Here are 22 spine surgeons who received the Spine Surgeon Leadership Award in 2016 from Becker's Healthcare.
These surgeons have not been recognized in previous years. Please also see our honorees for the Spine Surgeon Leadership Award in 2014 and 2015.
Becker's Healthcare is also accepting recommendations for the 2017 Leadership Awards. If you have a recommendation for next year, or questions or comments on this list, please contact Laura Dyrda at ldyrda@beckershealthcare.com.
Tim Adamson, MD — Carolinas HealthCare System in Charlotte, N.C.
Tim Adamson, MD, is the medical director of Carolina Center for Specialty Surgery in Charlotte. He is a board member of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons' ethics committee and member of the Cerebrovascular Section of the AANS. He is a neurosurgeon to the Carolina Panthers.
Dr. Adamson practices with Carolina Neurosurgery & Spine Associates in Charlotte. He is the operating room committee chairman at Carolinas Medical Center. His clinical interests include vascular neurosurgery, endoscopic disc surgery, acoustic tumors and minimally invasive spine surgery.
Dr. Adamson earned his medical degree at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in Nashville, Tenn. He completed his residency at University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. He completed a fellowship in neurological surgery at Zurich University Hospital in Switzerland.
Neel Anand, MD — Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles
Neel Anand, MD, serves as director of spinal trauma at Los Angeles-based Cedars-Sinai Spine Center as well as a clinical professor of surgery at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.
A founding member of Society for Minimally Invasive Spinal Surgery, Dr. Anand sits on the organization's board of directors. He also serves on the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons' spine program committee. He has trained more than 30 fellows in minimally invasive techniques and been principal investigator on several FDA-investigational device exemption studies.
Dr. Anand is an editor for the Spine Arthroplasty Society Journal. Spine, The Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery, The Journal of Orthopedic Trauma and Journal of Spinal Disorders, among other publications, have published his work.
After earning his medical degree from Topiwala National Medical College, University of Bombay in India, Dr. Anand completed a residency at University of Bombay, B.Y.L. Nair Hospital and a residency at Royal College of Surgeons of England, United Kingdom.
He also completed a residency rotation at Plano-based Texas Back Institute and an orthopedic residency at New York-based Albert Einstein College of Medicine. He completed a reconstructive spinal surgery fellowship at Spinal Associates of North Central Florida in Gainesville, and two fellowships in scoliosis and trauma at New York City-based Hospital for Special Surgery.
D. Greg Anderson, MD — Rothman Institute in Philadelphia
D. Greg Anderson, MD, is a spine surgeon at Rothman Institute. He is also a professor at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia and the clinical director of the university's Orthopaedic Research Laboratory spine section. He is a founding member and president elect of the Society for Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery.
In 2011, Dr. Anderson was the ABC Traveling Fellow of the American Orthopaedic Association. He is also a member of the North American Spine Society, Cervical Spine Research Society and Scoliosis Research Society.
In addition to his clinical practice, Dr. Anderson conducts research and has published articles in peer-reviewed journals.
Dr. Anderson earned his medical degree at Loma Linda (Calif.) University and completed his residency in orthopedic surgery at the University of California, Irvine. His additional training includes a spine surgery fellowship at Thomas Jefferson University.
Hyun Bae, MD — Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles
Hyun Bae, MD, is the director of spine education and professor of surgery at Cedars-Sinai Spine Center. He also provides care at The Spine Institute Center for Spinal Restoration. He helped pioneer using growth factor tissue engineering for intervertebral discs, multilevel artificial disc arthroplasty for the lumbar and cervical spine.
Dr. Bae's clinical interests include spondylitis, failed back surgery syndrome and spinal stenosis. He also focuses on minimally invasive microsurgery and the treatment of cervical and lumbar spinal disease. He has an interest in spinal instrumentation and contributed to the development of the recently launched Aero-C Cervical Stability System by Stryker, intended for anterior cervical discectomy and fusion with uniform compression across the interbody space. In 2015, he won a North American Spine Society research grant, and in 2014, a National Institutes of Health grant.
