Welcoming the new Knowledge Forum chairpersons and members

We are delighted to introduce the new chairpersons and steering committee members of the AO Spine Knowledge Forums (KF)!

Join us in congratulating Chairpersons Shekar Kurpad (KF SCI) and Marcel Dvorak (KF Trauma & Infection) and Steering Committee Members Ori Barzilai and Cordula Netzer (KF Tumor, featured in main picture), Lukas Grassner, Ricardo Rodrigues Pinto, and Allan Martin (KF SCI). The new members started in their roles on July 1, 2024.

At the same time, Michael Kelly and Justin Smith started as co-chairpersons elect for KF Deformity and Zorica Buser and Samuel K. Cho as co-chairpersons elect for KF Degenerative. They will assume their roles as co-chairs from July 1, 2025.

The KFs are expert-driven global clinical study groups generating, disseminating, and translating new knowledge. They generate clinical evidence for clinical decision-making and improving patient care, produce classifications, outcome instruments, guidelines with treatment recommendations, as well as other tools that can be directly used in education and in daily clinical practice.

The pathology focused research groups were founded more than a decade ago by Luiz Vialle following his vision that ‘knowledge equals power’. Today, the KFs comprise of more than 220 active members from over 30 countries and conduct more than 50 studies with direct clinical application, and with an increasingly strong focus on translating the new knowledge into practice.

Each KF is led by a Steering Committee comprised of up to ten internationally recognized pathology-specific experts and supported by 30+ members. They are selected based on their research expertise, clinical involvement, and caseload. They meet to discuss research, identify the global clinical need, then formulate and execute clinical studies to advance their field of spine expertise.

Collaborating to bring knowledge into practice

The KFs aim to be an important source of knowledge translation worldwide for the improved care of patients in their specific areas. Chairperson KF SCI Shekar Kurpad said "Our mission is to engage spine surgeon experts from around the world to generate innovative ideas relevant to Degenerative Cervical Myelopathy (DCM) and acute Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) by developing a pipeline of projects to our vision. Immediate goals include the successful completion of the IN-TWIN project, the successful initiation of a new project currently in the planning stages, and the subsequent translation of these efforts."

The members are committed to the continued development and maintenance of essential resources to ensure the sustainability of the KFs. Kurpad added “We aspire to collaborate with partner KFs to identify and establish key partnerships with subject matter experts."

The KFs are constantly evolving. Most recently, a focused approach to primary infections was introduced. It will be covered within the project portfolio of KF Trauma, now renamed AO Spine Knowledge Forum Trauma & Infection.

Chairperson KF Trauma & Infection Marcel Dvorak said the KF Trauma & Infection is poised to create new knowledge that will change practice in the areas of acute spinal column trauma and primary spine infections. “With a focus on Osteoporotic Fractures and developing interests in cervical subaxial fractures our goal is to improve care of these injuries globally. The acute management of primary pyogenic spine infections is increasingly topical and a point of controversy where we hope to shed some light through meticulous data collection.”