Speakers

Chief Emeritus of the Spine Service at the Hospital for Special Surgery and Professor of Surgery at Weill Cornell Medical College.

Dr Cammisa specializes in spinal reconstructive surgery, minimally invasive techniques, motion preservation, and athletic spine injuries. As Chief, he founded the Integrated Spine Research Program and expanded the Spine Fellowship to include international clinical and research fellows.

A graduate of Tufts University (summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa), Dr. Cammisa earned his medical degree from Columbia University, (Alpha Omega Alpha). He completed his surgical training at Columbia Presbyterian, Hospital for Special Surgery, and a spinal fellowship at the University of Miami/The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis.

Dr. Cammisa has published over 325 scientific articles and presented at more than 500 conferences. He has been recognized by New York Magazine as one of “12 Doctors Who are Reinventing Medicine,” and is listed among a select group of surgeons in their “Best Doctors” issue year after year. Also named in the Castle Connolly Medical Guide, How To Find The BestDoctors in New York and America’s Top Doctors; he is a consultant to the NHL Players Association and serves on the medical staff of New York Giants and New York Mets. His numerous honors include awards from NASS, IMAST, LSRS, and EOA. In 2023, he was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award at Hospital for Special Surgery’s 38th Tribute Dinner, in recognition of his outstanding contributions and enduring impact on the field of spinal surgery.

Spine Surgeon, University of Bern, Spital Emmental and Sonnenhof Spine Center.

Sebastian Bigdon is an internationally recognized spine surgeon and Privatdozent at the University of Bern, with senior clinical appointments at Spital Emmental and the Sonnenhof Spine Center. He also leads research initiatives at Inselspital Bern, with a focus on thoracolumbar trauma, osteoporotic fractures, and spinal infections. 

He plays a key role within AO Spine, serving on the Steering Committee of the Knowledge Forum Trauma & Infection and acting as co-principal investigator of a landmark international multicenter study on osteoporotic thoracolumbar fractures. His scientific work has contributed to the development of classification systems and treatment algorithms that shape global spine trauma care. 

Dr. Bigdon is a regular faculty member at international AO Spine courses and has helped define the scientific programs of major congresses including the Global Spine Congress and AO Spine Week. He serves on the Swiss Federal Examination Board for Medical Students and is actively involved in postgraduate education, mentoring the next generation of spine surgeons through clinical, academic, and leadership training. 

Consultant physician in rheumatology and medicine, Galway University Hospitals.

Professor John J. Carey completed his undergraduate training in U.C.D. Medical School, Dublin, Ireland and his postgraduate training in Boston and Cleveland, U.S.A. He is a consultant physician in rheumatology and medicine at Galway University Hospitals since 2007 and Professor in Medicine at the University of Galway since 2015. He is past president of the International Society for Clinical Densitometry, a member of the Committee for Scientific Affairs of the International Osteoporosis Foundation and a former member of the Clinical Practice Action Group of the European Calcified Tissue Society. His current research focuses on osteoporosis, quality care and real world medicine. See the DXA-MAP website for more details.

Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon, National Spinal Injuries Unit, Mater Misericordiae University Hospital, Dublin. 

Professor Seamus Morris is consultant orthopaedic spine surgeon in the National Spinal Injuries Unit at the Mater Misericordiae University Hospital. He graduated from UCD in 1995 completing his specialist training in orthopaedic surgery through the Irish HST Programme before undertaking training in spine and scoliosis surgery in the Hospital for Special Surgery, New York, and complex trauma training in St George’s in the UK. 
Since his appointment as a consultant in 2007, Prof. Morris has held numerous leadership and educational roles including Director of the National Spinal Injuries Unit and National Pelvic Trauma Centre. He is heavily involved in education, research and innovation and is Clinical Professor of Surgery in UCD and founder of the MSc Program in Musculoskeletal Medicine in UCD. He is Clinical Director of Innovation in the Mater Hospital’s Pillar Centre and has been both runner up and winner of the Irish National Clinical Innovation Award and is a fellow of the NHS Clinical Entrepeneurship Program. He is widely published in peer reviewed journals and holds a number of patents. He has successfully led a start up company out of UCD which has gone on to obtain significant international investment and is currently applying for FDA clearance for its initial product lines, His clinical interests span adult deformity correction, spinal tumour surgery, spinal trauma, degenerative spinal conditions and minimally invasive techniques. 

Associate Professor of Orthopedic Surgery at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital and a spine surgeon at the Rothman Institute in Philadelphia PA.

Dr. Schroeder’s clinical practice focuses on spine trauma and infections, as well as degenerative cervical and limbar conditions. He has published over 450 peer-reviewed publications, is the Editor-in-Chief of Clinical Spine Surgery, and is highly involved in multiple societies including AO Spine and the Cervical Spine Research Society.