Richard Allen, MD, PhD, was appointed as the first of the Behrooz A. Akbarnia, MD and Nasrin A. Owsia, MD Endowed Chair in Spinal Surgery at the University of California San Diego.
Dr. Allen is a professor of orthopedic surgery at UC San Diego School of Medicine, and his clinical expertise inludes adult reconstruction and complexities of the cervical spine, according to a Nov. 21 news release.
The endowed chair was established to "fuel cutting-edge therapies and provide ongoing education on the principles of spine care," Dr. Akbarnia said in the release. "We also provided this funding with the goal of continuing to bring top community spine surgeons and other spine care providers together for medical education and research, ultimately to improve the quality of care for all patients with spinal disorders."