Four spine surgeons from the University of California San Francisco have joined Sacramento, Calif.-based Sutter Health to launch the Sutter Advanced Neuroscience & Spine Institute at Sutter’s California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco.
Sigurd Berven, MD, Shane Burch, MD, Aaron Clark, MD, and Alekos Theologis, MD, are now part of Sutter West Bay Medical Group. Dr. Burch will lead the institute as chief of spine surgery and focuses on spinal deformity and complex cervical spine surgery, according to an Oct. 12 news release.
Dr. Berven, a complex spine surgeon, will help direct quality, research and physician education. Dr. Clark specializes in minimally invasive, robotic and image-guided procedures, and Dr. Theologis focuses on adult spinal deformity and complex reconstructive surgery.
The institute will link spine surgery with neurosurgery, orthopedics, neurology and rehabilitation to treat patients whose conditions cross specialties. It will operate alongside Sutter’s existing neuroscience and orthopedic service lines.
“Complex spine care is rarely about one procedure or one specialty,” Dr. Burch said. “It takes a team with the right blend of expertise working together around the patient and that’s what we’re building at Sutter.”
Meredith Hileman, CEO of Sutter West Bay Medical Group, said the surgeons share the group’s goal of consolidating advanced spine capabilities in one location.
The team is now seeing patients at Sutter’s Mission Bernal Care Center in San Francisco. Its permanent home will be the Advanced Neuroscience & Spine Care Complex at the CPMC Mission Bernal Campus, a 129,000-square-foot facility that Sutter says will cost nearly $500 million and open in 2028.
The recruitment expands a San Francisco neuroscience investment Sutter first unveiled in April 2024, when it estimated the complex would cost $442 million.
At the Becker’s 32nd Annual Meeting: The Business and Operations of ASCs, taking place October 29-31 in Chicago, ASC leaders, surgeons and healthcare executives will explore strategies to drive growth, enhance operational performance, navigate reimbursement challenges and prepare for the future of ambulatory surgery. Apply for complimentary registration now.
