia). Dr. Samdani is the chief of surgery for Shriners Hospital for Children. He completed his traveling fellowship in spinal deformity with the Scoliosis Research Society as well as a pediatric neurosurgery fellowship at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. He holds a special interest in pediatric spine care, including spinal cord injury and deformity. Dr. Sama is known for his research on bone marrow stromal cells and the outcomes for patients treated with spinal fusion.

 

Harvinder S. Sandhu, MD (Hospital for Special Surgery, New York). Dr. Sandhu is an associate attending orthopedic surgeon and assistant scientist in the research division at the Hospital for Special Surgery. At Weill Cornell Medical College, he is an associate professor of orthopedic surgery. Dr. Sandhu previously was the chief of the spinal surgery service at UCLA. He has received several awards including the International Society for Study of Lumbar Spine's Volvo Award in Spinal Research. After completing his residency at State University of New York, Dr. Sandhu completed his fellowship at UCLA.

 

Rick Sasso, MD (Indiana Spine Group, Kokomo). Dr. Sasso is a founding member and president of Indiana Spine Group. He serves as a professor and chief of spine surgery in the department of orthopedic surgery at the Indiana University School of Medicine in Indianapolis. He completed his spine surgery fellowship at Chicago-based Northwestern University. Dr. Sasso is involved in the research and development of spinal implants and minimally invasive spine surgery techniques.

 

Paul Schwaegler, MD (Seattle Spine Institute). After completing his orthopedic surgery residency at Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood, Ill., Dr. Schwaegler underwent additional training studying spine surgery at Chicago-based Loyola University Medical Center. Dr. Schwaegler travels throughout the United States to teach less invasive spine surgery techniques to other surgeons. His professional affiliations include North American Spine Association, International Society for the Advancement of Spine Surgery, Society for Lateral Access Surgery and Puget Sound Spine Interest Group.

 

Joseph Schwab, MD (Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee). Dr. Schwab is an associate professor of orthopedic surgery at the Medical College of Wisconsin. He serves as the interim president of the Milwaukee Orthopaedic Society, and is the lead programmer and co-developer of the Orthopaedic Survival Database, an online tool for predictive outcome modeling of orthopedic conditions. Dr. Schwab completed his fellowship at The University Hospital of Bern in Switzerland.

 

David G. Schwartz, MD (OrthoIndy, Indianapolis). Dr. Schwartz won the North America Spine Society’s award for outstanding research in 1994, and the International Intradiscal Therapy Society’s Lyman Award in 1994. He invented the Anteres and Leverage Spinal Instrumentation Systems. Dr. Schwartz serves as an assistant clinical in the department of orthopedic surgery professor at Indiana University and is the director of the OrthoIndy Spine Fellowship. Dr. Schwartz completed his spine fellowship at the Leatherman Spine Center, Kosair Children's Hospital and the University of Louisville, all located in Louisville, Ky.

 

James Schwender, MD (Twin Cities Spine Center, Minneapolis, Minn.). A fellow of the Scoliosis Research Society, Dr. Schwender serves as president for the Society for Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery. Dr. Schwender was a clinical instructor at Burlington-based University of Vermont College in the department of orthopedics and rehabilitation, and an assistant professor at the University of Minnesota in department of orthopedic surgery.  He completed his spine fellowship at Twin Cities Spine Center.

 

Thomas Schuler, MD, FACS (Virginia Spine Institute, Reston). In 1992, Dr. Schuler founded Virginia Spine Institute, where he currently serves as the CEO. Dr. Schuler completed his spinal surgery fellowship at Kerlan-Jobe Orthopaedic Clinic in Los Angeles. He is a fellow of the American College of Spine Surgery, American College of Surgeons and American College of Orthopaedic Surgery. Dr. Schuler is the president of Spinal Research Foundation, and serves as a spine consultant to the Washington Redskins.

 

Gaetano Scuderi, MD (Palm Beach Spine and Sport, Jupiter, Fla.). Dr. Scuderi underwent his spine surgery fellowship at the University of California San Diego School of Medicine. He completed his residency at the University of Miami. He previously served as a clinical professor at Stanford (Calif.) University. Dr. Scuderi is the founder and chief medical officer of Cytonics, a company that focuses on developing products for treating osteoarthritis using Alpha-2 Macroglobulin therapies.

 

Thomas B. Scully, MD (Northwest Neuro Specialists, Tucson, Ariz.). Dr. Scully completed his internship and residency at Indiana University Medical Center in Indianapolis. Specializing in neurosurgery, Dr. Scully's clinical interests include spine, brain tumors, cervical spine and peripheral spine. Dr. Scully received the Patient's Choice Award for five consecutive years from 2008 to 2012.

 

Christopher I. Shaffrey, MD (University of Virginia Health School of Medicine, Charlottesville). Dr. Shaffrey is a professor of neurological surgery at the University of Virginia. Dr. Shaffrey has served on the editorial board of Journal of Neurosurgery, Neurosurgery and Journal of Spinal Disorders. Presently, he is a deputy editor for Spine and Spinal Deformity. He also serves as a director of the American Board of Neurological Surgery. Dr. Shaffrey was named the American Association of Neurological Surgeons secretary for 2015 to 2016.

 

Kern Singh, MD (Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush, Chicago). Dr. Singh is an associate professor at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago. He is the co-director of Minimally Invasive Spine Institute at Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush. Dr. Singh underwent his orthopedic and neurological spine fellowship at Emory University in Atlanta. Dr. Singh is the principal researcher in various FDA clinical trials involving cervical disc replacements and motion-preserving spinal technology. Vitals.com awarded Dr. Singh the "Patient's Choice Award," and his research won "Best Paper" recently at the North American Spine Society's annual conference.

