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July 28, 2026


NASS Announces the Inaugural Class of Distinguished Fellows

The North American Spine Society (NASS) is proud to announce the inaugural class of Distinguished Fellows of the North American Spine Society (DFNS). The DFNS designation recognizes members who have demonstrated sustained engagement with NASS and meaningful contributions to the spine community through professional involvement, service, and ongoing participation in the Society.

The designation reflects a commitment to advancing spine care and supporting the mission of NASS. To qualify, members must meet established criteria related to Society membership, participation in NASS events, and service to the organization.

Learn more, view your eligibility, or apply for the 2027 class at www.spine.org/dfns

As the first group to earn this distinction, the 2026 DFNS class represents a diverse and accomplished group of spine professionals whose dedication has helped shape both NASS and the field of spine care. The inaugural DFNS class will be formally recognized during a Convocation Ceremony at the 2026 NASS Annual Meeting in San Antonio, TX this October.

2026 Distinguished Fellows of the North American Spine Society

  • Muhammad Abd-El-Barr, MD, PhD (Neurosurgeon; Durham, NC US)
  • Samy Abdou, MD (Neurosurgeon; Rancho Santa Fe, CA US)
  • Kabir Abubakar, MBBS, FWACS, PhD (Orthopedic Surgeon; Kano, Nigeria)
  • Christopher Alcala, MD (Orthopedic Surgeon; Dorado, PR US)
  • R. Todd Allen, MD, PhD (Orthopedic Surgeon; San Diego, CA US)
  • Abdulaziz Al-Mutair, BHSc, MD, FRCSC (Orthopedic Surgeon; Kuwait City, Kuwait)
  • Neel Anand, MD (Orthopedic Surgeon; Los Angeles, CA US)
  • Paul Anderson, MD (Orthopedic Surgeon; Waunakee, WI US)
  • Paul Arnold, MD (Neurosurgeon; Chicago, IL US)
  • Vivek Babaria, DO (PM&R; Rowland Heights, CA US)
  • Siddharth Badve, MD (Orthopedic Surgeon; Lewistown, PA US)
  • Carlos Bagley, MD, MBA (Neurosurgeon; Kansas City, MO US)
  • Peng Bai, DO (PM&R; Cary, NC US)
  • Nevan Baldwin, MD (Neurosurgeon; Hanover, NH US)
  • Kaku Barkoh, MD (Orthopedic Surgeon; The Woodlands, TX US)
  • Eduardo Barreto, MD (Neurosurgeon; Rio De Janeiro, Brazil)
  • Chirag Berry, MD (Orthopedic Surgeon; Wooster, OH US)
  • Rudolf Bertagnoli, MD, PhD (Orthopedic Surgeon; Straubing, Germany)
  • Sigurd Berven, MD (Orthopedic Surgeon; San Francisco, CA US)
  • R. Dale Blasier, MD, FRCSC, MBA (Orthopedic Surgeon; Little Rock, AR US)
  • Scott Blumenthal, MD (Orthopedic Surgeon; Plano, TX US)
  • Christopher Bono, MD (Orthopedic Surgeon; Boston, MA US)
  • Charles Branch, MD (Neurosurgeon; Advance, NC US)
