10 Spine Surgeons to Know

Staff -

Here are 10 spine surgeons to know. Look for a list of more than 20 spine surgeons to know in the April issue of Becker's Orthopedic & Spine Practice Review.

John Atwater, MD — Dr. Atwater is a spine surgeon at the Downstate Illinois Spine Center in Bloomington, Ill., and practices with McClean County Orthopedics, also in Bloomington. Dr. Atwater treats a wide range of spinal conditions and performs many types of spinal surgery. He currently serves as a medical consultant to several medical device companies. He received his medical degree from the University of Virginia in Charlottesville and interned at John Hopkins University in Baltimore. He completed an orthopedic residency at Howard University in Washington, D.C., and a spine fellowship at the University of Louisville.

David Abraham, MD — Dr. Abraham is the founder of The Reading Neck and Spine Center in Wyomissing, Pa. He is also a partner at The Reading Surgery Center in Wyomissing and at the Surgical Center of Pottsville (Pa.). Dr. Abraham, whose interests center around ambulatory and minimally-invasive spinal surgery, attended Jefferson Medical College, performing his internship at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia and his residency at the Rothman Institute in Philadelphia. He completed a fellowship in adult spine surgery at William Beaumont Medical Center in Detroit.

Scott Blumenthal, MD — Dr. Blumenthal is a spine surgeon with the Texas Back Institute and the first and only surgeon in the United States to devote his practice solely to the research and application of artificial disc replacement. Dr. Blumenthal is a leader in spinal arthroplasty working with a large number of discs currently on the market and in trials. He serves as a clinical assistant professor of orthopedic surgery at the University of Texas Southwestern in Dallas and as an ongoing contributor to the first non-profit created for arthroplasty patients, ADRSupport.org. He also currently serves as a spine consultant for the Dallas Mavericks. Dr. Blumenthal graduated from Northwestern Medical School in Chicago and completed his general surgery internship and orthopedic surgery residency at the University of Texas Health Science Center in Dallas. His fellowships include work at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago for physical medicine and rehabilitation and at Midwest Regional Spinal Cord Injury Care System at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago for spinal trauma surgery.

John R. Caruso, MD — Dr. Caruso is a neurological surgeon with more than 16 years of experience. He currently practices with Neurosurgical Specialists in Hagerstown, Md., where he has performed numerous spinal procedures including minimally invasive procedures to complex instrumentation of the cranial, thoracic and lumbar spine. Dr. Caruso attended Eastern Virginia Medical School, in Norfolk, Va., and completed residencies at the Eastern Virginia Graduate School of Medicine in Norfolk and at the University of New Mexico, Albuquerque. Dr. Caruso is licensed in Maryland, West Virginia and Pennsylvania.

E. Jeffrey Donner, MD — Dr. Donner is an orthopedic surgeon, fellowship-trained in the management of spinal disorders. His specialties include spine surgery and general orthopedics. He is a co-founder of Rocky Mountain Associates in Loveland, Colo., and also works at Loveland Surgery Center, a spine center of excellence for Blue Cross/Blue Shield. Dr. Donner is recognized internationally as an expert in the diagnosis and surgical treatment of chronic cervical whiplash disc injuries. His orthopedic residency included rotations through Shriner's Hospital for Children in Philadelphia and St. Christopher's Hospital for Children in Philadelphia. Dr. Donner's fellowship in spine surgery was completed at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and Temple University Hospital, both in Philadelphia.

Stephen Doran, MD — Dr. Doran is a neurosurgeon and chairman of the board and medical director of Midwest Surgical Hospital in Omaha. Neb. This facility brought together a preeminent group of neurosurgeons, orthopedic surgeons, ENT and pain medicine physicians and partnered with a large local healthcare system. Dr. Doran is an active lobbyist for physician involvement in healthcare. He is also a clinical assistant professor of surgery at University of Nebraska Medical Center. Dr. Doran's areas of interest include spinal instrumentation, stereotactic and functional neurosurgery, deep brain stimulation and disorders of the spine. He has received national recognition for his research in gene therapy related to the central nervous system and his research has been published nationally. Dr. Doran received his medical degree from the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha and completed his internship and residency at the University of Michigan Medical Center in Ann Arbor.

Wesley H. Faunce, III, MD — Dr. Faunce practices with the Southwest Florida Neurological Associates in Cape Coral, where he focuses on degenerative spine disease of all areas of the spine. He has been involved in a variety of medical research studies and is an accomplished author or coauthor of numerous studies, publications and presentations. Dr. Faunce received his PhD in biochemistry and molecular biology from the University of Florida in Gainesville. He then earned his medical degree at the same university. He also completed an internship at the university's department of surgery and  residency training at its department of neurosurgery.

Richard Kube, II MD — Dr. Kube is a spine surgeon at the Prairie Spine & Pain Institute in Peoria, Ill., who regularly performs procedures at the Peoria Day Surgery Center. He previously practiced at St. Anthony's Memorial Hospital and with the Bonutti Clinic in Effingham, Ill. Dr. Kube attended medical school and post-graduate training in orthopedic surgery at Saint Louis University. He completed  a spine fellowship at Spine Surgery PSC in Louisville, Ky. Dr. Kube's research on motion preservation has been presented on an international level at several different venues.

Michael Janssen, MD — Dr. Janssen is a surgeon at the Center for Spinal Disorders in Thornton, Colo. He founded the Spine Education Research Institute, a non-profit dedicated to clinical research, physician education and youth science and community education. Dr. Janssen also serves as a clinical associate professor at the University of Colorado. He received his medical education at the University of Health Sciences in Kansas City, Mo. His internship and residency were completed at the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta, and he completed a spine fellowship at Lakewood Orthopaedic Clinic and in St. Gallen, Switzerland.

James Lynch, MD — Dr. Lynch a neurological surgeon who specializes in complex spine surgery, as well as minimally invasive spine surgery. He is director, spine services for Regent Surgical Health, where he directs Regent's program to help physicians develop spine-focused ambulatory surgical centers (ASCs) and specialty spine hospitals. He is the founder and CEO of Spine Nevada and chairman and director of spine at the Surgical Center of Reno. He is also on staff at St. Mary's Hospital and Renown Regional Medical Center, both located in Reno. Dr. Lynch is a frequent lecturer at national meetings on spine topics related to ASCs. He earned his medical degree from Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland, followed by a residency at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. Dr. Lynch completed three spine fellowships at the following locations: the Mayo Clinic; the National Hospital for Neurology and  Neurosurgery in London, England; and the Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix. His work has been published in several professional publications including The Journal of Neurosurgery and Neurosurgery and Spine.

 

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