 

Vladimir A. Sinkov, MD (New Hampshire Orthopaedic Center, Manchester). Dr. Sinkov completed his spine surgery fellowship at St. Joseph Medical Center in Baltimore. He serves as an editor for Practical Reviews in Orthopaedic Surgery. Previously, Dr. Sinkov was the editor for Oakstone Medical Publishing and Interactive Education Program for Spine. Dr. Sinkov is a trained ProDisc and NuVasive XLIF surgeon. He is a member of the North American Spine Society and American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.  

 

Navinder Sethi, MD (Potomac Valley Orthopedic, Olney, Md.). Dr. Sethi is the recipient of several awards including the AOA Research Award and the Arthritis Foundation Award. He has presented at the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeon, North American Spine Society and Cervical Spine Research Society meetings, among others. Dr. Sethi completed his spine surgery fellowship at Emory Spine Center in Atlanta. His research interests include minimally invasive spine surgery and cervical spine surgery.

 

Nick Shamie, MD (Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center). At UCLA, Dr. Shamie is a professor of orthopedic surgery and neurosurgery. He also serves as the chief of orthopedic spine surgery at the institution. Dr. Shamie served as president of American College of Spine Surgery for two terms, and is a qualified medical evaluator for the state of California. Dr. Shamie was elected as an expert review for the Medical Board of California. He completed two fellowships at the UCLA School of Medicine and Biologics Research Lab.

 

John Shim, MD, FACS (Shim Spine, Tampa, Fla.). Dr. Shim is a co-investigator of an FDA IDE Study of Cervical Disc Replacement Arthroplasty. He is a fellow of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, American College of Surgeons and North American Spine Society. Dr. Shim is a board member of the Arthritis Foundation and serves as chief of surgery at Mease Country Hospital in Safety Harbor and Mease Dunedin (Fla.) Hospitals. He is the director of the Mease Dunedin Neuro-Ortho Spine Center.

 

Khawar Siddique, MD, MBA (Beverly Hills Spine Surgery, Calif.). Dr. Siddique is the CEO and founder of Beverly Hills Spine Surgery. He earned his MBA from the University of Southern California's Marshall School of Business. After completing his neurosurgery residency at Chicago-based, University of Illinois College of Medicine, Dr. Siddique underwent a spine surgery fellowship at the Institute for Spinal Disorders at Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.

 

Kris Siemionow, MD (Illinois Spine & Scoliosis Center, Homer Glen). Dr. Siemionow serves as the chief of spine surgery and assistant professor of orthopedics and neurosurgery at Chicago-based University of Illinois. Dr. Siemionow launched a Global Spine Outreach site in Poznan, Poland. At the site, he performs surgery on children and adults with spinal deformities twice each year. Dr. Siemionow is a speaker and/or consultant for Johnson & Johnson, Globus, Amedica, GMA, LifeSpine, Qualgenix and Captureproof.com. He completed his spine surgery fellowship at the Cleveland Clinic Spine Institute.  

 

Hal Silcox III, MD (Peachtree Orthopaedic Clinic, Atlanta). Dr. Silcox previously served as chief of spine surgery service at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center, affiliated with Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta. He also was the resident and spine surgery fellowship education coordinator for the department of orthopedic surgery at the institution. Dr. Silcox has been principal investigator in the state of Georgia for two FDA investigational device exemption studies, and has participated in various other FDA and National Institutes of Health studies. He completed his spine surgery fellowship at Emory University Affiliated Hospitals.

 

Allen Kent Sills, Jr. MD (Vanderbilt Medical Center, Nashville, Tenn.). Dr. Sills is an associate professor of neurological surgery at Vanderbilt University. He completed a neuro-oncology fellowship at Baltimore-based John Hopkins Hospital. Dr. Sills serves as the director of the Neurosurgery Community Practice at Vanderbilt, and is a consulting team neurosurgeon for the Mississippi State University athletic teams as well as Memphis Grizzlies NBA basketball team. A fellow of the American Academy of Surgeon, Dr. Sills previously was the chief of neurosurgery at Veterans Administration Medical Center in Memphis, Tenn.

 

David Skaggs, MD (Children's Hospital Los Angeles). At the Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Dr. Skaggs is the chief of orthopedic surgery and director of spine surgery. He completed a pediatric orthopedic fellowship at Children's Hospital Los Angeles and an orthopedic research fellowship at Columbia University in New York. Dr. Skaggs is a diplomat of the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery. A fellow of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons and the American Academy of Pediatrics, he serves of the board of directors of the Growing Spine Foundation and the board of directors of the Scoliosis Research Society.

 

Christopher Sliva, MD (Rockford Spine Center, Illinois). Dr. Sliva is a clinical professor at the University of Illinois College of Medicine at Rockford. He is one of the partners at Rockford Spine Center. In 2015, Castle Connolly named Dr. Sliva to its "Top Doctors in Orthopaedic Spine Surgery" list and Newsweek Magazine named Dr. Sliva to its "Nations Leading Spine Surgeons" in 2012. He completed his spinal surgery fellowship at William Beaumont in Royal Oak, Mich.

 

Paul Slosar, MD (SpineCare Medical Group, San Francisco). Dr. Slosar serves as the president of SpineCare Medical Group, as well as the medical director at the Spine Care Institute of San Francisco. He also serves as the co-director and director of surgical research at the San Francisco Spine Institute. He is an editorial board member for various medical journals including Spine and The Spinal Research Foundation Journal. He is an oral board examiner for both the American Board of Orthopedic Surgery and American Board of Spine Surgery. The Medical Board of California selected Dr. Slosar as an expert reviewer in spinal surgery. He underwent his spine fellowship at The San Francisco Spine Institute and SpineCare Medical Group. Presently, he is the CMO of the spine device company Titan Spine.