  • Ernest Braxton, MD, MBA (Neurosurgeon; Vail, CO US)
  • Nathaniel Brooks, MD (Neurosurgeon; Madison, WI US)
  • Adam Bruggeman, MD (Orthopedic Surgeon; San Antonio, TX US)
  • Avery Buchholz, MD, MPH (Neurosurgeon; Windermere, FL US)
  • Zorica Buser, PhD, MBA (Researcher; Darien, CT US)
  • Glenn Buttermann, MD (Orthopedic Surgeon; Mahtomedi, MN US)
  • Juan Pablo Cabrera Cousino, MD (Neurosurgeon; San Pedro de La Paz, Chile)
  • Frank Cammisa, MD (Orthopedic Surgeon; New York, NY US)
  • Jose Canseco, MD, PhD (Orthopedic Surgeon; Philadelphia, PA US)
  • Andre Cardoso, MD, MSc (Orthopedic Surgeon; Goiânia, Brazil)
  • R. Carter Cassidy, MD (Orthopedic Surgeon; Lexington, KY US)
  • Michael Chang, MD (Orthopedic Surgeon; Tempe, AZ US)
  • Allen Chen, MD, MBA, MPH (PM&R; Santa Monica, CA US)
  • John Chen, MBChB, FRCS (Orthopedic Surgeon; Singapore, Singapore)
  • Yung Chen, MD (PM&R; San Mateo, CA US)
  • Boyle Cheng, PhD (Neurosurgeon; Mars, PA US)
  • Akhil Chhatre, MD (PM&R; Fulton, MD US)
  • Kingsley Chin, MD, MBA (Orthopedic Surgeon; Fort Lauderdale, FL US)
  • Charles Cho, MD, MBA (Interventional & Diagnostic Radiologist; Boston, MA US)
  • Theodore Choma, MD (Orthopedic Surgeon; Columbia, MO US)
  • Brian Clifford, DPT, OCS, CSCS (Physical Therapist; Watertown, MA US)
  • Matthew Colman, MD (Orthopedic Surgeon; Chicago, IL US)
  • Aaron Conger, DO (PM&R; Salt Lake City, UT US)
  • Andrew Cordover, MD, MS (Orthopedic Surgeon; Mountain Brk, AL US)
  • R. Scott Cowan, MD (Orthopedic Surgeon; Springfield, MA US)
  • Charles Crawford, MD (Orthopedic Surgeon; Prospect, KY US)
  • Mark Croucher, DC (Chiropractor; Williamsburg, VA US)
  • Scott Daffner, MD (Orthopedic Surgeon; Morgantown, WV US)
  • Olumide Danisa, MD (Orthopedic Surgeon; Durham, NC US)
  • Aloysius Darwono, MD, PhD (Orthopedic Surgeon; Jakarta, Indonesia)
  • Justin Davis, MD (Neurosurgeon; Bucyrus, KS US)
  • Timothy Davis, MD (PM&R; Santa Monica, CA US)
  • Nicolas Dea, MD, MSc, FRCSC (Neurosurgeon; Vancouver, BC Canada)
  • Joost DeBruijn, PhD (Researcher; Bilthoven, Netherlands)
  • Fred DeFrancesch, MD (PM&R; Metairie, LA US)
  • John DeVine, MD (Orthopedic Surgeon; Augusta, GA US)
  • Sarvdeep Dhatt, MBBS, MS (Orthopedic Surgeon; Chandigarh, India)
  • Jaime Diaz de Atauri, MD (Orthopedic Surgeon; Bilbao, Spain)
  • William Dillin, MD (Orthopedic Surgeon; Dallas, TX US)
  • John Dimar, MD (Orthopedic Surgeon; Louisville, KY US)
  • Srikanth Divi, MD (Orthopedic Surgeon; Chicago, IL US)
  • Adam Doan, DC, DABNM (Neurophysiologist; Chadds Ford, PA US)
  • Patrick Doherty, MD, FACS (Neurosurgeon; Waterford, CT US)