Dr. Bae earned his medical degree at Yale University School of Medicine in New Haven, Conn. He completed his orthopedic residency at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York. He completed his spine fellowship at Case Western Hospital in Cleveland.
Sigurd Berven, MD — University of California San Francisco Medical Center
Sigurd Berven, MD, is actively studying cellular and molecular techniques for the biological regeneration of spine components. He has presented at national and international conferences on advanced spine surgery techniques as well as the evaluation and management of spine disorders. Spine has published Dr. Berven's work on the variation of spine implant costs throughout U.S. academic centers.
His clinical interests include spinal disorders of children and adults, specifically in pediatric and adult deformity, degenerative spine conditions, spine tumors and spine trauma. Dr. Berven's research interests include minimally invasive techniques for spine surgery and the assessment of surgery's clinical outcomes.
Dr. Berven attended medical school at Boston-based Harvard Medical School. He is a graduate of the Harvard Combined Orthopedic Residency. He underwent fellowship training at University of California San Francisco.
Adam Bruggeman, MD — Texas Spine Center in San Antonio
Adam Bruggeman, MD, is a member of the American Orthopaedic Association's Emerging Leaders. He previously served on AOA's academic leadership committee. In addition to Texas Spine Center, Dr. Bruggeman provides care at Stone Oak Surgery Center, where he specializes in spine osteoarthritis, spinal fusion, minimally invasive techniques, lumbosacral region, cervical and thoracic vertebrae.
In 2013 and 2014, Dr. Bruggeman received a CMS Meaningful Use Stage 1 Certification. The Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Clinics of North America has featured Dr. Bruggeman's research.
Dr. Bruggeman obtained his medical degree from the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio. Following medical school, he underwent residency at his University of Florida in Gainesville, and completed his spine surgery fellowship at South Texas Spinal Clinic.
Domagoj Coric, MD — Carolina Neurosurgery & Spine Associates in Charlotte, N.C.
Domagoj Coric, MD, is chief of neurosurgery at Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte, N.C. He specializes in artificial disc arthroplasty, spinal trauma, spinal tumors, degenerative spinal disease, disc disease, spinal cord injuries and endoscopic disc surgery.
President of Southern Neurosurgical Society, Dr. Coric is also affiliated with American Association of Neurological Surgeons' and Congress of Neurological Surgeons' Joint Section on Disorders of the Spine and Peripheral Nerves, as well as North American Spine Society.
Dr. Coric earned his medical degree from Wake Forest University School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, N.C. He went on to complete his internship and residency at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center.
Michael Gleiber, MD — Michael A. Gleiber, MD, PA, in West Palm Beach, Fla.
Michael Gleiber, MD, is the founder of a private, concierge-style practice in Florida. He is a member of the North American Spine Society and American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. He is also a part of the American Orthopaedic Association's Emerging Leadership Program. He won numerous awards over the course of his career, including the Leonard Marmor Surgical Arthritis Foundation Award. He was recently named a brand ambassador for Rolls Royce.
Dr. Gleiber has a professional interest in treating herniated discs, spinal stenosis, scoliosis, myelopathy, degenerative disc disease and spondylolisthesis. He is also an affiliate assistant professor of clinical biomedical science at The Charles E. Schmidt Florida Atlantic University College of Medicine for Spine Surgery in Boca Raton. He is a frequent guest lecturer at research institutions and hospitals, and he is a contributor and writer for The Huffington Post.
Dr. Gleiber earned his medical degree at George Washington University School of Medicine in Washington, D.C. He completed his residency at Columbia University in New York City and his fellowship at the Leatherman Spine Center in Louisville, Ky.
