Jean-Jacques Abitbol, MD, and Todd Albert, MD, are two highly regarded spine surgeons that have made their mark on the spine field.
"Dr. J.J. Abitbol and Dr. Todd Albert are two of NASS' most esteemed members. Both have been members for more than two decades. They both are known for their tremendous ethics. They both do outstanding research on surgical and non-surgical approaches to spine care and have taught hundreds of others in the field," said Eric Muehlbauer, executive director and CEO of North American Spine Society. "I will be on a panel with Dr. Albert at the NASS annual meeting this year discussing physician burnout. Dr. Abitbol, a past president of NASS, was also founder of the Specialty Education and Research Center at NASS and is very active with NASS still on the international training front."
Dr. Abitbol has practiced spine surgery for more than 25 years and co-founded California Spine Group in San Diego. He is affiliated with La Jolla, Calif.-based Scripps. Throughout his career, Dr. Abitbol has held senior leadership positions in multiple professional organizations, including president of the North American Spine Society and Federation of Spine Associations. His accolades also include awards from the Cervical Spine Research Society, the AME Traveling Fellowship Award and Young Investigator Award from the Orthopaedic Research Society.
In addition to his clinical practice, Dr. Abitbol has contributed to research into spinal illness and deformity. He contributed to more than 27 book chapters and published 36 articles in peer-review journals. He also served as an editorial reviewer for Spine.
Dr. Abitbol earned his medical degree from the University of Ottawa in Canada and completed his spine fellowship at Mount Sinai and Toronto General Hospital through the University of Toronto in Canada.
Dr. Albert is surgeon-in-chief, chief medical officer and Korein-Wilson Professor of Orthopedic Surgery at Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City. He has a special interest in minimally invasive spine surgery and image-guided technologies. Dr. Albert also serves as chairman of the orthopedic department at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City.
Prior to joining Hospital for Special Surgery, Dr. Albert was president of Philadelphia-based Rothman Institute and chairman of the department of orthopedics at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia.
Beyond his clinical work, Dr. Albert has been past president of the Cervical Spine Research Society and president of the Scoliosis Research Society. He has served as chairman of numerous courses and authored seven books in addition to 40 book chapters.
Dr. Albert earned his medical degree at University of Virginia School of Medicine in Charlottesville and completed his residency at Minnesota Spine Center.
"Dr. Albert and Dr. Abitbol are two of the most respected spine surgeons and leaders in the nation," said Scott Becker, publisher of Becker's Hospital Review.