  • Edward Dohring, MD (Orthopedic Surgeon; Scottsdale, AZ US)
  • Anas Dyab, MD, FACS (Neurosurgeon; Nospelt, Luxembourg)
  • Richard Easton, MD (Orthopedic Surgeon; Rochester Hills, MI US)
  • Jesse Eisler, MD, PhD (Orthopedic Surgeon; Vernon, CT US)
  • Benjamin Elder, MD, PhD (Neurosurgeon; Rochester, MN US)
  • Adrian Elmi Terander, MD, PhD (Neurosurgeon; Upplands-Vasby, Sweden)
  • Tom Faciszewski, MD (Orthopedic Surgeon; Eagle, ID US)
  • David Fardon, MD (Orthopedic Surgeon; Chicago, IL US)
  • Michael Fehlings, MD, PhD, FRCSC (Neurosurgeon; Toronto, ON Canada)
  • Lisa Ferrara, PhD (Engineer; Hendersonville, NC US)
  • Richard Fessler, MD, PhD (Neurosurgeon; Chicago, IL US)
  • John Finkenberg, MD (Orthopedic Surgeon; San Diego, CA US)
  • Kevin Foley, MD, FACS (Neurosurgeon; Germantown, TN US)
  • Jason Friedrich, MD (PM&R; Denver, CO US)
  • Chan Gao, MD, PhD (PM&R; Montreal, QC Canada)
  • Juanita Garces, MD (Neurosurgeon; San Antonio, TX US)
  • Raymond Gardocki, MD (Orthopedic Surgeon; Brentwood, TN US)
  • Steven Garfin, MD (Orthopedic Surgeon; La Jolla, CA US)
  • David Gendelberg, MD (Orthopedic Surgeon; San Francisco, CA US)
  • Michael Gerling, MD (Orthopedic Surgeon; Brooklyn, NY US)
  • Gary Ghiselli, MD (Orthopedic Surgeon; Englewood, CO US)
  • Sandeep Gidvani, MD (Orthopedic Surgeon; Fremont, CA US)
  • Christopher Gillis, MD, FRCSC, FACS (Neurosurgeon; Eatontown, NJ US)
  • Joseph Gjolaj, MD, MBA, FACS (Orthopedic Surgeon; Miami Beach, FL US)
  • Matthew Goodwin, MD, PhD, FACSM (Orthopedic Surgeon; Saint Louis, MO US)
  • Kush Goyal, MD (PM&R; Cleveland, OH US)
  • Jonathan Grauer, MD (Orthopedic Surgeon; New Haven, CT US)
  • Anthony Guanciale, MD (Orthopedic Surgeon; Cincinnati, OH US)
  • Jeffrey Gum, MD (Orthopedic Surgeon; Louisville, KY US)
  • William Gump, MD (Neurosurgeon; Louisville, KY US)
  • Richard Guyer, MD (Orthopedic Surgeon; Plano, TX US)
  • Ram Haddas, PhD, MBA, MEng (Researcher; Rochester, NY US)
  • Yong Hai, MD, PhD (Orthopedic Surgeon; Beijing, China)
  • Scott Haldeman, MD, PhD, DC (Neurologist; Santa Ana, CA US)
  • Roger Hartl, MD (Neurosurgeon; New York, NY US)
  • James Hawkins, MD (Orthopedic Surgeon; Phoenix, AZ US)
  • Stanley Herring, MD (PM&R; Seattle, WA US)
  • Alan Hilibrand, MD (Orthopedic Surgeon; Merion Station, PA US)
  • Patrick Hsieh, MD, MBA, MS (Neurosurgeon; Los Angeles, CA US)
  • Jung-Woo Hur, MD, PhD (Neurosurgeon; Seoul, South Korea)
  • Steven Hwang, MD (Neurosurgeon; Philadelphia, PA US)
  • Jonathan Hyde, MD (Orthopedic Surgeon; Miami Beach, FL US)
  • George Jacobs, MD, FACS, FICS (Neurosurgeon; Cape Coral, FL US)
  • Deeptee Jain, MD (Orthopedic Surgeon; Saint Louis, MO US)