 

Jonathan Slotkin, MD (Geisinger Neurosciences Institute, Danville, Pa.). Dr. Slotkin is the director of spine surgery at the Geisinger Health System Neuroscience Institute and medical director of Geisinger in Motion, which produces mobile apps. He also serves as the director of spinal cord injury research for Geisinger's Health System. He completed his spine surgery fellowship at New England Baptist Hospital in Boston. The American Association of Neurological Surgeons presented Dr. Slotkin's research with the Apfelbaum award. Dr. Slotkin served on the scientific advisory board for InVivo Therapeutics.

 

Samuel E. Smith, MD (Denver Health). Dr. Smith is a surgeon with Denver Health. Previously, Dr. Smith was the chairman of orthopedic surgery and chief of staff at Longmont (Colo.) Hospital. He was the treasure and president of the Colorado Orthopaedic Society. After completing his orthopedic residency at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln, he underwent a spinal disorders fellowship at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago and Elmwood Hospital in New Orleans. In 2013, Dr. Smith joined Denver Health to teach residents and continue his spine-centered practice.

 

Laura Snyder, MD (Barrow Brain and Spine, Phoenix). Dr. Snyder completed fellowships in minimally invasive spine surgery at Barrow Neurological Institute and Rush Medical Center in Chicago. She is a member of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons and Congress of Neurological Surgeons. Dr. Snyder conducts research about enhancing the spine surgery process physically and emotionally.

 

Richard Spiro, MD (Pennsylvania Brain & Spine Institute, Pittsburgh). Dr. Spiro is a spine surgeon practicing at Pennsylvania Brain & Spine Institute, prior to which he spent 14 years at the University of Pittsburgh’s Presbyterian Hospital. At UPMC, he was the director and chief of neurological spine surgery for the Department of Neurosurgery and liaison to the hospital’s Surgical Oversight Committee. His clinical interests include spinal abnormalities, oncology, spinal tumors and revision spinal surgery. He completed his neurosurgery residency and complex spine surgery fellowship at the University of Pittsburgh.

 

Mark J. Spoonamore, MD (Keck Medicine of USC, Los Angeles). Dr. Spoonamore is an assistant professor in the department of orthopedic surgery at the Keck School of Medicine of USC and a spine surgeon at the USC Spine Center. He has expertise in minimally invasive spine surgery and complex revision spine surgery, and he has conducted numerous scoliosis research projects. He has received the Russell Hibbs Award for Best Clinical Science Presentation from the Scoliosis Research Society. He is a reviewer for Spine. His additional training includes a spine fellowship at University of Southern California.  

 

Philip F. Stahel, MD (Denver Health). Dr. Stahel is director of service in the orthopedics department at Denver Health. He focuses on spine trauma surgery and his research interests include pathophysiology of traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury and management of complex periarticular fractures. He is an instructor for the AO North America Musculoskeletal Trauma Education Committee and received the Annual Patient Safety Award from the Colorado Patient Safety Coalition in 2010. He has completed a trauma fellowship in the department of trauma and reconstructive surgery at Charite University Medical Center in Germany.

 

William Stevens, MD (OrthoArizona, Phoenix). Dr. Stevens is a spine surgeon at OrthoArizona focusing on scoliosis, complex spine and reconstruction. His hospital affiliations include Banner Good Samaritan Medical Center in Phoenix and Scottsdale (Ariz.) Healthcare-Shea Medical Center. His additional training includes a fellowship at University of California Affiliated Hospitals in San Francisco.   

 

John Steinmann, DO (Arrowhead Orthopaedics, Redlands, Calif.). Dr. Steinmann is a practicing spine surgeon at Arrowhead Orthopaedics and director of spine trauma at Arrowhead Regional Medical Center in Colton, Calif. He is a member of the American Medical Association, American Osteopathic Academy of Orthopaedics-Spine Section and North American Spine Society. He is certified by American Osteopathic Board of Orthopaedic Surgery and completed his spine surgery fellowship at the University of Washington/Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.

 

David Strothman, MD (Institute for Low Back Pain and Neck Care, Bloomington, Minn.). Dr. Strothman is a spine surgeon and the medical director at Institute for Low Back Pain and Neck Care. He focuses on minimally invasive spine surgery, adult scoliosis as well as cervical, thoracic and lumbar spine disorders. He has an active interest in research and his work has been published in publications such as Journal of Orthopedic Trauma and Advanced Reconstruction: Spine. He has completed an orthopedic spine fellowship with Twin Cities Spine Center in Minneapolis.

 

Brian Subach, MD (Virginia Spine Institute, Reston). Dr. Subach is president of Virginia Spine Institute. He is also the chief scientific officer and board member for the Spinal Research Foundation and editor-in-chief of the Journal of the Spinal Research Foundation. He is one of the few surgeons in the mid-atlantic region trained in robot-guided surgery and he has pioneered the use of artificial discs for treating neck or back pain. In addition, he is a principal investigator in the Phase II clinical trial of NuQu from ISTO Technologies. He completed a spinal surgery fellowship at the Emory Clinic in Atlanta.

 

Daniel J. Sucato, MD (Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children, Dallas). Dr. Sucato is chief of staff at Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children. He is also the director of the Sarah M. and Charles E. Seay/Martha and Pat Beard Center for Excellence in Spine Research. He has won a number of awards over the course of his career, including the William Beaumont Award from the American Medical Association and the Moe Award for Best Basic Science Poster from Scoliosis Research Society. He is also a reviewer for the Journal of Pediatric Orthopaedics and Clinical Orthopedics and Related Research. He completed the Dorothy and Bryant Edwards Fellowship in Pediatric Orthopaedics and Scoliosis at Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children.

