About the Author
Alexander R. Vaccaro, MD, PhD, MBARichard H. Rothman Professor and Chairman, Department of Orthopaedic SurgeryProfessor of NeurosurgeryCo-Director, Delaware Valley Spinal Cord Injury CenterCo-Chief of Spine Surgery Sidney Kimmel Medical Center at Thomas Jefferson UniversityPresident, Rothman InstitutePhiladelphia, PADr. Vaccaro graduated Summa Cum Laude from Boston College in 1983 with a B.S. in Biology. He received his M.D. degree from Georgetown University School of Medicine where he was promoted with "Distinction." He earned membership in the Alpha Omega Alpha (AOA) Honor Society and graduated with honors in 1987. He completed a year of Surgical Internship at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, CA and his Orthopaedic Surgery Residency was at Thomas Jefferson University where he graduated in 1992. Dr. Vaccaro completed a Spine Fellowship at the University of San Diego, CA. He earned a PhD in 2007 in the field of Spinal Trauma and a MBA in 2015. Dr. Vaccaro is the Richard H. Rothman Professor and Chairman, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Professor of Neurosurgery at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was the recipient of the Leon Wiltse award given for excellence in leadership and clinical research for spine care by the North American Spine Society (NASS) and is the past President of the American Spinal Injury Association and current President of the Association for Collaborative Spine Research. He has over 700 peer reviewed and 195 non-peer reviewed publications. He has published over 340 book chapters and is the editor of over 58 textbooks and co-editor of OKU-Spine I and editor of OKU-8. Dr. Vaccaro is the President of Rothman Institute, Chairman of the department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Co-Director of the Regional Spinal Cord Injury Center of the Delaware Valley and Co-Director of Spine Surgery at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital where he instructs current fellows and residents in the diagnosis and treatment of various spinal problems and disordersCharles G. Fisher, MD, MHSc, FRCSC, is an internationally renowned orthopaedic spine surgeon and a core member of the Vancouver Spine Surgery Institute at Vancouver General Hospital. He is a Professor and Director of Clinical Research for the Division of Spine in the Department of Orthopaedics at the University of British Columbia. He is also the former director of the Spine Surgery Fellowship Program for the Division of Spine, educating and mentoring young spine surgeons from around the world in the area of complex spinal surgery. His practice is confined to adult spine surgery, with special clinical and research interests in trauma, oncology and evidence-based medicine. Dr. Fisher is the current President of the Canadian Spine Society and a leader in the development of a National Spine Registry to help physicians and surgeons work collectively across the country to develop better patient treatment protocols and surgical outcomes for spinal patients. He is co-chair of the Spine Oncology Study Group, an international group of spine surgeons committed to advancing the understanding of spine oncology management through education and research. He is also a member and epidemiologic consultant of the Spine Trauma Study Group. In addition, Dr. Fisher co-chairs the AO Spine International Knowledge Forum for Spine Oncology, a panel of thought leaders coordinating international research and education in primary tumours of the spine. Dr. Charles Fisher has authored over 140 peer-reviewed publications and has co-authored a textbook on the evidence-based treatment of spine disorders. He also sits on the Editorial Board of the Journal of Neurosurgery: Spine and is an Associate Editor for the journal Spine. He is a regular guest lecturer at spinal events around the world. SPECIFICATIONS Jefferson R. Wilson, MD is currently a Spine Surgery Fellow at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, PA, USA. He is concurrently a Post Doctoral Resear