  • Jack Jallo, MD, PhD, FACS (Neurosurgeon; Philadelphia, PA US)
  • Claire Johnson, PhD, DC, MS (Researcher; Escondido, CA US)
  • Evan Johnson, DPT, MS, OCS (Physical Therapist; Teaneck, NJ US)
  • Neil Kahanovitz, MD (Orthopedic Surgeon; Mantoloking, NJ US)
  • Hemant Kalia, MD, MPH (PM&R; Pittsford, NY US)
  • Ronald Karnaugh, MD (PM&R; Edison, NJ US)
  • Manish Kasliwal, MD, M.Ch (Neurosurgeon; Cleveland, OH US)
  • Christopher Kauffman, MD (Orthopedic Surgeon; Gallatin, TN US)
  • Niranjan Kavadi, MD (Orthopedic Surgeon; Edmond, OK US)
  • Brian Kelly, PhD (Researcher; Phoenix, AZ US)
  • Harish Kempegowda, MD (Orthopedic Surgeon; Paris, IL US)
  • D.J. Kennedy, MD (PM&R; Nashville, TN US)
  • Armen Khachatryan, MD (Orthopedic Surgeon; Holladay, UT US)
  • Tagreed Khalaf, MD (PM&R; Bentleyville, OH US)
  • Safdar Khan, MD (Orthopedic Surgeon; Granite Bay, CA US)
  • Choll Kim, MD, PhD (Orthopedic Surgeon; San Diego, CA US)
  • Daniel Kim, MD, MS (Orthopedic Surgeon; Birmingham, AL US)
  • Jin-Sung Kim, MD, PhD (Neurosurgeon; Seocho gu, South Korea)
  • Saechin Kim, MD, PhD (Orthopedic Surgeon; Andover, MA US)
  • Sameer Kitab, MD (Orthopedic Surgeon; Al-Qadisiyah, Iraq)
  • Christopher Kleck, MD (Orthopedic Surgeon; Aurora, CO US)
  • Michael Klein, MD, MS, FACS (Orthopedic Surgeon; Gold River, CA US)
  • Christina Koshak, MD, MPH, FRCSC (Orthopedic Surgeon; Pueblo, CO US)
  • Scott Kreiner, MD (PM&R; Phoenix, AZ US)
  • Ajit Krishnaney, MD (Neurosurgeon; Cleveland, OH US)
  • Donald Kucharzyk, DO (Orthopedic Surgeon; Crete, IL US)
  • Virginie Lafage, PhD (Researcher; Woodside, NY US)
  • Donna Lahey, RNFA, CNOR (Nurse; Scottsdale, AZ US)
  • Justin Lantz, DPT (Physical Therapist; Redondo Beach, CA US)
  • William Lavelle, MD, MBA (Orthopedic Surgeon; East Syracuse, NY US)
  • Brandon Lawrence, MD (Orthopedic Surgeon; Salt Lake City, UT US)
  • Bryan Lee, MD (Neurosurgeon; Phoenix, AZ US)
  • Casey Lee, MD (Orthopedic Surgeon; Bonita Springs, FL US)
  • Ho-Jin Lee, MD, PhD (Orthopedic Surgeon; Cheonan, South Korea)
  • Jeff Lehmen, MD (Orthopedic Surgeon; Lohman, MO US)
  • Alexander Lemons, MD (Orthopedic Surgeon; Pinehurst, NC US)
  • Joshua Levin, MD (PM&R; Redwood City, CA US)
  • Isador Lieberman, MD, FRCSC, MBA (Orthopedic Surgeon; Plano, TX US)
  • Jiann-Her Lin, MD (Neurosurgeon; Taipei, Taiwan)
  • James Lindley, MD (Neurosurgeon; Savannah, GA US)
  • Sheng-fu Lo, MD, MHS (Neurosurgeon; Great Neck, NY US)
  • Rafael Lopez, MD, MBA, MHA (Orthopedic Surgeon; Boca Raton, FL US)
  • Jeffrey Lotz, PhD (Researcher; San Francisco, CA US)
  • Yi Lu, MD, PhD (Neurosurgeon; Boston, MA US)