 

Olaware Sulaiman, MD, PhD, FRCS (Ochsner Health System, New Orleans). Dr. Sulaiman is the chairman for the neurosurgery department at Ochsner Health System in New Orleans. He also serves as the medical director of Ochsner Health System's Back and Spine Center. At Ochsner, Dr. Sulaiman heads a nerve-spinal cord regeneration translational research laboratory. He completed a fellowship at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge. He also completed an additional fellowship at Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee.

 

Brian J. Sullivan, MD, MBA (Maryland Brain, Spine and Pain, Annapolis). Dr. Sullivan is a neurosurgeon specializing in minimally invasive spine surgery and cervical disc replacement. He performs many surgeries in the outpatient setting. He also serves as a neurosurgery clinical professor at George Washington University Medical Center in Washington, D.C. Neurosurgery has published his research. Dr. Sullivan completed his neurosurgery residency at George Washington University Medical Center.

 

Chris Summa, MD (The Spine Clinic of Monterey Bay, Soquel, Calif.). Dr. Summa founded The Spine Clinic of Monterey Bay in 2000. He is a member of the North American Spine Society, American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons and International Society for the Advancement of Spine Surgery. He is consultant for NuVasive, DePuy Synthes and Vertebral Technologies, among others. He has expertise in minimally invasive discectomy, motion preservation surgery and percutaneous spinal decompression. He completed the combined orthopedic and neurosurgical spine fellowship at the University of Washington/Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.

 

Fred Sweet, MD (Rockford Spine Center, Rockford, Ill.). Dr. Sweet co-founded the Rockford Spine Center in 2003 and focuses on complex spinal surgeries. He is a clinical assistant professor of surgery at the University of Illinois College of Medicine at Rockford. He provides charitable care at the Walter Lawson's Children Home and Rebound Pediatric Clinic. He is a member of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, North American Spine Society and Scoliosis Research Society. His additional training includes a spine surgery fellowship at Washington University in St. Louis.

 

Daryl R. Sybert, DO (OrthoNeuro, Columbus, Ohio). Dr. Sybert is an orthopedic and spine surgeon and an associate clinical professor in orthopedics at Ohio University College of Osteopathic Medicine and the Ohio State University. He completed his fellowship at the Cleveland International Spine Center. He specializes in the comprehensive treatment of pathologic conditions involving the cervical, thoracic and lumbar spine. His special interests include spinal stenosis, herniated discs, scoliosis, spondylolisthesis, trauma, tumors and infections involving the spine.

 

William Tally, MD (Athens Orthopedic Clinic, Athens, Ga.). Dr. Tally focuses on minimally invasive endoscopic spine surgery, providing care at Athens Orthopedic Clinic. He also has a professional interest in spine and neck care, including fracture, degenerative disc and bone disease, tumor and neural compression. He is a member of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, North American Spine Society and American Spinal Cord Injury Association. He is a consultant for medical device companies, such as Globus Medical, Amendia and Spinewave. He has completed fellowships at The University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia and at A.I. Dupont Children's Hospital in Wilmington, Del.

 

Robert L. Tatsumi, MD (Oregon Spine Care, Tualatin). Dr. Tatsumi is a spine surgeon practicing with Oregon Spine Care. He focuses on artificial disc replacement for the neck and low back, and has expertise in minimally invasive procedures. He is an instructor for Medtronic's Bryan Disc and DePuy Synthes' ProDisc C and ProDisc L. He is a faculty member of the Society of Lateral Access Surgery. His additional training includes a spine surgery fellowship at Los Angeles Spine Institute.

 

William Taylor, MD (University of California San Diego Health System). Dr. Taylor is a clinical professor of surgery at UCSD Health System and vice chairman-academic affairs, UCSD Neurosurgery. He focuses on the neurosurgical evaluation and treatment of spinal disorders, with a special interest in endoscopic surgery for disc disease. He is the executive director of the Society for Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery. He is also editor of The Scientific World Journal. He won the Golden Scalpel Award for Teaching Excellence at the UCSD Neurological Resident Presentation in 2010 and the Leo M. Davidhoff Award for Outstanding Neurosurgical Teaching. He has completed a spine fellowship at Columbia University in New York.

 

Nicholas Theodore, MD (Barrow Neurological Institute, Phoenix). Dr. Theodore is chief of spinal surgery; medical director of the neurological trauma program; and associate director of the neurosurgery residency program at Barrow Neurological Institute. He focuses complex spinal disorders and spinal cord injury. He won a number of awards, including the prestigious the Mayfield Award and the Tasker Award from the Congress of Neurological Surgeons. He has also received a NIH RO-1 grant to study spinal injuries and novel approaches to spinal surgery. His additional training includes a fellowship at Barrow Neurological Institute.

 

William Tobler, MD (Mayfield Clinic, Cincinnati). Dr. Tobler is a neurosurgeon and serves on the board of directors at Mayfield Clinic. He is also the director of neurosurgery at The Christ Hospital in Cincinnati and chairman of the board of managers at The Christ Hospital Spine Surgery Center. His clinical interests include discectomy, spinal fusion, decompression, artificial disc replacement and outpatient minimally invasive lumbar spine fusion. His work has been included in peer-reviewed journals, such as Journal of Neurosurgery: Spine and Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery. He completed his residency at University of Cincinnati Medical Center and the Mayfield Clinic.

