12 Spine Surgeons Leading Large Hospital-Based Spine Centers

Gordon Bell, MD (Cleveland Clinic). Dr. Bell is the director of the Center for Spine Health at Cleveland Clinic, where 34 physicians provide care. Dr. Bell is also vice-chairman of the department of orthopedic surgery. He is a member of a member of the prestigious American Orthopaedic Association, Mid-America Orthopaedic Association and North American Spine Society, and he serves as an associate editor for Spine. His clinical interests include cervical artificial disc replacement surgery, cervical deformity surgery, complex spinal surgery, kyphoplasty, lumbar fusion, lumbar spine surgery and spinal fusion. He earned his medical degree at University of Ottawa Faculty of Medicine in Canada. He completed his residency in orthopedic surgery at Cleveland Clinic. Dr. Bell has also completed a spine fellowship at Pennsylvania Hospital in Philadelphia.

Scott D. Boden, MD (Emory Healthcare, Atlanta). Dr. Boden is the director of the Emory Orthopaedics & Spine Center, which includes a total of 15 spine specialists. He is a member of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, American Society for Bone and Mineral Research, Eastern Orthopaedic Association and North American Spine Society. His clinical interests include cervical fusion, disc degeneration, discectomy, herniated disc, kyphoplasty, kyphosis, sciatica and laminectomy. He earned his medical degree at University of Pennsylvania School Of Medicine in Philadelphia and completed his residency at George Washington University Hospital in Washington, D.C. He has also completed a spine surgery fellowship at Case Western University Hospital in Cleveland.

Frank Cammisa, MD (Hospital for Special Surgery, New York). Dr. Cammisa is chief of spine service at the Hospital for Special Surgery, which includes a total of 18 spine surgeons as part of its scoliosis and spine service staff. He is also an associate professor of clinical orthopedic surgery at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York. He is a fellow of the American College of Surgeons, American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons and a diplomat of the American Board of Orthopedic Surgery. His clinical interests include minimally invasive spinal surgery, computer-assisted spinal surgery, microsurgery, athletic spinal injuries and motion-preserving procedures. He has co-authored more than 30 chapters in medical textbooks. Dr. Cammisa earned his medical degree at College of Physicians and Surgeons. He has also completed a fellowship in spine surgery at the University of Miami.

Rick B. Delamarter, MD (Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles). Dr. Delamarter is vice chair for spine services at the department of surgery and co-medical director at the spine center at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, which has a medical staff comprising 24 members. His clinical interests include artificial disc replacements, minimally invasive spine surgery, cervical herniated discs, cervical spine diseases and scoliosis. He has won a number of research awards, including the Volvo Award from the International Society for the Study of the Lumbar Spine and the New Investigator Recognition Award from the Orthopaedic Research Society. He earned his medical degree at the University of Oregon Health Science Center in Portland. He has completed a spine fellowship at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland.

Harel Deutsch, MD (Rush University Medical Center, Chicago). Dr. Deutsch is co-director of the Rush Spine and Back Center, which includes 14 surgeons and physicians. He focuses on degenerative and traumatic disease of the cervical, thoracic and lumbar spine and uses minimally invasive techniques. He has a professional interest in failed previous spine surgery and failed back syndrome, and his research interests include motion preservation technology. He is a member of American Association of Neurological Surgeons, North American Spine Society and is a founding member of Society for Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery. Dr. Deutsch earned his medical degree at University of Miami School of Medicine and completed his residency in neurosurgery at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York. He has also completed a spine fellowship at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta.

Ziya Levent Gokaslan, MD (Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore). Dr. Gokaslan is the director of the Johns Hopkins Neurosurgical Spine Center and vice-chairman of neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital. The spine center comprises 18 spine and neurosurgeons. He is certified by the American Board of Neurological Surgery, and he focuses on the surgical treatment of both primary and metastatic spinal tumors, sacral neoplasms and spinal cord tumors. He is a member of Cervical Spine Research Society, American Society of Clinical Oncology and America Association of Neurological Surgeons. He has also authored more than 200 peer-reviewed papers. Dr. Gokaslan earned his medical degree at the University of Istanbul in Turkey and completed his residency in neurotrauma at the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. He has also completed a fellowship in spine surgery at NYU Langone Medical Center in New York City.  

