Here are 15 spine surgeons who are using robotic technology in their practice.
Henry E. Aryan, MD (Sierra Pacific Orthopedics, Fresno, Calif.). Dr. Aryan is a board certified neurosurgeon with a special interest in complex spine surgery, minimally invasive spine surgery and artificial disc replacement. He performs robotic-guided spine surgery, which is also among his research interests. Additional research interests include lumbar and cervical arthroplasty as well as minimally invasive percutaneous instrumented fusion. He is a member of the North American Spine Society and a founding member of the Society for Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery. He is also a founding member of the International Neurosurgery Children's Association, a charitable organization to provide pediatric neurosurgical care. Dr. Aryan earned his medical degree at the University of California, Irvine, and completed his residency in neurosurgery at the University of California, San Diego. His additional training includes a fellowship in complex spine surgery and neurospinal oncology at the University of California, San Francisco.
Samuel Bederman, MD (UC Irvine Medical Center, Orange, Calif.). Dr. Bederman is the director of orthopedic inpatient care at UC Irvine Medical Center. Dr. Bederman was among the first surgeons in Orange County, Calif., to perform robotic-assisted spine surgery at UC Irvine. He has a professional interest in deformity reconstruction, complex cervical surgery and minimally invasive spine procedures. During his career, Dr. Bederman has been recognized by the Canadian Spine Society for his research and identified as an emerging leader by the American Orthopaedic Association. Dr. Bederman earned his medical degree and completed his residency at the University of Toronto. His additional training includes a fellowship in spinal deformity at the University of California in San Francisco and the AO Spine Fellowship at Royal Adelaide Hospital in Australia.
William Beutler, MD (PinnacleHealth, Harrisburg, Pa.). Dr. Beutler is a neurosurgeon specializing in spine surgery at PinnacleHealth The Spine Institute. Along with two other surgeons in the group, Dr. Butler was among the first to publish and complete a spinal fusion using the da Vinci Si Surgical System earlier this year. Dr. Beutler has a professional interest in anterior lumbar interbody fusion. In addition to his clinical practice, Dr. Beutler is a member of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, Congress of Neurosurgeons and North American Spine Society. He earned his medical degree at SUNY-Buffalo School of Medicine in New York and completed his residency at Georgetown University School of Medicine in New York City. His additional training includes a fellowship in spine surgery at SUNY-Health Science Center in Syracuse.
Nitin N. Bhatia, MD (UC Irvine Medical Center, Orange, Calif.). Dr. Bhatia is the chief of adult and pediatric spinal surgery at UC Irvine and was one of the first spine surgeons to perform robot-assisted spine surgeries in Orange County. He has a professional interest in all areas of spine pathology, such as spine trauma, scoliosis and reconstruction. He is a member of the Cervical Spine Research Society, Scoliosis Research Society and North American Spine Society. In addition to his clinical work, Dr. Bhatia frequently gives lectures and conducts meetings to teach advanced spine surgery techniques. Throughout his career, he has published several professional articles in journals such as the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery. Dr. Bhatia earned his medical degree at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston and completed his residency in orthopedic surgery at the University of California in Los Angeles. His additional training includes fellowships in spinal deformity at Miami Children's Hospital and in spine surgery at the University of Miami, Jackson Memorial Medical Center.
Terrence T. Crowder, MD (Sonoran Spine Center, Phoenix). Dr. Crowder is a spine surgeon with Sonoran Spine Center and among the only spine surgeons who performs robotic spine surgery in Arizona. He has a special interest in all diseases and disorders of the adult spine, including motion preserving techniques. He is a member of the North American Spine Society and J.R. Gladden Orthopaedic Society. In addition to his clinical work, Dr. Crowder is involved in academic research. Dr. Crowder earned his medical degree at the University of Arkansas Medical School in Little Rock and completed his residency in orthopedic surgery at Duke University in Durham, N.C. His additional training includes a spine surgery fellowship at William Beaumont Hospitals in Royal Oak, Mich.
Dennis P. Devito, MD (Children's Healthcare of Atlanta). Dr. Devito is on the medical advisory board for Mazor Robotics, maker of the SpineAssist robotic system, and director of multi-specialty clinics at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta and Scottish Rite. He is a fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics and a member with American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. He has a professional interest in spinal deformities, neonatal pediatrics and reconstructive orthopedics. Dr. Devito earned his medical degree at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and completed his residency in orthopedic surgery at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, N.C. His additional training includes a fellowship in pediatric orthopedic surgery at Children's Hospital of Boston.
Richard Francis, MD (Spine Associates, Houston). Dr. Francis is CEO and founder of Spine Associates and a surgeon with Houston Orthopedic and Spine Hospital, which recently acquired the Renaissance system. Dr. Francis was among the first surgeons in the Houston area to perform robotic-guided spinal surgery. He has a professional interest in treating both adult and pediatric deformity cases and artificial disc replacements. In addition to his clinical practice, Dr. Francis is a member of North American Spine Society and the American Medical Association. He earned his medical degree at the University of the West Indies in Jamaica and completed his residency at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary in Scotland. His additional training includes a fellowship in spine surgery at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston.