  • Karthik Madhavan, MD (Neurosurgeon; Cherry Hill, NJ US)
  • Sukanta Maitra, MD (Orthopedic Surgeon; Las Vegas, NV US)
  • Mohammad Majd, MD (Orthopedic Surgeon; Newport Coast, CA US)
  • Greg Malham, MBChB, MD, FRACS (Neurosurgeon; Richmond, Australia)
  • Konstantinos Margetis, MD, PhD, FACS (Neurosurgeon; New York, NY US)
  • Brook Martin, PhD, MPH (Researcher; North Salt Lake, UT US)
  • Tobias Mattei, MD (Neurosurgeon; Saint Louis, MO US)
  • E. Kano Mayer, MD (PM&R; Austin, TX US)
  • Tom Mayer, MD (Orthopedic Surgeon; Dallas, TX US)
  • Gregory McComis, MD (Orthopedic Surgeon; Munster, IN US)
  • Zachary McCormick, MD (PM&R; Salt Lake City, UT US)
  • Christopher McDonald, MD (Orthopedic Surgeon; Providence, RI US)
  • Robert McLain, MD (Orthopedic Surgeon; Enumclaw, WA US)
  • Ankit Mehta, MD (Neurosurgeon; Chicago, IL US)
  • Hitesh Mehta, PhD (Engineer; Chagrin Falls, OH US)
  • Charles Mick, MD (Orthopedic Surgeon; Ludlow, VT US)
  • Mark Mikhael, MD (Orthopedic Surgeon; Northbrook, IL US)
  • James Miller, MD (Neurosurgeon; Indianapolis, IN US)
  • Scot Miller, DO, MBA, FACS (Orthopedic Surgeon; Bratenahl, OH US)
  • William Mitchell, MD (Neurosurgeon; Moorestown, NJ US)
  • Vivek Mohan, MD, MS (Orthopedic Surgeon; Schaumburg, IL US)
  • Don Moore, MD (Orthopedic Surgeon; Columbia, MO US)
  • Christian Morgenstern, MD, PhD, MSc (Orthopedic Surgeon; Barcelona, Spain)
  • Manuel Moser, MD (Neurosurgeon; Felsberg, Switzerland)
  • Richard Nasca, MD (Orthopedic Surgeon; Wilmington, NC US)
  • Eric Nottmeier, MD (Neurosurgeon; Atlantic Beach, FL US)
  • David O'Brien, MD (PM&R; Winston Salem, NC US)
  • Babajide Ogunseinde, MD (Orthopedic Surgeon; Longview, TX US)
  • Catherine Olinger, MD (Orthopedic Surgeon; North Liberty, IA US)
  • Lindsay Orosz, PhD, MSc, PA-C (PA; Reston, VA US)
  • Douglas Pahl, MD (Orthopedic Surgeon; Hamilton, GA US)
  • Ripul Panchal, DO, FACS (Neurosurgeon; Frisco, TX US)
  • Don Park, MD (Orthopedic Surgeon; Ladera Ranch, CA US)
  • Paul Park, MD (Neurosurgeon; Memphis, TN US)
  • Peter Passias, MD (Orthopedic Surgeon; New Canaan, CT US)
  • Avinash Patwardhan, PhD (Researcher; Maywood, IL US)
  • Stephen Pirris, MD (Neurosurgeon; Ponte Vedra Beach, FL US)
  • Rick Placide, MD, PT (Orthopedic Surgeon; Richmond, VA US)
  • Stephanie Plummer, DO (PM&R; Tega Cay, SC US)
  • Kornelis Poelstra, MD, PhD (Orthopedic Surgeon; Las Vegas, NV US)
  • David Polly, MD (Orthopedic Surgeon; Edina, MN US)
  • Ravi Ponnappan, MD (Orthopedic Surgeon; Marlton, NJ US)
  • Heidi Prather, DO (PM&R; Atlanta, GA US)
  • Gregory Przybylski, MD, MBA (Neurosurgeon; Edison, NJ US)
  • Volodymyr Radchenko, MD (Orthopedic Surgeon; Kharkiv, Ukraine)
