LEON WILTSE AWARD
Nicholas Theodore, MD
Dr. Nicholas Theodore has been a NASS member since 1998. He is a trailblazing surgeon and biomedical pioneer whose groundbreaking work spans the realms of brain and spinal cord injury, robotic surgery, and advocacy. As the Donlin M. Long Professor at Johns Hopkins University, he has authored more than 400 scientific publications and garnered numerous accolades, including major grants from the NIH, NSF, and DOD. His visionary leadership founded Excelsius Surgical, which developed the first real-time image-guided robotic system for spine, brain, and orthopedic trauma surgery, now utilized in over 75,000 cases globally.
“Across all the neurosurgical departments where I have trained and worked (UCSF for residency, Johns Hopkins for fellowship, and Stanford as an attending surgeon), and across all the neurosurgeons I have met, Nick Theodore stands out as THE best leader, team builder, mentor, and friend,” said Corinna C. Zygourakis, MD. “At both the Barrow Neurological Institute (where he served as the chief of spine prior to his time in Baltimore) and Johns Hopkins (where he is the director of the Neurosurgical Spine Center), everyone universally agrees that he has a unique ability to bring people together, motivate everyone to achieve their best, and create an amazing neurosurgical culture.”
A champion for injury prevention, Dr. Theodore has dedicated himself to ThinkFirst, having served as National President of the advocacy organization. Theodore's impact transcends academia through pivotal roles like serving as Chairman of the NFL's Head, Neck, and Spine Committee, which focuses on safeguarding football players from concussions and spinal trauma.
Nominated by: Brian Gantwerker, MD; Alexander Ropper, MD; Mohamed Soliman, MD, MSc, PhD; Timothy Witham, MD, FACS; and Corinna Zygourakis, MD
HENRY FARFAN AWARD
Addisu Mesfin, MD
Dr. Mesfin has been a NASS member for 15 years. He has received two best paper nominations, and has served as an Annual Meeting abstract reviewer and as a member of the Section on Spine Oncology, Research Project Management Committee and Patient Safety Committee.
“Dr. Mesfin has demonstrated himself to be a dedicated researcher toward the advancement of our field in the setting of basic science research as demonstrated by his accomplishments,” said Peter Passias, MD. “This complements his clinical and outcomes-based contributions to our field. We are excited to have him receive this recognition and appreciate his dedication to our society.”
Dr. Mesfin is the Vice Chair of Research and Professor of Orthopaedics at Medstar Orthopaedic Institute/Georgetown University School of Medicine. His career began at the University of Rochester where he served as Chief of Spine Surgery, Spine Fellowship Director and Professor. He completed his orthopedic residency at the Johns Hopkins Hospital, Spine Surgery Fellowship at Washington University in St. Louis and spine oncology training at Kanazawa University in Japan and Rizzoli Orthopaedic Institute in Italy.
He has more than 200 peer-reviewed publications and more than 300 presentations at national/international meetings. His research has been grant-funded and has successfully built collaborations across multiple disciplines.
Nominated by: NASS Governance Committee
DAVID SELBY AWARD
Charles Reitman, MD
Dr. Reitman has been a NASS member since 2001, including serving on the Board of Directors from 2009-2022. He has held several administrative roles including Evidence Compilation and Analysis Chair, Research Council Director, Administrative Council Director, Education Council Director, as well as roles with the NASS Guidelines Committee, Nominating Committee, Coverage Policy, and Payer Policy Review.
"Charlie Reitman is the quintessential surgeon and professor. He is extremely thoughtful and his dedication to promoting and advancing high quality spine care is a model for others to follow," said Christopher Kauffman, MD. "His commitment and contributions to NASS both nationally and internationally make him one of the pillars of which NASS will continue to build upon. We owe him many thanks and gratitude for his volunteerism and mentorship."
Dr. Reitman is currently professor and vice chairman of the Department of Orthopedics at Medical University of South Carolina, and co-director of the MUSC Spine Center. He has also been a program director for the NASS Annual Meeting, as well as Spine Across the Sea. Additionally, he was program chair for the first International Annual Meeting in Bangkok.
Nominated by: Christopher Kauffman, MD
SPINE ADVOCACY AWARD
Philip Schneider, MD
Philip Schneider has been a NASS member for 33 years, and served as Advocacy Council Chair since 2018. He has also served on NASS’ Board of Directors and numerous committees. He is a past president of the National Association of Spine Specialists.
“Phil has worked as a tireless advocate for us as spine professionals in his work as recent Advocacy Council Chair,” said Heidi Hullinger, MD, chair of NASS’ Legislative Sub-Committee. “His enthusiasm for advocacy work is infectious, helping motivate others to be more involved. During a time of significant change at NASS as the organizational structure became more streamlined, he has worked to ensure that advocacy continues to be relevant within the NASS organization. He has spent countless hours meeting with legislators and also conveying any relevant information about health care policies back to NASS members.”
Dr. Schneider is an orthopedic surgeon in Chevy Chase, MD. He assists the federal government with spine care in the US by serving as Co-Chair of Medicare's Expert Panel on spine fusions and has served in the AMA House of Delegates. He is also the founder and Director of the Holy Cross Hospital Spine Center, the first accredited Spine Center of Excellence in the Washington D.C. area. He has also served as the Chief of Staff of Holy Cross Hospital and served on the Board of Trustees.
Dr. Schneider is a member of the University of Maryland Board of Trustees.
Nominated by: Heidi Hullinger, MD; and Michael Klein Jr, MD, MS, FACS
PAST PRESIDENT’S AWARD
Christopher M. Bono, MD
Christopher M. Bono has been a NASS member since 2002. He has served on numerous committees, and since 2018 has been The Spine Journal’s Editor in Chief. Dr. Bono was NASS President during the 2015-16 term.
“I have had the pleasure of working with Dr. Bono for the past several years and am proud to call him a colleague, a mentor, and most of all, a friend,” said Dr. Stuart Hershman of Massachusetts General Hospital. “Chris’ accolades and accomplishments speak for themselves. As an educator, he has helped shape the instruction and careers of multiple residents, fellows, and colleagues through his lectures and clinical teaching. His surgical skill, conservative approach to treatment, and diagnostic acumen are appreciated by his patients and students alike.”
Dr. Bono is executive vice chair of the orthopaedic department at Massachusetts General Hospital. Additionally, in 2022 he became Program Director of the Harvard Combined Orthopaedic Residency Program, overseeing 60 residents. Since 2018, he has served as a professor at Harvard Medical School, and he has also received Harvard’s endowed Edith M. Ashley Professor chair. Dr. Bono has co-authored more than 250 peer-reviewed articles and has edited or co-edited six textbooks.
A New York City native, he and wife Terri have three children.
Nominated by: Stuart Hershman, MD