ISASS CommitteesAlso see: ISASS Coding and Reimbursement Task Force Members > This section contains the names of those members serving on our committees. They are appointed by the Board of Directors. Committee terms will end in 2014. CME CommitteeThis committee shall be chaired by a selected member of ISASS, appointed by the Board with assistance from selected consultants that specialize in the process of ensuring that all aspects of ISASS CME program are developed appropriately. Conclusions and recommendations will be presented to the Board for review and actions to be taken. The Committee will discuss and provides interpretation of the ACCME guidelines regarding accreditation policies and decisions. It will concentrate on evaluating the effectiveness of the Society’s system of accreditation, including the accreditation requirements and its processes for funding and support. This committee also forwards actions regarding accreditation decisions to the full Board of Directors for ratification. The CME Committee will work in the development and adherence of all CME rules and regulations. They will review all ISASS sponsored programs to make sure that ISASS provides continuing education programs on substantive, practice-related subjects. The CME Committee Chair and ISASS Administrative staff representative will work with the Program and Education Committee to ensure ACCME rules are followed and appropriate documentation is maintained. Chairman:
Rolando Garcia, MD - USA Fred Geisler, MD, PhD - USA
Robert Havey, BS - USA
Scott Leary, MD - USA
George Miz, MD - USA
Leonard Voronov, MD, PhD - USA Heather Howard - ISASS CME Provider:
Medical Education Resources - USA Education CommitteeThe committee will have a chair and a vice chair appointed by the Board as well as selected member to staff the committee. An ISASS Administrative team member will also sit on the education committee; this staff person will liaison with the CME committee as well to ensure all programs follow the ACCME rules. The main goal of the Education Committee is to educate and promote medical excellence in the care of spine. The committee is charged with devising goals and guidelines for the coordinating efforts of the Society to satisfy the changing needs of its membership in the field of continuing education. They will work closely with the CME committee to ensure ISASS educational programs meet all guidelines and requirements. It is the goal of ISASS to be the leader in providing education and training opportunities through short courses, workshops, publications, seminars and conferences. This committee will regularly explore cost-effective training opportunities applicable to spine surgeons worldwide. They will develop new programs for those who cannot attend ISASS sponsored seminars, such as short courses, distance learning programs and sanctioned educational opportunities. Chairman:
Jean-Charles LeHuec, MD, PhD - France Todd Albert, MD - USA
Neel Anand, MD - USA
Paul Anderson, MD - USA
Scott Blumenthal, MD - USA
Hee-Kit Wong, MD - Singapore
Ken Yonemura, MD - USA
Philip Yuan, MD - USA
Svante Berg, MD, PhD - Sweden
Heather Howard - ISASS
Melanie Mitchell - ISASS Finance and Audit CommitteeThis Committee of the Board shall consist of the Treasurer as Chair, Second Vice President and the Executive Director in coordination with the Public Accountants serving the Society. This Committee shall formulate all investment policies of the Society, subject to the approval of the Board. The Committee will assess the financial condition of the society on a quarterly basis. The role of this Committee is to review proposed budgets and present recommendations and findings to the full Board of Directors for approval. They will track income and expenses and make recommendations as necessary. The group will advise the Board of Directors and provide guidance and direction to the Executive Director on all matters relating to financial management. This committee serves as the watchdog for the financial stability of the organization, reviewing banking and investment options and establishing procedures for investigating and making recommendations for large expenditures. This Committee shall oversee the financial affairs, their management, supervision, and controls by the Society acting as a not-for-profit Corporation. This Committee shall meet at least annually as well as at the request of the Board to review the financial affairs of the Society and the Executive Director and Treasurer shall submit a report to the Board. Treasurer:
Gunnar Andersson, MD, PhD - USA Fepi Paramarti - ISASS
Kristy Radcliffe - ISASS Exhibitor Advisory BoardThis Committee shall Suggest and advise on new ideas and content that help with the flow of doctors on the show floor, helping ISASS to set the industry standards. This Committee shall have a Chair and Co-Chair plus a member of ISASS Administrative team. The Committee shall operate the Society Website on the Internet and manage its layout and content. The members of this committee will work to enhance ISASS website to ensure that current and relevant matters are addressed. The IT committee in conjunction with the designated member of ISASS Administrative team will guide and direct the appointed webmaster to make necessary changes and upgrades to ensure member needs are met. Katie Daniel - Medtronic
Megan Rademacher - Zimmer Spine
James May - Centinel Spine
Patsy Peterson - LDR
Dora Sambdman - NuVasive
Theresa Simpson - K2M
Katie Gifford - Globus Medical
Kim St Martin - Lanx, Inc.