Matthew F. Gornet, MD — The Orthopedic Center of St. Louis
Matthew Gornet, MD, is a leader in the development of dynamic stabilization, disc arthroplasty and non-fusion technology. He is interested in helping patients with continued pain following failed spine surgeries.
His work has appeared in The Spine Journal, Spine, Journal of Spinal Disorders and Techniques, Journal of Neurosurgery and Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, among other publications. A member of North American Spine Society, Dr. Gornet is also affiliated with Orthopaedic Research Society, American Association of Orthopeadic Surgeons, International Society for the Advancement of Spine Surgery and Kostuik Society.
After earning his medical degree from Baltimore-based Johns Hopkins University of School of Medicine, Dr. Gornet completed his general surgery residency and orthopedic surgery residency at Johns Hopkins Hospital. He also completed his spine surgery fellowship at Johns Hopkins Hospital.
Kade T. Huntsman, MD — Salt Lake Orthopaedic Clinic in Salt Lake City
Orthopedic spine surgeon Kade Huntsman, MD, serves as the institutional review board chairman for St. Mark's Hospital in Salt Lake City, as well as the president elect of Utah Orthopaedic Society. From 2010 to 2011, Dr. Huntsman was the president of the Utah Orthopedic Society.
Dr. Huntsman was the principle investigator on the NeoDisc Cervical Replacement study, and has been an evaluator for NuVasive Minimal Access Surgery as well as NuVasive Neuromonitoring System. He is a clinical advisor for NuVasive, ApaTech and Blackstone Medical.
Dr. Huntsman earned his medical degree from Eastern Virginia Medical School in Norfolk. After medical school, Dr. Huntsman went on to complete his orthopedic residency at Cleveland-based Case Western Reserve University. He finished his fellowship at Rocky Mountain Spine Clinic in Aurora, Colo.
Lawrence Lenke, MD — Columbia Orthopedics in New York City
Lawrence Lenke, MD, is the surgeon-in-chief of The Spine Hospital at NewYork-Presbyterian/Allen as well as chief of the spine division and co-director of the Adult and Pediatric Comprehensive Spine Fellowship. He is also a professor of orthopedic surgery at Columbia University Medical Center.
Before joining NewYork-Presbyterian/Allen, Dr. Lenke was the chief of spine surgery and the director of the advanced deformity fellowship at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. He has been president of the Scoliosis Research Society and an editor for The Spine Journal, The Journal of Spinal Disorders & Techniques and The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery.
Throughout his career, Dr. Lenke hosted more than 700 spine surgeons from around the globe to observe his procedures. His total publications in peer-review journals top 360 and he edited five textbooks on spine surgery. He speaks internationally at spine meetings and has been invited as a visiting professor more than 100 times.
Dr. Lenke earned his medical degree at Northwestern University Medical School in Chicago and completed his residency in orthopedic surgery at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. His additional training includes a residency in pediatric orthopedics and a fellowship in pediatric and adult spinal surgery at Washington University School of Medicine.
Morgan Lorio, MD — Neuro-Spine Solutions in Bristol, Tenn.
Morgan Lorio, MD, was among the first surgeons in Louisiana to perform microendoscopic discectomy surgery, and he introduced no-stick, no dye MRI myelography in the state. He was also one of the first surgeons to implant Interpore Cross International's oval-shaped GEO cages. He serves as a consultant for Exactech's Opteform.
Dr. Lorio's clinical interests also include minimally invasive spine and peripheral nerve surgery. He is a member of the North American Spine Society and Orthopedic Trauma Association.
Dr. Lorio earned his medical degree at Louisiana State University Medical Center in Shreveport. He completed his orthopedic residency at the State University of New York at Buffalo. He 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 Ludwig, MD — University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore
Steven Ludwig, MD, heads the spine surgery division in the orthopedics department at University of Maryland Medical Center. He is also an orthopedics professor at UM School of Medicine. He has been the recipient of numerous professional society awards, such as the American Orthopaedic Association Research Award, Cervical Spine Research Society Award and North American Spine Society Research Award.