Dale S. Horne, MD (RiverHills Neuroscience, Montgomery, Ohio). Dr. Horne is a neurosurgeon with RiverHills Neuroscience who has a special interest in minimally invasive spine surgery, cervical disc replacement and motion-sparing techniques. He has been a pioneer in the application of robotic spine surgery to make the procedure safer for patients. In addition to his clinical practice Dr. Horne is president of the Ohio State Neurosurgical Society and a diplomate of the American Board of Neurosurgical Surgery. He earned his medical degree at Washington University in St. Luis and completed his residency in neurosurgery at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tenn. He also completed a PhD in neuropharmacology at Tulane University in New Orleans.
John Keller, MD (Great Lakes Neurosurgical Associates, Grand Rapids, Mich.). Dr. Keller uses the Renaissance system from Mazor Robotics during appropriate spine surgeries to guide implant placement. He has a professional interest in treating patients with complex disorders and performing minimally invasive interventions. In addition to his clinical practice, Dr. Keller is a member of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons and American Association of Neurological Surgeons. He earned his medical degree at Michigan State University and completed his residency at the University of Miami at Jackson Memorial Hospital.
John Y.K. Lee, MD (Penn Medicine, Philadelphia). Dr. Lee is the medical director of the Gamma Knife Center at Pennsylvania Hospital. During his career, he has worked with the manufacturer of the da Vinci surgical robot to develop new approaches and tools that could be used in skull-base and craniocervical junction surgery. He also performs spinal fusions with the robotic system. Dr. Lee has a special interest in endoscopic minimally invasive surgery and Gamma Knife. He earned his medical degree from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey and completed his residency at the University of Pittsburgh. His additional training includes a fellowship at Cleveland Clinic.
Kevin Lee, MD (Lakes Surgery Center, West Bloomfield, Mich.). Dr. Lee is a neurosurgeon with Lakes Surgery Center, which recently became the first ambulatory surgery center to purchase Mazor Robotics' Renaissances system for robotic spine surgery. Dr. Lee performs pain management and endoscopic spinal procedures using the system at Lakes Surgery Center. Dr. Lee earned his medical degree at the Michigan State University and completed his residency at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center and Wayne State University Medical Center in Detroit.
Isador Lieberman (Texas Back Institute, Plano). Dr. Lieberman is on the medical advisory board for Mazor Robotics and has been involved in the research and development of SpineAssist. Throughout his career, Dr. Lieberman has received several awards for his research, including the Cleveland Clinic Foundation Innovations Award. He has a professional interest in scoliosis and spinal tumors. He is a member of several professional societies, including North American Spine Society, American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons and Scoliosis Research Society. Throughout his career, he has been committed to providing charitable spine care in Uganda. Dr. Lieberman earned his medical degree at the University of Toronto in Canada and completed his residency at several hospitals in Toronto. His additional training includes a spine and trauma fellowship at Toronto Hospital and spine surgery at The Queen's Medical Center in England.
Payam Moazzaz, MD (Tri-City Medical Center, Oceanside, Calif.). Dr. Moazzaz is a spine surgeon with Tri-City Medical Center with a special interest in minimally invasive procedures and treating complex spinal deformities. Tri-City recently acquired the Renaissance system from Mazor for robotic guidance during spinal surgery, and Dr. Moazzaz gave a presentation on how the system works. During his career, Dr. Moazzaz has earned several recognitions for his research. He earned his medical degree at the University of California, Davis School of Medicine and completed his residency at the University of California, Los Angeles. His additional training includes a fellowship at the San Diego Center for Spinal Disorders and Scripps Green Clinic in La Jolla, Calif.
Nizam Razack, MD (Spine & Brain Neurosurgery Center, Orlando). Dr. Razack is the founder and president of Spine & Brain Neurosurgery Center. Earlier this year, he became one of the first surgeons in Florida to perform spinal surgery using the Renaissance robotic system at Florida Hospital Celebration Health. Currently, Dr. Razack serves as chairman of the department of neurological surgery at Orlando Health and a clinical professor in the department of neurosurgery for the University of Central Florida College of Medicine. Dr. Razack is a fellow of the American College of Surgeons and American Association of Neurological Surgeons. He earned his medical degree at State University of New York at Buffalo and completed his residency at the University of Miami. His additional training includes fellowships in reconstructive and complex spine surgery at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.; neurosurgical oncology at the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston and orthopedic spine deformities at Rancho Los Amigos Medical Center in Los Angeles.
William C. Welch, MD (Penn Medicine, Philadelphia). Dr. Welch is the chief of neurosurgery at Pennsylvania Hospital and uses robotic-assisted technology when performing spinal fusions and disc repair. He is a member of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, Cervical Spine Research Society and Congress of Neurological Surgeons. In addition to his clinical practice, Dr. Welch has published his research in professional journals such as The Spine Journal and the Journal of Neurosurgery: Spine. Dr. Welch earned his medical degree at State University of New York, Downstate Medical Center and completed his residency in neurological surgery at the University of Rochester (N.Y.)-Strong memorial Hospital. His additional training includes fellowships in neuro-oncology and spine surgery at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in Bronx, N.Y.