Toan Nguyen - SI-Bone
Gary Jollon - Alphatec Spine Scient'x International Journal of Spine Surgery CommitteeThis Subcommittee shall be chaired by ISASS Journal Editor with support staff plus the Executive Director and staff. The Editor-In-Chief shall report pertinent status data to the Board at the Annual Conference and prepare a statement for the Member’s Business Meeting. The structural and functional details of this Committee shall be decided by the Editor with assistance from the Executive Director. Editorial Board Editor-in-Chief:
Hansen Yuan, MD, PhD
SUNY Upstate/Syracuse Associate Editors:
Paul Anderson, MD, University of Wisconsin
Jack Zigler, MD, Texas Back Institute Special Deputy to the Editor-in-Chief:
Donna D. Ohnmeiss, DrMed, Texas Back Institute Deputy Editors:
Neel Anand, MD, Cedars Sinai Medical Center
Ali Araghi, DO, Texas Back Institute
Hyun Bae, MD, Institute at St. John’s Health Center
Frank Cammisa, MD, Hospital for Special Surgery
Edmund Chao, PhD, John Hopkins University School of Medicine
Federico Girardi, MD, Hospital for Special Surgery
Vijay K. Goel, PhD, University of Toledo
Larry Khoo, MD, University of California, Los Angeles
Choon-Sung Lee, MD, Assan Medical Center
Mohamed Maziad, MD, Maziad Orthopedic & Spine Associates
Frank Phillips, MD, Rush University Medical Center
Luiz Pimenta, MD, University of California San Diego, Universidade Federal de São Paulo
John Regan, MD , FACS, D.I.S.C. - Sport and Spine Center
Alejandro Reyes-Sánchez, MD, National Orthopaedic Institute, Mexico
Harvinder Sandhu, MD, Hospital for Special Surgery
Matthew Scott-Young, MD, Pacific Private Clinic
Bjorn Stromqvist, MD, Lund University
Hee-Kit Wong, MD, National University Hospital Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Singapore
Huilin Yang, MD, First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University
Dewei Zou, MD, 306 Hospital of PLA Associate Editors, MIS Section:
Choll Kim, MD, PhD, University of California, San Diego Managing Editor:
Jonny Dover, BA Peer Reviewers:
Samy Abdou, MD, Dept of Neurological Surgery, Kaiser Hospital
Celest Abjornson, PhD, Hospital for Special Surgery
Demetrius Kasak Abrahao, MD, Eco Center - Cambuí
Kuniyoshi Abumi, MD, DMSci, Hokkaido University Health Admin Center
Edward Ahn, PhD, Pioneer Surgical Technology, Inc.