Dr. Ludwig focuses on cervical spine disorders, minimally invasive spinal techniques, motion-preservation surgery, traumatically injured spine reconstruction and tumor reconstruction. He is a member of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, CSRS, NASS as well as the AO North American Spine and Society for Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery.
Dr. Ludwig earned his medical degree at the UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in New Brunswick, N.J. He completed his residency in orthopedic surgery at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia. He has also completed spine surgery fellowship at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta.
Praveen Mummaneni, MD — University of California, San Francisco
Praveen Mummaneni, MD, serves as University of California, San Francisco's director of cervical spine program; director of minimally invasive spine program; director of minimally invasive and complex spine fellowship; co-director of the UCSF Spine Center; and vice chair of the neurosurgery department.
Among the first neurosurgeons selected to join the Scoliosis Research Society, he was the first to win the SCS's Edgar Dawson Memorial Scholarship and the SRS Traveling Fellowship Award. He is the chair of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons and Congress of Neurological Surgeons Joint Section on Disorders of the Spine and Peripheral Nerves as well as the president of the California Association of Neurological Surgeons.
An editorial board member for Journal of Neurosurgery: Spine, Dr. Mummaneni edited five textbooks and has published more than 200 articles.
Dr. Mummaneni treats degenerative spondylolisthesis, stenosis, adult spinal kyphosis and scoliosis, spinal tumors and spinal trauma.
After earning his medical degree from Boston University School of Medicine, Dr. Mummaneni completed a general surgery internship at University of California, Irvine. He then completed a neurological surgery residency at University of California, San Francisco, and a complex spine fellowship at Atlanta-based Emory University.
Burak Ozgur, MD — ONE Brain and Spine Center in Newport Beach, Calif.
Burak Ozgur, MD, serves as the director of ONE Brain and Spine Center and the chief of service for the spinal neurological department at Hoag Hospital in Newport Beach.
Dr. Ozgur is the author of more than 27 peer-reviewed publications. His research interests include stem cells, spinal biomechanics and minimally invasive spine surgery development. He is double-board certified in neurological surgery and spine surgery. He is the recipient of awards including 2014 Super Doctors in Southern California and the 2013 Most Compassion Doctor.
After earning his medical degree from Burlington-based University of Vermont, he completed his residency at University of California San Diego Medical Center. He underwent a combined orthopedic and neurosurgical spine fellowship at the same institution.
Tushar Patel, MD — OrthoVirginia in Fair Oaks & McLean, Va.
Before joining OrthoVirginia, Tushar Patel, MD, served as chief of the section of spine surgery at Yale University in New Haven, Conn.
He was on the frontline of disc arthroplasty surgery in Washington, D.C., and now specializes in complex cervical spinal surgery and minimally invasive spinal procedures. Dr. Patel has six patents for spinal implants and researches tissue regeneration.
Dr. Patel is a section editor for American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons' Orthopaedic Knowledge Update. A fellow of American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, Dr. Patel is also affiliated with North American Spine Society, Cervical Spine Research Society and Eastern Orthopaedic Association.
Dr. Patel earned his medical degree from University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia and completed his internship and orthopedic residency at George Washington University Medical Center in Washington, D.C. He then completed his spine surgery fellowship at Cleveland Clinic Foundation.
Thomas Roush, MD — Roush Spine in Lake Worth, Fla.
Thomas F. Roush, MD, founded his practice in Lake Worth, Fla., to treat patients with a variety of spinal conditions. He performs disc arthroplasty, fracture repair, scoliosis surgery, reconstructive spinal surgery, percutaneous discectomy and a variety of interventional pain management procedures. His practice includes multiple locations.
In addition to his clinical work, Dr. Roush is a member of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, North American Spine Society and Florida Orthopaedic Association. He participated in the American Orthopaedic Association Emerging Leadership program and was a visiting professor for the Polish Spine Society.
