Many spine surgeons, neurosurgeons and leaders throughout the industry are advancing the space through their work, achievements and innovations.
Here are 25 power players in spine surgery:
Note: Leaders are listed in alphabetical order by last name.
Jocelyne Bloch, MD. Dr. Bloch is a neurosurgeon and co-director of NeuroRestore, which uses artificial intelligence-driven implants to help spinal cord injury patients. She was featured on The Washington Post’s “Post Next 50“.
Scott Blumenthal, MD. Dr. Blumenthal is with the Texas Back Institute in Plano. He performed the first lumbar total disc replacement in the U.S. 25 years ago.
Robert Bray Jr., MD. Dr. Bray is the founding director and CEO of DISC Sports and Spine Center in Newport Beach, Calif. He has performed more than 14,500 successful surgeries.
Mohamad Bydon, MD. Dr. Bydon is a neurosurgeon at Rochester, Minn.-basedMayo Clinic and serves as medical director of the Mayo Clinic Neurosurgical Registry. He is set to become the inaugural chair of the department of neurological surgery at UChicago Medicine.
Frank Cammisa Jr., MD. Dr. Cammisa is chief emeritus of HSS Spine at New York City-based Hospital for Special Surgery. He has been published in more than 130 research articles and manuscripts, and has co-authored more than 30 chapters in medical textbooks.
Michael Gallizzi, MD. Dr. Gallizzi is a robotic and endoscopic spine surgeon at The Steadman Clinic in Vail, Colo. He has completed more than 200 robotic and endoscopic spine cases and has authored over 50 publications
Brian Gantwerker, MD. Dr. Gantwerker is a neurosurgeon at Craniospinal Center of Los Angeles, utilizing new techniques such as neuro navigation and spinal endoscopy. He is an active member of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, the Congress of Neurological Surgeons and the North American Spine Society.
Paul Johnson, MD. Dr. Johnson is a spine surgeon at Knoxville (Tenn.) Orthopaedic Surgery Center with more than 30 years of experience. He is an active member of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, the Tennessee Orthopaedic Society and the North American Spine Society. He is also a member of the medical advisory board at Cohere Health.
Choll Kim, MD, PhD. Dr. Kim the founder of Minimally Invasive Spine Centers of Excellence in San Diego, Calif., and former President and founder of Society for Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery. He treats all aspects of complex spinal disorders, including, herniated discs, annular tears, radiculopathy, sciatica and spondylolisthesis.
Scott Kreiner, MD. Dr. Kreiner is an interventional spine specialist at the Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix. He was appointed president of the North American Spine Society in September 2024.
Richard Lee, MD. Dr. Lee is a spine surgeon at Hoag Orthopedic Institute, specializing in minimally invasive spine surgery. He performed the first ultra minimally invasive single-portal endoscopic spine surgery in Orange County, Calif.
Lawrence Lenke, MD. Dr. Lenke is an orthopedic spine surgeon and a leader in spinal deformity surgery. He serves as co-director of Och Spine, surgeon-in-chief at the Och Spine Hospital and chief of spinal deformity surgery in the Department of Orthopedic Surgery at NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center in New York City.
Isador Lieberman, MD. Dr. Lieberman is an orthopedic and spinal surgeon at the Texas Back Institute in Plano. He serves as president of the organization and also established the Scoliosis and Spine Tumor Program.
Ali Mesiwala, MD. Dr. Mesiwala is a neurosurgeon with four practice locations in California, and is a leader in the field of minimally invasive sacroiliac joint surgery. He performed the first posterior fusion at DISC Sports and Spine Centers using Kleiner Device Labs’ KG2 Surge system.
Timothy O’Connor, MD. Dr. O’Connor is the director of minimally invasive and robotic spine surgery at Marcus Neuroscience Institute in Boca Raton, Fla. He is one of the first specialists in the world to conduct next-generation, augmented reality spine surgery with novel, advanced, high-resolution augmented reality technology.
Hilary Onyiuke, MD. Dr. Onyiuke is the founder of the UConn Health Comprehensive Spine Center in Farmington and vice chair of University of Connecticut’s department of neurosurgery. He was named to Augmedics’ national technical board and has performed more than 500 procedures using the company’s AR technology.
Philip Louie, MD. Dr. Louie is a minimally invasive spine surgeon at Seattle-based Virginia Mason Franciscan Health. He specializes in minimally invasive spine surgery, degenerative spinal conditions, complex adult and pediatric spinal surgery, scoliosis and reconstructive spine surgery.
Frank Phillips, MD. Dr. Phillips is a surgeon at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago. He was one of the first in Chicago to perform minimally invasive spine surgery and specializes in minimally invasive cervical and lumbar reconstructive surgery.
Sheeraz Qureshi, MD. Dr. Qureshi is co-chief of HSS Spine, a spine surgeon at HSS and chief medical officer of HSS Florida in West Palm Beach. He performs nearly 300 minimally invasive spine surgeries each year.
Andrew Sama, MD. Dr. Sama is co-chief of HSS Spine and associate professor of clinical surgery at the Weill Medical College of Cornell University in New York City. In addition, he serves as a spinal consultant with the medical staff of the United States Olympic Committee.
Leo Spector, MD. Dr. Spector is the CEO and practicing surgeon of Charlotte, N.C.-based OrthoCarolina. Dr. Spector currently serves as a board member of the Lumbar Spine Research Society and was previously President of the North Carolina Spine Society.
Alex Vaccaro, MD, PhD. Dr. Vaccaro is president of Philadelphia-based Rothman Orthopaedic Institute and the Richard H. Rothman professor and chairman in the department of orthopaedic surgery and professor of neurosurgery at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia. He has more than 1,150 peer-reviewed publications, published more than 380 book chapters and is the editor of over 65 textbooks
Jeffrey Wang, MD. Dr. Wang is past president of the North American Spine Society, Cervical Spine Research Society and Society for Brain Mapping and Therapeutics. He received the 2020 Spine Advocacy Award from the North American Spine Society and the Senior Achievement Award from the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.
Michael Wang, MD. Dr. Wang is chief of neurosurgery at the University of Miami (Fla.) Hospital. He has edited 9 medical textbooks and authored over 600 publications in the medical literature
Richard Wohns, MD. Dr. Wohns is founder and medical director of NeoSpine in Puyallup, Wash. He has been in practice for more than 30 years and previously served as chief medical officer of angelMD, a technology platform and marketplace that connects leading medical startups from all over the world with life science investors.