Michael Ahrens, MD, Strandweg 4
Todd Albert, MD, Thomas Jefferson University
Matthew Allen, DVM, PhD, Orthopedic Surgery, Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Ohio State University
Greg Anderson, MD, The Rothman Institute, Thomas Jefferson University
Gunnar Andersson MD, PhD, Midwest Orthopaedics, Rush Med School
Farbod Asgarzadie, MD, PhD, Loma Linda University Medical Center
Koang Hum Bak, MD, Loma Linda University Medical Center
Massimo Balsano, MD, Spine Universe
Chip Bao, PhD, Pioneer Surgical Technology
Gamal Baroud, PhD, Sherbrooke University
Thomas Bauer, MD, Cleveland Clinic Foundation
Stephan W. J. Becker, MD, BEFOT, Orthopaedic Hospital Vienna
William Beutler, MD, Pennsylvania Spine Institute
Fabien Bitan, MD, Lenox Hill Hospital
Scott Blumenthal, MD, Texas Back Institute
Chris Bono, MD, Brigham and Young Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School
David Bradford, MD, University of California Medical Center
Dahari D. Brooks, MD, University of Massachusetts
Courtney Brown, MD, Panorama Orthopedics & Spine Center
Rudy Buckley, MD, Slocum Dickson Medical Group
Josip Buric, MD, Unita Funzionale di Chirurgia Spinale c.d.c.
John Kenneth Burkus, MD, The Hughston Clinic
Karin Buttner-Janz, MD, Vivantes Klinikum im Friedrichshain
Abbott Byrd, MD, Atlantic Orthopedic Specialists
Tony Castellvi, MD, Florida Orthopedic Institute
Frank Chan, PhD, Medtronic Boyle Cheng, PhD, Drexel
Pil Sun Choi, MD, The Catholic University of Korea College of Medicine
Ki-Hong Cho, MD, PhD, Chief of Medical Staff Ajou University Hospital
Kyoung-Suok Cho, MD, PhD, Uijongbu St. Mary’s Hospital, The Catholic University Of Korea College of Medicine
Chun Kee Chung, MD, Seoul National University Hospital
Patrick Connolly, MD, University of Massachusetts
Domagoj Coric, MD, Carolina Neurosurgery and Spine Associates
G. Bryan Cornwall, PhD, PEng., NuVasive
Bryan Cunningham, MS, Union Memorial Hospital
Bambang Darwono, MD, PhD, Kelapa Gading Hospital
Reggie Davis, MD, Baltimore Spine Center
Rick Delamarter, MD, The Spine Institute
Wenyuan Ding, MD, 3rd Hospital of Hebei Medical University
Emad Elmehy, Tanta Faculty of Medicine
P. Richard Emmanuel, MD, Southern California Orthopedic & Musculoskeletal Association
Thomas Errico, MD, Spine Surgery Division, NYU Hospital for Joint Diseases Antonio
Paolo Fabrizi, MD, NYU Hospital for Joint Diseases
Amir Fayyazi, MD, VSAS Orthopaedics Institute for Advanced Healthcare
Zsolt Fekete, MD, Roland Klinik Bremen
Lisa Ferrara, DEng, OrthoKinetic Technologies
Rick Fessler, MD, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine
Kevin Foley, MD, Image-Guided Surgery Research Center
Bruce Fredrickson, MD, State University of New York, Upstate Medical Center, Syracuse
Rolando Garcia, MD, Orthopedic Care Center
Steven Garfin, MD, Orthopedic Care Center
Luthfi Gatam, MD, PhD, Fatmawati General Hospital
Fred Geisler, MD, PhD, Fatmawati General Hospital
Zia Gokaslan, MD, Johns Hopkins University
Jeffrey Goldstein, MD, NYU Hospital for Joint Diseases
Charles R Gordon, MD, NeuroCare Network
Michael Gordon, MD, Newport Orthopedic Institute
Matthew Gornet, MD, The Orthopedic Center of St. Louis
Stanley Grabias, MD, Ridgewood Orthopaedic Specialists
Dieter Grob, MD, Spine Unit, Schulthess Hospital
