Chuan-Ching Huang, from Taiwan, is a visiting spine fellow at Duke University Hospital. He trained in the Department of Orthopedic Surgery at the National Taiwan University Hospital and acquired his PhD in Biomedical Engineering from the National Taiwan University. He specializes in minimally invasive and endoscopic spine surgery. He has a keen interest in osteoporosis care and is actively involved in related research. His recent publications predominantly focus on the clinical outcomes of spine surgery, the interplay between postural balance and falls, and advancements in osteoporosis treatment and management.
Wilson Z. Ray is a Henry G. and Edith R. Schwartz Professor at Washington University School of Medicine; Executive Vice-Chair of the Department of Neurosurgery; Professor of Neurosurgery, Orthopedic Surgery, and Biomedical Engineering; Chief of the Division of Spine Surgery; and Director of the Peripheral Nerve Fellowship and Castle Connolly Top Doctor. He completed his MD studies at the University of Iowa College of Medicine in 2004 and MBA studies at Washington University, Olin School of Business in 2023. His research focuses on strategies to improve nerve regeneration and the development of innovative technology targeting peripheral nerve/neuroprosthetic interfaces, as well as the management of spinal cord injuries utilizing novel imaging modalities and surgical techniques to help predict functional recovery and provide patients with spinal cord injuries with improved distal limb function. He is the co-director of the Center for Spinal Cord Injury and is the principal investigator of multiple clinical trials on acute spinal cord injury and cervical myelopathy.
Dr. Christopher I. Shaffrey is a world-renowned physician–scientist who has an active research interest in spinal surgery, particularly in multicenter research studies of pediatric and adult scoliosis, spinal cord injury, spinal trauma, and tumours involving the spinal column. He is currently a deputy editor for both the journals Spine and Spine Deformity. He has more than 400 publications, more than 750 national and international presentations, and has served as the editor of several textbooks on spinal surgery. Dr. Shaffrey currently serves as the chair of the International Meeting of Advanced Spine Techniques (IMAST), president-elect of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, and director for the American Board of Neurological Surgery. Dr. Shaffrey received his medical degree from the University of Virginia in 1986 and completed his general surgical internship at the Naval Hospital, San Diego. He completed his residencies in neurosurgery and orthopaedics, followed by a spine fellowship in pediatric and adult reconstructive spine surgery at the University of Virginia.
Dr. C. Rory Goodwin is an Associate Professor of Neurosurgery at Duke University. He completed his PhD in Neuroscience and his MD at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine (Maryland) in 2010. He completed a Fellowship in Complex Spine Intramural and Postdoctoral Spine Oncology at Johns Hopkins Hospital (Maryland) from 2014 to 2016, Global Clinical Scholars Research Training Program at Harvard Medical School (Massachusetts) from 2015 to 2016, and Medical Device Fellowship Program, U.S Food & Drug Administration, Center for Devices and Radiologic Health, Office of Device Evaluation, Division of Orthopedic Devices, Posterior Spine Devices Branch in 2015. His practice is devoted to caring for patients with spinal-based pathologies ranging from degenerative disease and trauma to deformity, but is centered on patients with spinal tumors.
Dr. Melissa Erickson is an Associate Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery and Associate Professor in Neurosurgery at Duke University. She completed her MD studies at Rush University, Rush Medical College (Illinois) in 2006. She served as a resident for Orthopaedic Surgery, Duke University Medical Center from 2006 to 2011. She is a spine surgeon who provides surgical management of cervical, thoracic, and lumbar spine conditions, including cervical myelopathy, herniated discs, deformity, stenosis, tumors, and trauma. She provides minimally invasive procedures, as well as traditional surgical techniques.
Dr. John H. Chi is the Director of Neurosurgical Spinal Cancer in the Department of Neurosurgery and an Associate Professor at Harvard Medical School. He completed his Bachelor of Science in Molecular Biophysics & Biochemistry at Yale University and his Doctor of Medicine at the Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons. His clinical practice is focused on personalizing comprehensive care for patients with spinal disorders and spinal tumors through the Brigham and Women’s Comprehensive Spine Center at Brigham and Women’s Faulkner Hospital and the Spinal Tumor Program located in the Hale Building for Transformative Medicine on the main campus. Within the Comprehensive Spine Center, he focuses on decompression, spinal fusion, and complex spinal reconstruction. He is an expert surgeon at performing minimally invasive spine surgery.
Muhammad M. Abd-El-Barr is an Associate Professor of Neurosurgery at the Department of Orthopaedics at Duke University. He specializes in spine surgery and neurosurgery. He graduated from the University of Toronto in 2000 and received an MS from the University of Texas in 2002 and an MD/PhD from Baylor College of Medicine in 2009. He completed an Internship and Residency in Neurosurgery at the University of Florida from 2009 to 2012 and Neurological Surgery at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston Children’s Hospital, and Harvard Medical School (Massachusetts) from 2012 to 2016. He received a Fellowship in Spine Surgery from Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School (Massachusetts) between 2016 and 2017. His research interests include spinal stenosis, spondylolisthesis, scoliosis, herniated discs, and spine tumors.
