Each year, the North American Spine Society (NASS) recognizes exceptional contributions to the field and the Society through its annual Recognition Awards.
In 2023, Sigurd Berven, MD was awarded the David Selby Award to recognize contributions to the art and science of spinal disorder management through service to NASS.
Nominations for 2024 Recognition Awards are now open at
www.spine.org/awards and will be accepted until March 31, 2024. Award winners are reviewed by the NASS Governance Committee and approved by the Board of Directors. The 2024 awards will be presented at the 2024 NASS Annual Meeting, September 25-28, 2024 in Chicago, IL.
Note for 2024 nominations: The Governance Committee, in an effort to make nominations less arduous, have eliminated the requirement for formal letters of recommendation to be submitted at the time of nomination. Letters of recommendation will only be required once the Governance Committee has determined finalists for each award (in late-Spring 2024).
Dr. Berven has been a NASS member Since 2002
He has served on numerous NASS committees during that time and was a NASS 2022 program cochair. Berven has a strong interest in the care of children and adults with spinal disorders. He has expertise in pediatric and adult deformities, degenerative conditions of the spine, spinal tumors and spinal trauma.
"Sig has unbridled enthusiasm for improving spine surgery," said Dr. David Polly, cochair of NASS’ Section on Sacroiliac and Pelvic Girdle Pain. "He relishes amalgamating large data sets and dissecting out insightful findings. He is honest from the podium and is willing to share both success and failures so that others can learn from his experience. He is a valued and respected colleague."
In research, Berven is interested in the assessment of outcomes for patients who have orthopedic surgery. He also studies minimally invasive techniques in spinal surgery, and he is exploring cellular and molecular techniques to biologically regenerate components of the spine, including the intervertebral disc.
Berven studied human biology as an undergraduate at Stanford University. He was a graduate student in philosophy, politics and economics at the University of Oxford. He received his medical degree from Harvard Medical School and then completed his residency in the Harvard Combined Orthopaedic Residency Program, which provides training at four major city hospitals. Next, he advanced his training in spine surgery as a clinical fellow at UCSF and in pediatric orthopedic surgery as chief resident at Boston Children’s Hospital.
Nominated by: Jean Charles Le Huec, MD