Munish Gupta, MD, University of California Sacramento
Rick Guyer, MD, Texas Back Institute
Alexander G. Hadjipavlou, MD, FACS, University of Crete
Henry Halm, MD, Department of Spine Surgery and Scoliosis Center Klinikum Neustadt
Ho Gyun Ha, MD, PhD, Eulji Medical School
Tom Hedman, PhD, University of Southern California
John Heller, MD, The Emory Spine Center
Harry Herkowitz, MD, William Beaumont Hospital
Ulrich Hähnle, MD, FCS, Linksfield Park Clinic
Ronald Hill, PhD, Pioneer Surgical Technology
Richard Holt, MD, Spine Surgery PSC
Kenneth Hsu, MD, St. Mary’s Medical Center
Fang Hua, MD, Modesto Medical Offices
Fang Huang, MD, Chinese PLA General Hospital
Paul Huddleston, III, MD, Mayo Clinic
Serena Hu, MD, University of California San Francisco
Manabu Ito, MD, PhD, Hokkaido University School of Medicine
Tae-Ahn Jahng, MD, PhD, Seoul National University Hospital
Jee-Soo Jang, MD, Wooridul Spine Hospital
Mike Janssen, DO, The Spine Education and Research Institute
Daniel Kim, MD, Eulji Medical University Hospital Whoan
Jeang Kim, MD, PhD, Stanford University Medical Center
Scott Kitchel, MD, Orthopedic Spine Associates
Peter Klara, MD, PhD, Advanced NeuroSpine Specialists
Martin Knight, MD, Spinal Foundation
Chong-suh Lee, Samsung Medical Center
Jung-Kil Lee, MD, Chonnam National University Hospital & Medical School
Sang-Ho Lee, MD, Wooridul Spine Hospital
Casey Lee, MD, Spine Care and Rehabilitation
Jean-Charles Le Huec, MD, Spinal Foundation
Isadore Lieberman, MD, Cleveland Clinic
Bengt Lind, MD, Sahlgrenska University Hospital
Morgan Lorio, MD, NeuroSpine Solutions
Donald MacKenzie, MD, FRCSC, FACS, Medical Center of Plano
Michael MacMillan, MD, University of Florida
Mohammad Majd, MD, Spine Surgery PSC
Steven Mardjetko, Illinois Bone & Joint Institute
Catana Marius, MD, Spitalul Clinic de Urgenta “Bagdasar-Arseni” (Fostul Spital de Neurochirurgie)
Frederic Martens, MD, Imelda Hospital
James H. Maxwell, MD, Scottsdale Spine Care
Paul McAfee, MD, St. Josephs Medical Center
Geoffrey McCullen, MD, St Elizabeth Regional Medical Center
Dennis McGowan, MD, Avera St. Anthony’s Hospital
Kevin McGuire, MD, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Christopher Meredith, MD, Department of Neurosurgery, University of Kansas Hospital
Scot Miller, DO, FACS, The Crystal Clinic Orthopaedic Center
Srdjan Mirkovic, MD, Northwestern University Medical School
Dick Nasca, MD, University of Alabama at Birmingham
Ric Navarro, PhD, Theken Disc
Yutaka Nohara, MD, PhD, Dokyo University School of Medicine
Donna Ohnmeiss, DrMed, Texas Back Institute Foundation
Nathaniel Ordway, MS, SUNY Upstate Medical University
Virgilio Ortiz, MD, Higt Specialty Spine Center, San Javier Hospital
Choon-Keun Park, MD, PhD, President Wiltse Memorial Hospital
Sung Choon Park, MD, PhD, Dept. of Neurosurgery, Myongji Hospital, Kwandong University College of Medicine
Soo-An Park, MD, PhD, SUNY Upstate Medical University
Chun-Kun Park, MD, PhD, The Catholic University of Korea
Avinash Patwardhan, PhD, Loyola University Medical Center
Walter Peppelman, DO, Pennsylvania Spine Institute
Richard Perrin, MD, FRCS(C), FACS, Diablo Neurosurgical Medical Group
Gilles Perrin, MD, PhD, Hopital Neurologique P. Wertheimer, Groupement Hospitalier Est.
