Tupelo, Miss.-based neurosurgeon Walter Eckman, MD, retired after more than 40 years in neurosurgery, according to a Daily Journal report.
Here are five things to know about Dr. Eckman:
1. He performed 1,100 outpatient spine surgeries during his career with minimally invasive procedures.
2. In 1995, Dr. Eckman embarked on a journey to create a less invasive technique for spine surgery and eventually was able to show 90 percent of his first 1,000 patients reported improvement in pain and function.
3. Dr. Eckman practiced in Iowa and Indiana before joining the Aurora Spine Center in Tupelo in 1985. For a time in his career, he was the only neurosurgeon in the city taking calls.
4. Dr. Eckman is planning to close his office in mid-December and travel with his wife in retirement. His wife helped manage his practice in Tupelo.
5. Dr. Eckman earned his medical degree from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.