 

Daniel Tomes, MD (The Nebraska Neurosurgery Group, Lincoln). Dr. Tomes is a neurosurgeon focusing on spine, brain and peripheral nerve surgery at The Nebraska Neurosurgery Group. He has an active interest in research and his work has been published in a number of journals such as Oncology and Journal of Neurosurgery. He won the outstanding research paper award from the North American Spine Society for his research on spinal cord injury treatment. He is also board president of Southwest Lincoln (Neb.) Surgery Center. He completed his neurological surgery residency at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha.

 

Vincent C. Traynelis, MD (Rush University Medical Center, Chicago). Dr. Traynelis is the program director for the neurosurgery residency training program and the spine fellowship program at Rush University Medical Center. He is the past president of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons and Cervical Spine Research Society. His research has been funded through National Institutes of Health and the United States Army grants. His research centers on the interaction between glioma cell cultures and fatty acids and cervical spine biomechanics. He completed his residency in neurological surgery at West Virginia University School of Medicine in Morgantown.

 

Eeric Truumees, MD (Seton Spine & Scoliosis Center, Austin, Texas). Dr. Truumees is a spine surgeon practicing at Seton Spine & Scoliosis Center, a part of Seton Brain & Spine Institute. He previously served as an attending surgeon at William Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, Mich., where he was also the clinical director at the Harold W. Gehring Center for Biomechanical Research and Implant Retrieval. He is the editor-in-chief of SpineLine. His additional training includes a spine surgery fellowship at William Beaumont Hospital.

 

Dwight Tyndall, MD (Spine Care Specialists, Munster, Ind.). Dr. Tyndall is a spine surgeon with Spine Care Specialists. He has expertise in minimally invasive spine surgery, advanced spinal fusion techniques and motion preservation spine surgery. He has been published in peer-reviewed publications, such as Clinical Orthopedics and Journal of Orthopaedic Research. He is a member of the North American Spine Society and Indiana State Medical Society. His additional training includes a spine fellowship at Hospital for Special Surgery in New York.

 

Alexander Vaccaro, MD (Rothman Institute, Philadelphia). Dr. Vaccaro is president of Rothman Institute as well as the Richard H. Rothman Professor and chairman of the department of orthopedic surgery and professor of neurosurgery at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia. Additionally, he is co-director of spine surgery and the spine fellowship program at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital. He is a past president of the American Spinal Injury Association. He has authored more than 530 peer reviewed and has published over 300 book chapters, in addition to serving as co-editor of the OKU-Spine I and editor of OKU-8. He completed his spine fellowship at the University of California San Diego.

 

Mark C. Valente, DO (DISC Spine Institute, Plano, Texas). Dr. Valente is the director and founder of the DISC Spine Institute in the DFW metroplex. He is a board-certified and fellowship-trained orthopedic spine surgeon and has a special interest in minimally invasive procedures. He completed his residency at the University of California San Diego. Dr. Valente was awarded first place for Best Resident Paper and Presentation on Open vs. MIS TLIF at Michigan State University and he was as also a finalist for Best Fellow Case Presentation North American Spine Society. He was ranked number 3 among all orthopedic surgeons sitting for oral board examination.

 

Cathleen S. Van Buskirk, MD (Alpine Spine, Boulder, Colo.). Dr. Van Buskirk is a spine surgeon at Alpine Spine and her hospital affiliations include Boulder (Colo.) Community Hospital and Exempla Good Samaritan Hospital in Lafayette, Colo. She is a member of the Scoliosis Research Society, North American Spine Society and American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. Her additional training includes a fellowship in spine surgery at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia and in pediatric orthopedic spine surgery at Vincent De Paul Hospital in Paris.

 

Paul Vessa, MD (Somerset Orthopedic Associates, Bridgewater, N.J.). Dr. Vessa is a spine surgeon practicing with Somerset Orthopedic Associates. He is also an active staff physician at Somerset Medical Center and Somerset Surgical Center. He is also an assistant clinical professor/courtesy faculty member at New Jersey Medical School in Newark. He assisted James Dwyer, MD, in performing the first artificial disc replacement at the L4-L5 level in New Jersey. His work has been published in journals such as Spine. He completed a combined spine surgery fellowship at Seton Medical Center in Daly City, Calif., and St. Mary's Spine Center in San Francisco.

 

Robert G. Viere, MD (Methodist Hospital for Surgery, Dallas). Dr. Viere is a spine surgeon at Methodist Hospital for Surgery and he has a professional interest in complex conditions of the cervical spine, postoperative spinal problems and adult scoliosis. He also serves as an assistant professor of orthopedic surgery and director of resident basic science education at University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. He is a fellow of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. His additional training includes a fellowship in spine surgery at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland.

 

Lawrence Vogel, MD (Shriners Hospitals for Children — Chicago). Dr. Vogel is the chief of pediatrics, assistant chief of staff and medical director of the spinal cord injury program at Shriners Hospitals for Children — Chicago. He is chairman of the steering committee of the Consortium for Spinal Cord Medicine and serves as a council member for the International Spinal Cord Society. He is a past president of the American Spinal Injury Association as well as an associate editor of Topics in Spinal Cord Injury Rehabilitation. His clinical interests include pediatric spinal cord injury, transition to adulthood and infectious disease. His additional training includes a fellowships at Michael Reese Hospital and Medical Center in Chicago and University of Chicago Medical Center.

 

Amir A. Vokshoor, MD (DISC Sports and Spine Center, Newport Beach, Calif.). Dr. Vokshoor is a neurological spine surgeon at the DISC Sports and Spine Center in Newport Beach, Calif. He completed his fellowship at the University of South Florida. His specialty is minimally invasive cranial and spinal surgery.

