Rachel Bratescu, MD, is a spine surgeon at George Washington University Hospital in Washington, D.C.
She joined the hospital in August 2024 after completing fellowships at NYU Langone Health and Weill Cornell Medicine/New York-Presbyterian Hospital. Dr. Bratescu is the first orthopedic surgeon and first female surgeon to complete a neurosurgery spine fellowship at Weill Cornell/NewYork-Presbyterian.
During her fellowship she worked with Roger Härtl, MD, on a study measuring female spine surgeon representation in academic hospitals. She earned her medical degree from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. and completed her residency at Houston Methodist.
“We found that out of almost 1,000 adult spine surgeons at 73 academic hospitals, the breakdown of total orthopedic versus neurosurgical spine surgeons is roughly equal,” she told Becker’s. “However, among orthopedic spine surgeons, only 4% are female, and among spinal neurosurgeons, 9% are female.”
Dr. Bratescu has supported mentorship for women in spine and orthopedics, and at George Washington University, she works closely with residents as part of her role on the faculty.
Dr. Bratescu was also named on SpineLine’s 20 Under 40 List from the North American Spine Society.
Dr. Bratescu is speaking at Becker’s 22nd Annual Spine, Orthopedic and Pain Management-Driven ASC + The Future of Spine Conference, set for June 18-21 at the Swissotel Chicago.
