There has been an exponential increase in the volume and quality of published research relating to spine care over the last several decades. Among thousands of articles, a small fraction has been shown to be truly "game changing," forcing the entire field to pause and take notice. These landmark studies may describe a new procedure or surgical approach, evaluate the relative effects of known treatments or techniques, introduce a new classification system, or provide new insights into natural history or disease prognosis. Such studies form the foundations of spine surgery today.This book will be a useful reference not only to the established spine surgeon, but also to neurosurgery and orthopedic residents, as well as to spine surgery fellows as they continue to fortify their knowledge surrounding spinal disorders. Further, this will no doubt serve as a useful evidence-based resource for trainees studying for professional examinations and perhaps most importantly challenge and inspire clinicians to produce high-quality impactful research.
Alexander R. Vaccaro, MD, PhD, MBA
Richard H. Rothman Professor and Chairman, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery
Professor of Neurosurgery
Co-Director, Delaware Valley Spinal Cord Injury Center
Co-Chief of Spine Surgery
Sidney Kimmel Medical Center at Thomas Jefferson University
President, Rothman Institute
Philadelphia, PA
Dr. Vaccaro graduated Summa Cum Laude from Boston College in 1983 with a B.S. in Biology. He received his M.D. degree from Georgetown University School of Medicine where he was promoted with "Distinction." He earned membership in the Alpha Omega Alpha (AOA) Honor Society and graduated with honors in 1987. He completed a year of Surgical Internship at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, CA and his Orthopaedic Surgery Residency was at Thomas Jefferson University where he graduated in 1992. Dr. Vaccaro completed a Spine Fellowship at the University of San Diego, CA. He earned a PhD in 2007 in the field of Spinal Trauma and a MBA in 2015.
Dr. Vaccaro is the Richard H. Rothman Professor and Chairman, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Professor of Neurosurgery at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was the recipient of the Leon Wiltse award given for excellence in leadership and clinical research for spine care by the North American Spine Society (NASS) and is the past President of the American Spinal Injury Association and current President of the Association for Collaborative Spine Research. He has over 700 peer reviewed and 195 non-peer reviewed publications. He has published over 340 book chapters and is the editor of over 58 textbooks and co-editor of OKU-Spine I and editor of OKU-8. Dr. Vaccaro is the President of Rothman Institute, Chairman of the department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Co-Director of the Regional Spinal Cord Injury Center of the Delaware Valley and Co-Director of Spine Surgery at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital where he instructs current fellows and residents in the diagnosis and treatment of various spinal problems and disorders
Charles G. Fisher, MD, MHSc, FRCSC, is an internationally renowned orthopaedic spine surgeon and a core member of the Vancouver Spine Surgery Institute at Vancouver General Hospital. He is a Professor and Director of Clinical Research for the Division of Spine in the Department of Orthopaedics at the University of British Columbia. He is also the former director of the Spine Surgery Fellowship Program for the Division of Spine, educating and mentoring young spine surgeons from around the world in the area of complex spinal surgery. His practice is confined to adult spine surgery, with special clinical and research interests in trauma, oncology and evidence-based medicine. Dr. Fisher is the current President of the Canadian Spine Society and a leader in the development of a National Spine Registry to help physicians and surgeons work collectively across the country to develop better patient treatment protocols and surgical outcomes for spinal patients. He is co-chair of the Spine Oncology Study Group, an international group of spine surgeons committed to advancing the understanding of spine oncology management through education and research. He is also a member and epidemiologic consultant of the Spine Trauma Study Group. In addition, Dr. Fisher co-chairs the AO Spine International Knowledge Forum for Spine Oncology, a panel of thought leaders coordinating international research and education in primary tumours of the spine. Dr. Charles Fisher has authored over 140 peer-reviewed publications and has co-authored a textbook on the evidence-based treatment of spine disorders. He also sits on the Editorial Board of the Journal of Neurosurgery: Spine and is an Associate Editor for the journal Spine. He is a regular guest lecturer at spinal events around the world. SPECIFICATIONS
Jefferson R. Wilson, MD is currently a Spine Surgery Fellow at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, PA, USA. He is concurrently a Post Doctoral Research Fellow at Toronto Western Hospital - UHN; Spinal Cord Program, Division of Neurosurgery, University of Toronto as he finishes his neurosurgery residency at the University of Toronto training program. His graduate studies are under the supervision of Dr. Michael Fehlings and will ultimately lead to a PhD in clinical research methods and biostatistics. His main research interests are in the realm of spinal trauma, specifically predictive modeling in spinal cord injury, development of new classification systems for spinal trauma and planning and participating in clinical trials investigating new therapies for SCI. His research work is currently supported by post-doctoral fellowship grants from the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation as well as from the Cervical Spine Research Society.
