Here are five female leaders in the spine space to know:
1. Theresa Pazionis, MD, is a spine surgeon at Temple University Hospital in Philadelphia and is the system's first and only female spine surgeon. She started college at the age of just 13 and went on to specialize in orthopedics and spinal oncology.
2. Michelle Gittler, MD, is an orthopedic spine surgery specialist at Sinai Medical Group, medical director of the Sinai Rehabilitation Hospital, and chief medical officer of Sinai Health System post-acute care in Chicago. She specializes in managing spinal cord injuries and paralysis and is actively involved in physical medicine and rehabilitation graduate medical education.
3. Judith Gorelick, MD, is one of the few female neurosurgeons in the state of Connecticut, practicing at the Orthopaedic Specialty Group. She specializes in degenerative cervical and lumbar spine conditions and peripheral nerve conditions. She also treats brain and spinal conditions including tumors, neck and back pain.
4. Heidi Hullinger, MD, is an orthopedic spine specialist at New Jersey Spine Specialists in Summit. She has expertise in complex spine cases such as spinal deformity and tumors but treats patients along the full spectrum of nonoperative and operative spine disorders.
5. Lynn Miller, DO, is a trained neurosurgeon who most recently practiced at North Mississippi Medical Center Tupelo, specializing in treating spinal fusion, neck pain and spine problems. She is currently director of education at Accuity Healthcare, which provides clinical documentation review technology to health systems and hospitals.