 

James S. Waldron, MD (Lakeway Regional Medical Center, Lakeway, Texas). Dr. Waldron is a neurosurgeon at Lakeway Regional Medical Center. Dr. Waldron earned his medical degree from the University of Texas Southwestern School of Medicine in Dallas, completed his residency at the University of California, San Francisco, and his fellowship at Stanford University Medical Center in Palo Alto, Calif. Dr. Waldron focuses on the treatment of cerebrovascular disease utilizing both endovascular and open surgical techniques. He also has interests in neuro oncology, skull base surgery, radiosurgery and treatment of disorders of the cervical, thoracic and lumbar spine.

 

Jeffrey Wang, MD (Keck Medicine of USC, Los Angeles). Dr. Wang is chief of the orthopedic spine service at Keck Medicine of USC and co-director of the USC Spine Center. He is a professor of orthopedic surgery and neurosurgery. He serves as a second medical opinion physician with the National Hockey League. He also runs a basic science laboratory focusing on novel methods of treating spinal disorders. He has won a number of awards over the course of his career, including the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons Achievement Award in 2010. He completed his spine surgery fellowship at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland.

 

Robert Watkins III, MD (Marina Spine Center, Marina Del Rey, Calif.). Dr. Watkins is co-director of the Marina Del Rey Hospital spine clinic and a founding member of the North American Spine Society. He is one of the spinal consultants for the USC athletic programs and the L.A. Dodgers. His clinical interests include cervical artificial disc replacement, cervical foraminotomy, laminoplasty and kyphoplasty. His work has been published in professional journals such as Spine and The Spine Journal. He has completed spine surgery fellowships at the Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopedic Hospital and Klinik fur Orthopadische Chirugie.

 

Robert Watkins IV, MD (Marina Spine Center, Marina Del Rey, Calif.). Dr. Watkins is co-director of the Marina Spine Center, along with his father Dr. Robert Watkins III. He is also chairman of the surgery department at Marina Del Rey Hospital. He focuses on minimally invasive spine surgery, computer-assisted surgery and disc replacement and is a spine consultant to many Los Angeles sports teams. He has treated a number of professional athletes during his career, including Peyton Manning, an NFL quarterback. He has completed a fellowship in spine surgery at The Queen's Medical Centre in England and a traveling spine fellowship in Europe.

 

William Watters III, MD (Bone and Joint Clinic of Houston). Dr. Watters is a partner at Bone and Joint Clinic of Houston and is an clinical associate professor at University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston and Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. He is a past president of the North American Spine Society. He is currently chairman of the Guidelines Oversight Committee of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons and treasurer of the American Board of Spinal Surgery. He also serves on the National Committee for Quality Assurance's Committee on Physician Programs and is on the editorial advisory board for The Spine Journal. He completed his orthopedic surgery residency at University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.

 

K. Michael Webb, MD (Lakeway Regional Medical Center, Lakeway, Texas). Dr. Webb is a neurosurgeon currently practicing at Lakeway Regional Medical Center. Dr. Webb received his medical degree at Loyola University in Chicago, completed his residency at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville and his fellowship at the Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix. Dr. Webb's clinical interests include surgery for adult spinal deformities such as scoliosis, as well as brain tumors and surgery on the peripheral nerves, such as carpal tunnel and brachial plexus surgery. 

 

Mark Weidenbaum, MD (Columbia Orthopedics, New York). Dr. Weidenbaum practices with Columbia Orthopedics. He is a professor of orthopedic surgery at Columbia University Medical Center and an attending physician at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, both in New York. His clinical interests include spinal disorders such as deformities, arthritis, trauma, tumors, instability and degenerative conditions. He is active in basic science as well as clinical research.

 

Bradley Weiner, MD (Houston Methodist Hospital). Dr. Weiner is a professor as well as vice chairman and chief of spinal surgery at Houston Methodist Hospital. He is also chair of business practices for the Houston Methodist Research Institute and medical director of The Surgical Advanced Technology Laboratory at Houston Methodist. His research focuses largely on the application of new technologies to orthopedic surgery and outcomes research. His work has been published in peer-reviewed journals such as Spine and the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery. He completed his residency at Summa Health System in Akron, Ohio.

 

James N. Weinstein, DO (Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Lebanon, N.H.). Dr. Weinstein is president and CEO of Dartmouth-Hitchcock health system, which includes an academic medical center and a network of clinics across Vermont and New Hampshire. He has previously served as director of The Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice. He founded the multidisciplinary Spine Center at Dartmouth and established the Center for Shared Decision-Making, the first of its kind in the nation. He earned his osteopathic degree at Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine.

 

Stuart L. Weinstein, MD (University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics, Iowa City). Dr. Weinstein is the Ignacio V. Ponseti Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics. He is a past president of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, Pediatric Orthopaedic Society of North America and American Orthopaedic Association. His research centers on the natural history and long-term outcomes of pediatric orthopedic conditions, primarily spinal deformities and hip disorders. He has served as associate editor of The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, and is currently on the journal's board of trustees. He completed his residency at the University of Iowa in Iowa City.

 

F. Todd Wetzel, MD (Temple University School of Medicine, Philadelphia). Dr. Wetzel is a professor and vice chair for the department of orthopedic surgery and sports medicine at Temple University School of Medicine in Philadelphia. His clinical interests include spine surgery and pain management. He has been on the board of directors for the North American Spine Society. His work has been published in professional publications, such as The Spine Journal. His additional training includes a spinal reconstructive surgery fellowship at St. Charles General Hospital and Tulane University, both in New Orleans.