  • Gazanfar Rahmathulla, MD, MBA, FACS (Neurosurgeon; Eau Claire, WI US)
  • Gilad Regev, MD (Orthopedic Surgeon; Tel Aviv, Israel)
  • Mitchell Reiter, MD, PC (Orthopedic Surgeon; Summit, NJ US)
  • Charles Reitman, MD (Orthopedic Surgeon; Charleston, SC US)
  • Daniel Resnick, MD, MS (Neurosurgeon; Madison, WI US)
  • William Richardson, MD (Orthopedic Surgeon; Durham, NC US)
  • Robb Russell, DC (Chiropractor; Long Beach, CA US)
  • Jeffrey Saal, MD, FACP (PM&R; Redwood City, CA US)
  • Matthew Sabatino, MD (Orthopedic Surgeon; San Luis Obispo, CA US)
  • Shahbaaz Sabri, MD (Orthopedic Surgeon; Roanoke, VA US)
  • Kamran Sahrakar, MD, FACS (Neurosurgeon; Little Rock, AR US)
  • Rajiv Saigal, MD, PhD (Neurosurgeon; Danville, CA US)
  • Paul Saiz, MD (Orthopedic Surgeon; Las Cruces, NM US)
  • Timothy Sanford, MD (PM&R; Queen Creek, AZ US)
  • Zeeshan Sardar, MD, MSc (Orthopedic Surgeon; New York, NY US)
  • Pietro Scarone, MD (Neurosurgeon; Locarno, Switzerland)
  • Byron Schneider, MD (PM&R; Franklin, TN US)
  • Philip Schneider, MD (Orthopedic Surgeon; Potomac, MD US)
  • Andrew Schoenfeld, MD, MSc (Orthopedic Surgeon; Medfield, MA US)
  • Frank Schwab, MD (Orthopedic Surgeon; New York, NY US)
  • Joseph Schwab, MD (Orthopedic Surgeon; Los Angeles, CA US)
  • Daniel Sciubba, MD (Neurosurgeon; Reisterstown, MD US)
  • Lali Sekhon, MD, PhD, MBA (Neurosurgeon; Reno, NV US)
  • Rahul Shah, MD (Orthopedic Surgeon; Mullica Hill, NJ US)
  • Jeremy Shaw, MD (Orthopedic Surgeon; Salt Lake City, UT US)
  • Ravindra Shitut, MD, MBA, FACS (Orthopedic Surgeon; Saint Louis, MO US)
  • Varun Singh, MBBS, MD (Orthopedic Surgeon; Columbus, OH US)
  • Richard Skolasky, ScD (Researcher; Baltimore, MD US)
  • Paul Slosar, MD, MHCDS (Orthopedic Surgeon; Park City, UT US)
  • Gabriel Smith, MD (Neurosurgeon; Beachwood, OH US)
  • Matthew Smith, MD, EMHL (PM&R; East Greenwich, RI US)
  • Matthew Smuck, MD (PM&R; Portola Valley, CA US)
  • Noam Stadlan, MD (Neurosurgeon; Skokie, IL US)
  • Michael Steinmetz, MD (Neurosurgeon; Cleveland, OH US)
  • Chris Steyn, MD (Orthopedic Surgeon; Penticton, BC Canada)
  • Jeffrey Stone, MD, FACR (Interventional & Diagnostic Radiologist; Jacksonville, FL US)
  • Michael Suer, MD (PM&R; Oregon, WI US)
  • William Sullivan, MD (PM&R; Honolulu, HI US)
  • Chris Summa, MD, MBA (Orthopedic Surgeon; Santa Cruz, CA US)
  • Karin Swartz, MD (Neurosurgeon; Milwaukee, WI US)
  • Christopher Taleghani, MD (Neurosurgeon; Annapolis, MD US)
  • Koji Tamai, MD (Orthopedic Surgeon; Osaka, Japan)
  • Tony Tannoury, MD (Orthopedic Surgeon; Andover, MA US)
