Becker's Spine Review

8 Becker's ASC 21st Annual Meeting – The Business and Operations of ASCs: For more information, call (800) 417-2035 17 Spine Surgeons Receive Leadership Awards By Laura Dyrda and Anuja Vaidya Todd Albert, MD, Surgeon-in-Chief at Hospital for Special Surgery, New York City Dr. Albert assumed the role of surgeon-in-chief at Hospital for Special Surgery in July 2014; previously he spent the bulk of his career at Philadelphia-based Rothman Institute where he was president of the prac- tice. Dr. Albert was also chairman of the department of orthopedics at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia and co-director of the Reconstructive Spine Surgery and the Spine Fellowship Program at Thomas Jefferson University. Throughout his career, Dr. Albert has been involved in several prestigious organizations, serving as president for the Cervical Spine Research Society and Scoliosis Research Society. He is also a past-chair of the International Meeting of Advanced Spinal Techniques and was interviewed by Forbes last year at their annual meeting about his entrepreneurial prowess. In addition to his clinical practice, Dr. Albert sits on the boards for several scholarly journals and has published numerous book chapters and articles. He has been involved with the National Orthopedic & Spine Alliance, which includes Rothman Institute and a few other large orthopedic groups, created to collect data and provide lower-cost healthcare to large employers. Dr. Albert earned his medical degree at the University of Virginia School of Medicine and completed his orthopedic surgery residency at Thomas Jef- ferson University Hospital. His additional training includes a spine surgery fellowship at Minnesota Spine Center. Gunnar Andersson, MD, Chairman Emeritus of the Department of Orthopedic Surgery at Rush Univer- sity Medical Center, Chicago Dr. Andersson is a distinguished leader at Rush Univer- sity Medical Center and Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush. He recently received the Trustee Medal from Rush Uni- versity Medical Center and the Stryker Spine Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Society for the Study of the Lumbar Spine. Several orthopedic and spine societies elected Dr. Andersson president throughout the years; he is past president of the Orthopaedic Research So- ciety, International Society for the Advancement of Spine Surgery, Interna- tional Society for the Study of the Lumbar Spine and American Academy of Disability Evaluating Physicians. He also served as a council member of the National Institutes of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases at the National Institutes of Health. In addition to his clinical practice, Dr. Andersson serves on 17 editorial boards for several professional journals and published numerous articles based on his research. He just completed an NIH-funded project on disc degeneration and his other research interests include epidemiology and oc- cupational biomechanics. Dr. Andersson earned his medical degree at the University of Goteborg in Sweden and completed his residency at Sahlgren Hospital. His additional training includes a fellowship in orthopedics at The London Hospital in the United Kingdom. Scott Blumenthal, MD, Co-Director of the Artificial Disc Center at Texas Back Institute, Plano Dr. Blumenthal is one of the senior members of Texas Back Institute. He serves as co-director of the artificial disc center at TBI and is also a clinical assistant profes- sor of orthopedic surgery at University of Texas South- western Medical Center in Dallas and on staff at the Presbyterian Hospital of Plano. He is a member of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons and North American Spine Society and serves on the executive committee for the International Society for the Study of the Lumbar Spine. He is also a spine consultant for the Dallas Mavericks and has served as a principal investigator for artificial disc clinical trials, including the SB III Charité Artificial Disc clinical trial. His clinical interests also include back injuries, spinal fusions and spinal disorders. His work is widely published in peer-reviewed journals, including Spine and Journal of Neurosurgery: Spine. In his clinical practice, Dr. Blumenthal and his partners have developed a boutique-style medical practice. Dr. Blumenthal earned his medical degree at Chicago-based Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and completed his orthopedic sur- gery residency at University of Texas Health Science Center in Dallas. He has also completed a fellowship in spinal trauma at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago. Bruce V. Darden II, MD, OrthoCarolina Dr. Darden is a spine surgeon at OrthoCarolina and president of the Cervical Spine Research Society. In 2013, he was recognized as a Physician of the Year by Charlotte Orthopedic Hospital, Novant Health. He also serves as the director of the spine surgery fellowship at OrthoCarolina, which includes several practice loca- tions and an ambulatory surgery center. In addition to his clinical practice, Dr. Darden has participated in research, including a prospective, randomized controlled investigational device ex- emption study comparing cervical disc replacement with ProDisc-C to an- terior cervical discectomy and fusion. The study received the Best Clinical Paper Award at the International Society for the Advancement of Spine Sur- gery annual meeting. He is also a member of the North American Spine Society, Lumbar Spine Research Society and Scoliosis Research Society. Dr. Darden earned his medical degree from the University of North Caro- lina School of Medicine and completed his orthopedic residency at Carolinas Medical Center. His additional training includes a fellowship in spine surgery at Baylor College of Medicine. Fred Geisler, MD, Founder of Chicago Back Institute, Swedish Covenant Hospital Dr. Geisler founded the Chicago Back Institute at Swedish Covenant Hospi- tal. He is also a founding member of the CINN Institute for Spine Care and developed the Shock Trauma Center in Maryland. He is among the nation's leading authorities on spinal cord injuries and was one of the early adopters of several new neurological, spinal and orthopedic technologies. In addition to his medical practice, Dr. Geisler co-founded medical device company Rhausler, which focuses on spinal implants and instrumentation, in 2008. He has published several research articles during his career on acute spinal cord injury and spent 15 years spearheading clinical trials for artificial disc replacement and cervical plates. Dr. Geisler has more than 25 years of experience as a neurosurgeon focus- ing on spine. His areas of interest also include sacroiliac joint treatment and degenerative spinal diseases. He is recognized internationally as an inventor, lecturer and author. Dr. Geisler earned his medical degree at State University of New York at Buf- falo, where he also completed his residency in neurosurgery.

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