Steven R. Garfin, MD, is chairman of the department of orthopedic surgery and chief of spine surgery at University of California, San Diego. He is a past president of the International Society for the Advancement of Spine Surgery and a member of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, Cervical Spine Research Society and North American Spine Society.
Dr. Garfin is actively involved in research and has authored nine books, 123 book chapters, 255 peer-reviewed journal articles and 132 abstracts. He is a deputy editor for Spine and a reviewer for the Journal of Orthopaedic Research, Journal of American Medical Association and Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research. He has won numerous awards over the course of his career, including the Volvo Award for Research from the International Society for the Study of the Lumbar Spine and the AcroMed Research Award of the North American Spine Society.
Dr. Garfin has a wide-range of clinical interests including sciatica, radiculopathy, spinal stenosis, herniated discs, vertebral compression fracture, reconstructive spine surgery, failed back syndrome, spinal tumors and spinal infections. He has also been involved in the design and use of new techniques and technologies, and he currently serves as the chairman of the surgeon advisory board for SI-BONE, a developer of devices for sacroiliac joint fusion surgery.
Dr. Garfin earned his medical degree at University of Minnesota in Minneapolis and completed his residency at UC San Diego. He has also completed a fellowship in disorders of the spine at Pennsylvania Hospital in Philadelphia.
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