  • Ryan Tauzell, PT, MA, MDT (Physical Therapist; Christiansburg, VA US)
  • Gene Tekmyster, DO, MBA (PM&R; Redondo Beach, CA US)
  • Gil Tepper, MD, FACS (Orthopedic Surgeon; Hollywood, CA US)
  • Mark Testaiuti, MD (Neurosurgeon; Mount Laurel, NJ US)
  • Fumitake Tezuka, MD, PhD (Orthopedic Surgeon; Tokushima, Japan)
  • Santhosh Thomas, DO, MBA (PM&R; Avon, OH US)
  • Daniel Tobert, MD (Orthopedic Surgeon; Brookline, MA US)
  • Andrew Trontis, MD, MBA (Orthopedic Surgeon; Brick, NJ US)
  • Eeric Truumees, MD (Orthopedic Surgeon; Austin, TX US)
  • Julio Urrutia, MD (Orthopedic Surgeon; Vitacura, Chile)
  • Alexander Vaccaro, MD, PhD (Orthopedic Surgeon; Philadelphia, PA US)
  • Michael Vives, MD (Orthopedic Surgeon; Newark, NJ US)
  • Richard Vogel, PhD, DABNM (Corporate Executive; Nashville, TN US)
  • Andrew Walker, MD (Anesthesiologist; Cape Girardeau, MO US)
  • William Walsh, PhD (Researcher; Maroubra, Australia)
  • Jeffrey Wang, MD (Orthopedic Surgeon; Los Angeles, CA US)
  • William Watters, MD, MMS, MS (Orthopedic Surgeon; Houston, TX US)
  • David Weiner, MD, MS (Orthopedic Surgeon; Washington, DC US)
  • F. Todd Wetzel, MD (Orthopedic Surgeon; Cooperstown, NY US)
  • Gregory Whitcomb, DC (Chiropractor; Milwaukee, WI US)
  • Jamie Wilson, MD, FRCS, MSc (Neurosurgeon; Charleston, SC US)
  • David Wong, MD, MSc, FRCSC (Orthopedic Surgeon; Englewood, CO US)
  • Jau-Ching Wu, MD, PhD (Neurosurgeon; Taipei, Taiwan)
  • Guy Wynne-Jones, FRCS, PhD (Neurosurgeon; Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom)
  • Thomas Xu, MD (PM&R; Atlanta, GA US)
  • Hiroyuki Yoshihara, MD, PhD (Orthopedic Surgeon; Rego Park, NY US)
  • Jim Youssef, MD (Orthopedic Surgeon; Durango, CO US)
  • Elizabeth Yu, MD (Orthopedic Surgeon; Columbus, OH US)
  • James Yue, MD (Orthopedic Surgeon; Guilford, CT US)
  • Sung-Joo Yuh, MD (Neurosurgeon; Montreal, QC Canada)
  • Slavisa Zagorac, PhD (Orthopedic Surgeon; Belgrade, Serbia)
  • Baron Zarate Kalfopulos, MD (Orthopedic Surgeon; Mexico City, Mexico)
  • Andrew Zhang, MD (Orthopedic Surgeon; Shreveport, LA US)
  • Xifeng Zhang, MD, PhD (Orthopedic Surgeon; Beijing, China)

The establishment of the DFNS designation marks an important milestone for NASS as the Society recognizes members whose ongoing engagement and service strengthen the organization and advance excellence in spine care. Over the coming months, NASS Insider will feature members of the inaugural DFNS class, highlighting their career journeys, perspectives on the field, and advice for the next generation of spine professionals.

Congratulations to all members of the inaugural DFNS Class of 2026!

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