Radu Prejbeanu, MD, PhD, University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Timisoara, Romania
Afsaneh Rabiei, PhD, North Carolina State University
S Rajasekaran, MD, Ganga Hospital, Orthopedic Department
Thomas Raley, MD, Hanover Orthopaedic Assoc Inc
Steve Robbins, MD, Milwaukee Spinal Specialists
Jose Gabriel Rugeles, MD, San Ignacio Hospital
Richard Salib, Ortho Institute for Low Back and Neck Care
Rick Sasso, MD, Indiana Spine Group
Robert Schoenmayr, MD, Klinik Fuer Neurochirurgie Hsk
Jim Schwender, MD, Twin Cities Spine Center
Dilip K. Sengupta, MD, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Med Center
Hassan Serhan, PhD, DePuy Acromed
Khalid Sethi, MD, Lourdes Hospital
Yong Shen, MD, 3rd Hospital of Hebei Medical University
John Sherman, MD, Twin Cities Orthopedics
Joseph Stachniak, MD, Brain & Spine Center of Texas
Thomas Stoll, MD, Department of Spinal Surgery, Bethesda Hospital
Jung-Keun Suh, MD, PhD, Dept. of Neurosurgery, Korea University School of Medicine
Mike Sun, MD, Upstate Medical University (SUNY)
Richard Tallarico, MD, Upstate Medical University (SUNY)
Karen Talmadge, PhD, Kyphon
Chengxuan Tang, MD, 3rd Affilitated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical College
Chong Tien Tan, MD, Island Spine and Scoliosis
Tony Tannoury, MD, Boston Medical Center
Bill Taylor, MD, University of California, San Diego Society for Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery
Vo Van Thanh, MD, PhD, Hospital for Trauma and Orthopaedics, Ho Chi Minh City
Tadanori Tomita, MD, PhD, Children’s Memorial Hospital
Anthony Tsantrizos, PhD, Synthes
Alex Vaccaro, MD, Rothman Institute
Visit Vamvanij, MD, Vice Chancellor Mahidol University
Jeffrey Wang, MD, Vice Chancellor Mahidol University
Michael Wang, MD, University of Miami
Douglas Wardlaw, MD, Woodend Hospital
William Watters, III, MD, Bone & Joint Clinic of Houston
William Welch, MD, FACS, The Pennsylvania Hospital, University of Penn
F. Todd Wetzel, MD, Dept of Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine, Temple University School of Medicine
Douglas Wong, MD, Panorama Orthopedics & Spine Center
David Wong, MD, MSc, FRCS, Raffles Hospital
Hua-Zi Xu, MD, 2nd Affilitated Hospitalof Wenzhou Medical College
Tarik Yazar, MD, University of Ankara School Ibni Sina Hospital
John Yeh, MD, FRCS, The Royal London Hospital
Chris Yeung, MD, Arizona Institute For Minimally Invasive Spine Care
Tony Yeung, MD, Arizona Institute For Minimally Invasive Spine Care
Ken Yonemura, MD, University of Utah School of Medicine
Do-Heum Yoon, MD, PhD, Yonsei University College of Medicine
Philip S. Yuan, MD, Memorial Orthopaedic Surgical Group
Jim Yue, MD, Yale University School of Medicine
Xue Li Zhang, MD, Tianjin Union Medical Centre
Jack Zigler, MD, Texas Back Institute
Michael Zindrick, MD, Hinsdale Orthopaedics
James Zucherman, MD, St. Mary’s Spine Center IT CommitteeThis Committee shall have a Chair and Co-Chair plus a member of ISASS Administrative team. The Committee shall operate the Society Website on the Internet and manage its layout and content. The members of this committee will work to enhance ISASS website to ensure that current and relevant matters are addressed. The IT committee in conjunction with the designated member of ISASS Administrative team will guide and direct the appointed webmaster to make necessary changes and upgrades to ensure member needs are met. Chairman:
William Sears, MD - Australia
Manabu Ito, MD, PhD - Japan
Dilip Sengupta, MD, PhD - USA
Hyun Chul Shin, MD, PhD - South Korea Heather Howard - ISASS