Theodore B. Goldstein, MD (Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles). Dr. Goldstein is the co-medical director at the Cedars-Sinai Spine Center, which includes a medical staff of 24 members. He is board-certified and has a professional interest in lower back pain and herniated discs, as well as minimally invasive lumbar spinal procedures. His clinical interests also include cervical herniated discs, cervical spine disorders and lumbar degenerative disc disease. He is a fellow in the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons the American College of Surgeons, and is a member of the North American Spine Society. Dr. Goldstein earned his medical degree from the University of Illinois, Chicago School of Medicine and has completed his residency in orthopedic surgery Rush Presbyterian-St. Luke's Hospital and Illinois Research Hospital, now known as Rush University Medical Center in Chicago.

Roger Härtl, MD (NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center, New York). Dr. Härtl is the chief of spine surgery and neurotrauma at the Brain and Spine Center at Weill Cornell Medical College, which includes 14 physicians and surgeons. He is also the leader of Weill Cornell's Global Health Neurosurgery Initiative in Tanzania. He focuses on simple and complex spine surgery, minimally invasive spinal surgery, neurotrauma and neurocritical care. His research interests include tissue-engineering techniques for the repair and regeneration of degenerated spinal discs. He earned his medical degree at the Ludwig-Maximillians University in Munich, Germany and completed his residency in neurosurgery at the Weill Cornell Medical Center. He has also completed a complex spine surgery fellowship at the Barrow's Neurological Institute in Phoenix.

Lawrence Lenke, MD (Barnes-Jewish Hospital, St. Louis). Dr. Lenke is chief of spinal surgery in the department of orthopedic surgery at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and provides care at Barnes-Jewish & Washington University Spine Center, which comprises 10 spine and neurosurgeons. His clinical interests include complex reconstructive surgery and spinal deformities such as scoliosis, kyphosis and spondylolisthesis. He is a member of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, North American Spine Society and the Pediatric Orthopaedic Society of North America. Dr. Lenke earned his medical degree at Northwestern University in Chicago and completed his residency in orthopedic surgery at Washington University School of Medicine, where he also completed a fellowship in adult and pediatric spinal surgery.

Alexander R. Vaccaro, MD (Thomas Jefferson University Hospitals, Philadelphia). Dr. Vaccaro is director of the spine program, co-director of the spine fellowship program as well as the vice chairman of the department of orthopedics at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia. The spine program includes 15 surgeons and physicians. He is a member of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, North American Spine Society and Scoliosis Research Society. He also serves as co-chairman of the editorial board of the Journal of Neurosurgery. His clinical interests include cervical spine diseases, degenerative spine, discectomy, joint surgery arthroplasty and kyphosis. He earned his medical degree at Georgetown University School of Medicine in Washington, D.C. He has completed an orthopedic surgery residency at Thomas Jefferson University and a spine fellowship at the University of San Diego.

Kirkham B. Wood, MD (Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston). Dr. Wood is chief of the orthopedic spine service at Massachusetts General Hospital, where he also serves as program director of the spine surgery fellowship. The spine services include 12 operative and non-operative physicians. He is certified by the American Board of Orthopedic Surgery, and his clinical interests include scoliosis, degenerative spinal conditions, spine fusions, thoracolumbar spinal injuries, flatback, kyphosis, spine trauma and spinal stenosis. His research interests include the effects of instrumentation for spinal deformity and the dynamics of the intervertebral disc. He earned his medical degree at Albany (N.Y.) Medical College. He completed his residency in orthopedic surgery at University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and has completed a spine fellowship at the Twin Cities Spine Center in Minneapolis.

More Articles on Spine Surgeons:

Dr. Elijah Wogu Joins Regional Medical Clinic in South Dakota
3 Spine Surgeons on the Use of Robotics in the Operating Room
Outpatient Spine Surgery: 4 Myths Debunked