AO Spine North America Board

Dr. Michael Daubs, professor and Chair of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at the UNLV School of Medicine, he treats disorders of the neck and back including fractures, herniated discs, stenosis, spondylolisthesis, scoliosis and other complex spinal deformities. He specializes in surgery of the spine in both children and adults. Board certified, he is a member of many national and international research and education organizations and enjoys the privilege of instructing his fellow spine surgeons at medical conferences around the world. He currently serves as the Chair of AO Spine North America and is a Director of the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery.

Dr. Klineberg is a board-certified Orthopaedic surgeon and Professor in the Department of Orthopaedics at the University of Texas, Houston. He has a busy clinical practice which is focused on spinal surgery with cases that range from minimally invasive discectomies and fusions to complex spinal oncology and deformity reconstructions. Dr. Klineberg has specific expertise in deformity surgery and spinal trauma and has published multiple papers on deformity correction, outcomes research and complications as well as the biomechanics of spinal correction. His basic science research interests currently focus on the biomechanics of spinal fusion and fixation.

Dr. Spiker is an Associate Professor in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at the University of Utah who specializes in the treatment of spinal disorders. He treats common spinal conditions of the neck and low back such as disk herniations, spinal stenosis, cervical myelopathy, cervical and lumbar deformities and shooting pains in the upper and lower extremities. Dr. Spiker believes in the thoughtful use of new technologies, including minimally invasive surgery and image-guided techniques. Dr. Spiker’s research interests include the treatment of cervical spine disorders, understanding and improving the patient experience and the genetics of common spinal conditions. He has authored many peer-reviewed publications and book chapters on these and other related topics. Dr. Spiker studied Biochemistry and History and The University of California at Santa Barbara and earned his medical degree from the University of Southern California. He completed his residency in Orthopaedic Surgery at the University of Utah and a dual Orthopaedic Spine and Neurosurgical Spine Fellowship at the Rothman Institute at Jefferson Medical Center in Philadelphia, PA.

Rick Bransford is a board certified orthopedist and spine surgeon at the University of Washington working at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, Washington. He has been there since 2003 on faculty having done his residency there as well (1996-2001), a spine fellowship also at UW (2001-2002) and then going to Sydney, Australia for a Pediatric Orthopedic fellowship (2002-2003). He is currently a full professor, the spine fellowship director, and head of spine research. He has published about 90 peer-reviewed articles and been involved in over 30 book chapters. Rick grew up in East Africa and started observing surgery with his dad at the age of 6. He still returns to East Africa on a regular basis on a mission and humanitarian basis. Currently Rick is chair of AO Spine North America Education Committee, Chair of the AO TK Cervical Expert Group, and chair of the AO Spine Global Diploma Program. He is also a member of the AO Spine Trauma Knowledge Forum. He is chair-elect of the AO Spine International Education Commission with his term starting in July 2023.

Dr. Cheng completed his Neurosurgical training at the Medical College of Wisconsin along with a post-residency Fellowship in Complex Spinal Surgery. During that time, he has also received a Master’s degree in Biomedical Engineering at Marquette University with a special emphasis in spinal biomechanics and modeling. His research interests include healthcare policy, outcomes science, spinal biomechanics and modeling, spinal deformity, and minimally invasive spinal techniques. Dr. Cheng is a respected educator and has received a number of awards including being named the 2011 ACS/AANS Health Policy Scholar. He is a fellow of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) and American College of Surgeons (ACS) and an active member and leader of many other professional organizations including the AANS/CNS Trauma Section, American Medical Association, AO Foundation, Congress of Neurological Surgeons, North American Spine Society, Wisconsin State Medical Society, and the Tennessee Neurosurgical Society. He is the past Chairperson for the AANS/CNS Joint Section on Disorders of the Spine and Peripheral Nerves. Dr. Cheng is currently the Frank Mayfield Professor and Chair of Neurosurgery at the University of Cincinnati, along with being Director of the Neurosurgery Spine Fellowship.

Dr. Shekar N. Kurpad is the Sanford J. Larson Professor and Chairman of the Department of Neurological Surgery, as well as Co-Director of the Center for Neurotrauma Research (CNTR) at the Medical College of Wisconsin. He is also the Medical Director for the Neuroscience Service Line at Froedtert Health and the Medical College of Wisconsin. Dr. Kurpad’s clinical practice focuses on the surgical treatment of patients with degenerative and traumatic conditions of the spine and spinal cord, as well as benign and malignant tumors of the spinal column and spinal cord. He has been involved in Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) research since 2001, after being awarded the Van Wagenen Fellowship by the American Association of Neurological Surgeons. He is active in organized neurosurgery, having served on the Executive Committee of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons as Chair of its International Division, as Chair of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons’ Van Wagenen Selection and Fellowship Committees , and as an Executive Committee Member of the Joint AANS/CNS Section on Disorders of the Spine and Peripheral Nerves, and the AANS/CNS Joint Section on Neurotrauma and Critical Care. Additionally, he is the Editorial Board Chair of Journal of Neurosurgery: Spine.