Dennis Crandall, MD, is founder and medical director of Sonoran Spine Center in Phoenix. 
Shortly after opening a spine center, Dr. Crandall founded the Sonoran Spine Research and Education Foundation in 2000, a non-profit that funds scholarships for students with spinal deformities, spinal research projects and educational seminars. He has also developed a spinal instrumentation system to solve spinal deformity issues.
"In the spine market, there is a lot we don't know and we are still discovering," says Dr. Crandall. "There are several ways to achieve good results and surgeons have a lot of options to decide with patients the best treatment pathway. Over time, we will see fewer technologies embraced long term because they are supported by the data."
As a CEO of a spine group, Dr. Crandall is able to both treat patients and act as an administrator of a multi-location spine group. He says there is a demand for high quality and integrated care from both patients and referring physicians.
"Our care must be consistent with our patients' and referring physicians' quality expectations," Dr. Crandall says. "We have to be able to take on surgical and non surgical cases, work-related issues, tertiary or simple cases."
During his career, Dr. Crandall has been a spine consultant for Arizona State University athletes. He is a team spine surgeon for the Phoenix Suns and Arizona Cardinals. Before starting a spine center in Arizona, Dr. Crandall was a fellow and then faculty member at the University of Maryland teaching orthopedic surgery residents about spinal surgery and spine surgery.
Dr. Crandall earned a medical degree from St. Louis University, where he also completed his orthopedic surgery residency. His additional training includes a spinal fellowship at the University of Maryland in College Park.
Shortly after opening a spine center, Dr. Crandall founded the Sonoran Spine Research and Education Foundation in 2000, a non-profit that funds scholarships for students with spinal deformities, spinal research projects and educational seminars. He has also developed a spinal instrumentation system to solve spinal deformity issues. "In the spine market, there is a lot we don't know and we are still discovering," says Dr. Crandall. "There are several ways to achieve good results and surgeons have a lot of options to decide with patients the best treatment pathway. Over time, we will see fewer technologies embraced long term because they are supported by the data."
As a CEO of a spine group, Dr. Crandall is able to both treat patients and act as an administrator of a multi-location spine group. He says there is a demand for high quality and integrated care from both patients and referring physicians.
"Our care must be consistent with our patients' and referring physicians' quality expectations," Dr. Crandall says. "We have to be able to take on surgical and non surgical cases, work-related issues, tertiary or simple cases."
During his career, Dr. Crandall has been a spine consultant for Arizona State University athletes. He is a team spine surgeon for the Phoenix Suns and Arizona Cardinals. Before starting a spine center in Arizona, Dr. Crandall was a fellow and then faculty member at the University of Maryland teaching orthopedic surgery residents about spinal surgery and spine surgery.
Dr. Crandall earned a medical degree from St. Louis University, where he also completed his orthopedic surgery residency. His additional training includes a spinal fellowship at the University of Maryland in College Park.
More Spine Surgeons to Know:
Spine Surgeon Leader to Know: Dr. Robert Eastlack of Scripps Clinic
Spine Surgeon Leader to Know: Dr. Richard Fessler of Northwestern University