 
Peter G. Whang, MD (Yale Spine Center, New Haven, Conn.). Dr. Whang is a spine surgeon providing care at Yale Spine Center as well an associate professor in the Yale Department of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation. His clinical interests include spondylosis, inflammatory arthritis, degenerative disc disease and disc herniations as well as minimally invasive surgeries and motion-sparing/nonfusion procedures. He is on the editorial staff of several publications and serves on multiple committees for the North American Spine Society. He completed fellowship training in orthopedic and neurosurgical spinal surgery at the Rothman Institute at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia.

 

P. Merrill White III, MD (Tennessee Orthopaedic Clinics, Knoxville). Dr. White Dr. White is a spine surgeon with Tennessee Orthopaedic Clinics. He was recently elected by the Tennessee Orthopaedic Society to the Board of Councilors of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. He is a member of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons and North American Spine Society. He has a special interest in treating spinal disorders. His additional training includes a fellowship in adult spine surgery at Rothman Institute at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia.

 

Christopher E. Wolfla, MD (Froedtert & Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee). Dr. Wolfla is a neurosurgical spine specialist at the Froedtert & Medical College of Wisconsin. He currently serves on the executive committees of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons and the AANS/CNS Joint Section on Disorders of the Spine and Peripheral Nerves. He was previously the Esther and Ted Greenberg Endowed Chair of Neurosurgery at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center in Oklahoma City. His clinical interests include disc herniations, spinal degenerative disease, spinal disorders and spinal stenosis. His additional training includes a fellowship in spinal neurosurgery at Medical College of Wisconsin Affiliated Hospitals in Milwaukee.

 

Richard Wohns, MD (NeoSpine, Puyallup, Wash.). Dr. Wohns is founder and president of NeoSpine. He has performed more than 3,000 outpatient cervical and lumbar surgeries and was one of the first U.S. neurosurgeons qualified to perform the XLIF technique for minimally invasive lumbar fusions. He co-founded U.S. Radiosurgery, a company that developed and managed Gamma Knife and Cyberknife Radiosurgery centers in the country, which was acquired by Alliance Oncology in 2011. He serves as chief consultant to Symbion for outpatient spine surgery center development as well as a health policy consultant to NuVasive. He was also the medical director of the Ultima Thule Everest Expedition and performed high altitude brain research on Mt. Everest. Dr. Wohns completed his residency in neurosurgery at the University of Washington in Seattle.

 

Douglas Won, MD (Lumin SpineCARE, Fort Worth, Texas). Dr. Won is the director and founder of Lumin SpineCARE. He is also a clinical assistant professor at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School. He has expertise in minimally invasive and endoscopic spine procedures and was the first surgeon in Texas to perform endoscopic laser spine surgery with a 3mm incision. He is a member of the Society for Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery, North American Spine Society and American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. His additional training includes a fellowship in orthopedic spine and neurospine surgery at William Beaumont Spine Center in Royal Oak, Mich., and a fellowship in spinal deformities at Washington University in St. Louis.

 

Michael J. Yaszemski, MD (Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn.). Dr. Yaszemski is a spine surgeon and co-chair of the clinical trails oversight group at Mayo Clinic. He also leads the Tissue Engineering and Biomaterials Laboratory a Mayo Clinic. His research centers on bone, cartilage and spinal cord regeneration using synthetic polymeric scaffolds, cells and controlled delivery of bioactive molecules. He is also a member of the science board of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and serves on the editorial board of the Journal of Orthopaedic Surgery. In 2013, he won the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons’ William W. Tipton Jr., M.D., Leadership Award. He completed a spine surgery fellowship at Beth Israel Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston.

 

Anthony Yeung, MD (Desert Institute for Spine Care, Phoenix). Dr. Yeung is an orthopedic spine surgeon who focuses on the painful degenerative conditions of the lumbar spine. He developed the FDA-approved Yeung Endoscopic Spine System and has taught the procedure around the world. He is a past president of the World Congress of Minimally Invasive Spine Surgeons and currently serves as executive director of the International Intradiscal and Transforaminal Therapy Society. He performs outpatient spine surgery at the Squaw Peak Surgical Facility, where he also directs a fellowship program. He completed his residency at Maricopa County General Hospital in Phoenix.

 

Christopher Yeung, MD (Desert Institute for Spine Care, Phoenix). Dr. Yeung is an orthopedic spine surgeon practicing with Desert Institute for Spine Care. He has served as the principal investigator in numerous FDA studies, including for Flexicore lumbar artificial disc replacement and DASCOR total nucleus replacement. He is the team spine surgeon for the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Los Angeles Dodgers. He has completed a spine surgery fellowship at the University of Southern California Spine Center in Los Angeles.

 

Ken Yonemura, MD (MountainStar Lakeview Hospital, Park City, Utah). Dr. Yonemura is a neurosurgeon with a special focus in spine surgery at MountainStar Lakeview Hospital. He is involved in developing minimally invasive spine techniques, including one of the first generation percutaneous pedicle screw systems. He is a member of the American Board of Neurological Surgery. He completed a fellowship at Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix.

 

Tim S. Yoon, MD (Emory Healthcare, Atlanta). Dr. Yoon is an associate professor of orthopedic surgery at Emory Clinic. He is an active researcher, focusing on gene therapy for disc disease. His work has been published in peer-reviewed journals such as Current Opinion in Orthopaedics and Skeletal Radiology. His clinical interests also include cervical fusion, compression fractures, disc degeneration, discectomy, herniated disc, kyphoplasty, kyphosis and laminoplasty. His additional training includes a spine fellowship in Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke's Medical Center in Chicago.

