Allen S. Chen, MD, MPH
A contingent of NASS faculty returned to Dubai in December 2022 to continue the strong international collaboration between NASS and ArabSpine. NASS faculty members shared the podium with highly accomplished international faculty from around the world, as well as teaching a successful cadaver lab.
The NASS delegation included Board of Directors members Zoher Ghogawala (Co-Chair of Module 2), David O’Brien, John Liu, and Steven Hwang, Past Presidents David Wong (Co-Chair of Module 1) and Jean-Jacques Abitbol, and members Allen Chen, Steven Theiss (Lab Co-Chair), Erica Bisson, and Scott Blumenthal.
Pictured on the right: Lab Co-Chair, Steven Theiss, MD, Orthopedic Surgeon at University of Alabama at Birmingham instructs attendees at the hands-on lab course.
The ArabSpine Diploma Course included lectures and two days of hands-on cadaver labs. NASS faculty delivered over 45 lectures as part of two separate programs, Module 1 and Module 2. Topics varied from diagnosis and non-surgical treatments of disc herniations to spinal tumors and infections. Additional topics included Anterior vs Posterior Approach, Hybrid ACDF and TDR, and Spinal Navigation. The cadaver labs included multiple stations and various surgical approaches, as well as a new interventional station led by David O’Brien and Allen Chen, which allowed participants to get hands-on cadaver experience with various injection techniques such as epidural injections and medial branch blocks. There was considerable discussion during the presentations and cadaver labs, and participants expressed interest in NASS’ Clinical Guidelines. All attendees were encouraged to apply to NASS membership. NASS faculty also participated in ArabSpine course diploma interviews.
Feedback was overwhelmingly positive, and all NASS faculty were excited about the collaborative spirit between presenters and participants alike. The respect and collegiality of the participants was outstanding, and all faculty members were both exited and humbled to have the opportunity to participate in such as well-attended and well-respected conference.
Pictured above: NASS faculty member Scott L. Blumenthal, MD, Orthopedic Surgeon at Texas Back Insititute in Plano, TX.