Throughout his career, Dr. Roush has also focused on research and published several articles in peer-review journals. He serves as a reviewer for the Journal of Cellular and Molecular Medicine and Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research. He has also given presentations on several topics including cervical disc arthroplasty and minimally invasive/endoscopic procedures, for professional societies.
Dr. Roush earned his medical degree at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine and completed his orthopedic residency at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, N.C. His additional training includes a spine surgery fellowship at Texas Back Institute in Plano.
Paul Schwaegler, MD — Seattle Spine Institute
Paul Schwaegler, MD, is a spine surgeon with Seattle Spine Institute. His practice is focused on minimally invasive surgery and motion-sparing procedures. He travels across the country to teach the less invasive techniques to other surgeons.
In addition to his clinical practice, Dr. Schwaegler is affiliated with the North American Spine Society, International Society for the Advancement of Spine Surgery, Society for Lateral Access Surgery and Puget Sound Spine Interest Group. He has practiced in Seattle for more than 20 years.
Dr. Schwaegler earned his medical degree at St. Louis University Medical Center and completed his residency in orthopedic surgery at Loyola University Medical Center in Chicago. He underwent additional spine surgery training at Loyola from 1989 to 1990.
Khawar Siddique, MD, MBA — Beverly Hills (Calif.) Spine Surgery
Khawar Siddique, MD, MBA, is the CEO of Beverly Hills Spine Surgery in California. He earned his MBA degree from the University of Southern California Los Angeles while maintaining his practice full time. Dr. Siddique is a board-certified neurosurgeon and has a special interest in minimally invasive spine surgery.
Dr. Siddique is also familiar with artificial disc arthroplasty and image-guided spine surgery in addition to spinal tumor and deformity care. Beyond his clinical work, Dr. Siddique has authored several articles for peer-reviewed journals, including the Journal of Neurosurgery, and has given podium presentations on advanced spine surgical techniques.
Last year, he purchased a 38,000-square-foot building in Los Angeles for $24 million, intending to expand Beverly Hills Spine Surgery's medical and administrative offices.
Dr. Siddique earned his medical degree at the University of Illinois College of Medicine in Peoria, where he also completed his neurosurgery residency. His additional training includes a spine surgery fellowship at the Institute for Spinal Disorders at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.
Sheeraz Qureshi, MD, MBA — Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City
Sheeraz Qureshi, MD, MBA, is an associate professor of spine surgery at Mount Sinai Hospital and the chief of spinal trauma at Elmhurst Hospital Center. He was a Cervical Spine Research Society Traveling Fellow.
His specialties include cervical and lumbar spinal surgery, degenerative disorders of cervical, thoracic and lumbar spine, minimally invasive spine surgery, microsurgery, spinal trauma and spinal tumors. He has written various articles and textbook chapters about spine surgery.
Dr. Qureshi sits on Orthofix's scientific advisory board.
Dr. Qureshi earned his medical degree from Boston-based Tufts University School of Medicine, and completed his orthopedic surgery residency at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City. He completed his spinal surgery fellowship at Cleveland-based University Hospitals Case Western Medical Center.
F. Todd Wetzel, MD — Temple University Health System in Philadelphia
F. Todd Wetzel, MD, is the first vice president of North American Spine Society. Dr. Wetzel serves as the vice chair of orthopedic surgery and sports medicine at Temple University Hospital, where he also is a professor of orthopedic surgery and neurosurgery.
Dr. Wetzel has authored more than 100 publications as well as texts and book chapters. He is interested in biomechanics, the conflict of interest in medical decision making and the influence of activating factors on degeneration, among others. He is the recipient of the Henry Farfan Award for his contribution to the spine field.
He earned his medical degree from the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. He went on to complete orthopedic residency training at Yale University in New Haven, Conn. He completed a postdoctoral fellowship in biomechanics research at Yale, and then underwent a spine fellowship in New Orleans.