 

Jim Youssef, MD (Spine Colorado, Durango). Dr. Youssef is the co-founder of SpineColorado. He has participated in multiple investigational device exemption/FDA clinical trials and has published his research in more than 25 peer-reviewed publications. He is co-founder of the Evidence & Technology Spine Summit, a continuing medical education conference for spine surgeons. He has a professional interest in minimally invasive procedures, fracture care and complex spinal disorders. His additional training includes a spine surgery fellowship at the University of California, Davis Medical Center in Sacramento.  

 

Elizabeth Yu, MD (Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus). Dr. Yu is an orthopedic and spine surgeon at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center in Columbus, Ohio. She completed her fellowship at Stanford University. Her special interests include spinal stenosis, spinal fractures, radiculopathy, scoliosis, herniated discs, reconstruction of the cervical, thoracic and lumbar spine, degenerative disc disease, minimally invasive spine surgery and spine tumors and infections.

 

James Yue, MD (Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Conn.). Dr. Yue is co-chief of the orthopedic spine surgery section at the Yale School of Medicine. He is also director of the ACGME Yale Spine Fellowship and the lead surgeon for motion sparing as well as endoscopic spine surgery. He is chair of the education committee for the International Society for the Advancement of Spine Surgery and International Intradiscal Therapy and Transforaminal Spine Society. He has been the principal investigator or co-investigator on a number of FDA and non-FDA clinical trials for disc replacement, motion sparing procedures and endoscopic spine surgery clinical trials. He has published and presented more than 100 scientific articles and abstracts. His additional training includes fellowships at the RA Cowley Shock Trauma Hospital in Baltimore and at the Queen’s Medical Centre in Nottingham, United Kingdom.

 

Lucia Zamarano, MD (Michigan Brain & Spine Center, Detroit). Dr. Zamarano is a clinical professor of neurological surgery at Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine in Rochester, Mich. Her clinical interests include brain and spine tumors, endoscopic brain and spine surgery and spinal cord injury. She served as principal investigator of a national study on radiosurgery and has been awarded multiples grants for clinical research. She completed a neurosurgery fellowship at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit.

 

William R. Zerick, MD (Central Ohio Neurological Surgeons, Westerville, Ohio). Dr. Zerick is a spine surgeon practicing with Central Ohio Neurological Surgeons. He is a member of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons, American Association of Neurological Surgeons and North American Spine Society. His additional training includes a fellowship at Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix.

 

Fangyi Zhang, MD (University of Washington Medicine, Seattle). Dr. Zhang is a neurosurgeon at UW Medicine. His clinical interests include degenerative disc disease, spinal stenosis, radiculopathy, spondylolisthesis, spondylosis and failed back surgery syndrome. Before coming to the United States, Dr. Zhang was a fully trained neurosurgeon at the Beijing Tiantan Hospital in China. He has published more than 40 articles in peer-reviewed journals. He has completed a joint orthopedic and neurosurgery spine fellowship at the University of Washington.

 

Jack Zigler, MD (Texas Back Institute, Plano). Dr. Zigler provides comprehensive spine care at Texas Back Institute. He was on the Council of Spine Societies executive committee and president of the Federation of Spine Associations. He has served as president of the American Spinal Cord Injury Association. He was also the spinal injury consultant for the Los Angeles Olympic Committee. He was the Arnold Fellow in Spine Surgery at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland.

 

Christian G. Zimmerman, MD (Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center, Boise, Idaho). Dr. Zimmerman is a neurosurgeon providing care at Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center. He co-founded the Idaho Neurological Institute at Saint Alphonsus. He focuses on cervical, thoracic and lumbar spine problems, brain tumors, peripheral nerve tumors/entrapment, pituitary tumors and hydrocephalus. He completed his fellowship in complex spinal disorders and instrumentation at Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix.

 

James Zucherman, MD (San Francisco Orthopaedic Surgeons). Dr. Zucherman is a senior spine partner with the San Francisco Orthopaedic Surgeons Medical Group. He is the inventor and co-developer of the X-STOP, an interspinous process device designed for the surgical treatment of lumbar spinal stenosis. He developed and performed the first laparoscopic lumbar spinal fusion and performed the first percutaneous cervical discectomy in the United States. He is currently a co-director of the Stanford University/St. Mary’s Hospital Combined Spine Surgery Fellowship Program. He is also a principal investigator for ProDisc and Flexicore lumbar disc replacement device clinical trials. His additional training includes an orthopedic spine surgery fellowship at the University of Hong Kong.

 

Joseph M. Zavatsky, MD (Spine & Scoliosis Specialists, Tampa, Fla.). Dr. Zavatsky is a board-certified orthopaedic spine surgeon. He received his spine fellowship training at NYU/Hospital for Joint Diseases in New York. As the former chief of spine and co-director of the Spine Center at Ochsner Medical Center in New Orleans and director of the Spine Center and Spine Fellowship Program at the Florida Orthopaedic Institute in Tampa, Dr. Zavatsky was directly involved in the education of orthopedic surgery residents and spine fellows in both the clinical and research settings. Currently, at Spine & Scoliosis Specialists in Tampa, he continues to treat patients of all ages, suffering from complex conditions, including spinal deformity. He uses minimally invasive surgical techniques. He frequently presents at society conferences both nationally and internationally. He is a member of the Scoliosis Research Society, Society for Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery, AO Spine, North American Spine Society and International Society of the Advancement of Spine Surgery, among other organizations. Spine and The Spine Journal and have published his research, among other publications. As a member of the the International Spine Deformity Study Group, he continues to advance research in the treatment of complex spinal conditions.