Michele Boylstein - ISASS Membership CommitteeThe Membership Committee shall consist of a Chair and two other members of the Society appointed by the President. The chair and the two members of the Committee may succeed themselves in office for a further term of three years if elected by a simple majority of the Board. An ISASS Administrative staff member will also sit on this committee. The Membership Committee is responsible for increasing the number of members worldwide and to ensure members’ needs are met. This includes recommending ways for increasing ISASS membership base, formulating coordinating and implementing plans for membership recruitment, ways to acknowledge and welcome new members and encourage their participation in ISASS Committees and ISASS sponsored activities. They will work with the designated member of the Executive Team of ISASS in the development of a membership renewal program. This Committee will be charged with developing and maintaining a membership directory available online for the membership to access via the website. This Committee will also work to identify members and non-members’ needs and perceptions, analyzing them and making recommendations to the Board of Directors. ISASS Administrative staff member of the Membership Committee shall receive and review all applications for membership and forward applications to the Chair. ISASS Administrative staff member shall advise the committee to consider and investigate any charge made against any member of the Society, acting under the provisions of these bylaws. The Membership Committee shall make recommendations to the Board, but is not empowered to take any action unless otherwise specifically authorized by the Board or as otherwise provided in these bylaws. Chairman:
Jeff Goldstein, MD - USA Michael Ahrens, MD - Germany
Ali Araghi, MD - USA
Svante Berg, MD - Sweden
Ashish Diwan, Prof. - Australia
Rick Guyer, MD - USA
Chun Kun Park, MD, PhD - South Korea
Choon Keun Park, MD, PhD - South Korea
Luiz Pimenta, MD, PhD - Brazil
Rick Sasso, MD - USA
Paul Slosar, MD - US
Hee Kit Wong, Prof. - Singapore Michele Boylstein - ISASS Past Presidents Council CommitteeThis committee of the Board shall consist of the President, the two Vice Presidents, the Past Presidents and the Executive Director. It shall meet during the Annual Conference and at other times as needed, on a request by the President and the board. The Executive Director will report its conclusions and recommendations to the Board. This Committee reviews the current state of ISASS, determines whether the Society has met its goals and decides what changes to make within the society in light of the needs of its members and changes in the medical profession. In order to serve its purpose, the Committee develops a strategic plan to be reviewed annually which lays out ISASS objective in areas such as governance and administration, membership, member services, public service and it determines what steps to take to fulfill those objectives. Chairman:
Jean-Charles LeHuec, MD, PhD - France
Thomas Errico, MD - USA
Chun-Kun Park, MD, PhD - South Korea
Karin Büttner-Janz, MD, PhD - Germany
Hansen Yuan, MD - USA
Thierry Marnay, MD - France
Stephen Hochschuler, MD - USA
Rudolph Bertagnoli, MD - Germany
Kristy Radcliffe - ISASS Nominating Committee
This Committee is chaired by the Immediate Past President along with two additional past presidents, chosen by the President, the Second Vice President and the Executive Director as observer and secretary. This Committee shall meet prior to the ISASS Board meeting held during the Annual Global Symposium and come forward to the President and Board with a recommended slate of new officers, principally a new Director of the board. Chairman:
Jean-Charles LeHuec, MD, PhD - France
Stephen Hochschuler, MD - USA
Chun-Kun Park, MD, PhD - South Korea
Steven Garfin, MD – USA Publications CommitteeThe Publications Committee shall consist of a Chair and Co-Chair appointed by the President on recommendations by the Journal Editor and Executive Director. The design, text, layout and editing of the newsletter, hard copy and online books and instructional course material test books all fall under the realm of this committee. They will develop standards and guidelines to ensure all items published by ISASS or with ISASS endorsement meet the requirements set up by the Committee. The committee will monitor and approve all such materials with that goal in mind. They will assist in the appointment of editors, associate editors and editorial boards as well as offer advice and content ideas. Chairman:
James Yue, MD - USA Neel Anand, MD - USA
Federico Girardi, MD - USA
Ulrich Hahnle, PhD - South Africa
Larry Khoo, MD - USA
Choll Kim, MD, PhD - USA
Martin Knight, MD, FRCS, MBBS - UK
Jean-Charles LeHuec, MD, PhD - France
Dilip Sengupta, MD - USA Jonny Dover - ISASS Regional Chapter CommitteeThis Committee of ISASS shall have a Chair and Co-Chair appointed by the President of ISASS plus Directors or Presidents elected by the Regional Chapters. Regional Chapters (RC) of the International ISASS shall be in nations outside of North America and Europe, or in world regions with involvement of more than one country, or in big spine societies as long their active membership is more than 1,000 members. They may be formed and closely affiliated with the international ISASS, provided: The purpose of this committee is to ensure that the Society enlists views from an international perspective and to address pertinent international issues and make sure there is a collaborative exchange of information. Chairman:
Eduardo Barreto, MD; LASAS Chapter Sajan Hegde, MD - ISASS India Chapter
Cheng-Hsing Kao, MD - ISASS Taiwan Chapter
Chong-Suh Lee, MD - ISASS Korea Chapter
Walid I. Attia, MD, MSc, PhD - ISASS Middle East Chapter
Cumhur Kilinçer, MD, PhD - ISASS Turkey Chapter
Dewei Zou, MD - ISASS China Chapter Kristy Radcliffe - ISASS
Michele Boylstein - ISASS Research CommitteeIf a company, or agency, decides on a need for a specific, or general, research project for a specific device, product (biologic, implant, etc.), medication, etc. and would like ISASS to sponsor, they would approach the Research Committee. In so doing, they would forward a written proposal to ISASS describing, in broad terms, their research needs, a limited/proposed study design (e.g. animal models, imaging studies, biologic assessment, etc.) that they feel would be necessary. They would also provide a rough overall (not specific) budget, based on their anticipation of costs. ISASS Research Committee would take this proposal and analyze it for scientific value (not assessing the device, implant, product, etc. itself, but only the scientific potential of the study, independent of the outcome). If appropriate they would then submit the request to ISASS Board for review and vote for funding for the research.the outcome). If appropriate they would then submit the request to ISASS Board for review and vote for funding for the research.
Chairman:
Lisa Ferrara, PhD - USA Gunnar Andersson, MD - USA
Jacques Bouchard, MD - Canada
Ashish Diwan, MD - Australia
Tae-Ahn Jahng, MD - South Korea
Sung-Jae Lee, PhD - South Korea
Melodie Metzger, MD - USA
Donna Ohnmeiss, DrMed - USA
Avinash Patwardhan, PhD - USA
William Sears, MD - Australia
Anthony Tsantrizos, PhD, MBA, USA
Parmenion Tsitsopoulos, MD, PhD - Sweden
Leonard Voronov, MD, PhD - USA Kristy Radcliffe - ISASS Vetting CommitteeThe following process willl be used when industry requests ISASS involvement. The goal is to insure that all requests are judged against the same criteria, are properly vetted, and are sent to the ISASS Board with a recommended course of action consistent with our mission and principles.
Vetting Committee Members are: Jeff Lehmen, MD - USA
Barbara Cateletto, MBA, CPC - USA
Isador Lieberman, MD, MBA, FRCSC - USA
Yu-Po Lee, MD - USA
Todd Alamin, MD - USA
Peter Whang, MD - USA The Process- All requests from Industry, either made directly to staff or to members of our Board, will be forwarded to assigned staff for initial review. Staff will conduct a quick assessment of the requested action’s anticipated impact on society time and resources, as well as how ISASS actions may be perceived externally, not only by our members but also by other professional societies, government, payers, etc. Requests must be generic, not one company specific. Staff may at this time suggest to the requesting company modifications that will benefit each respective organization. Staff will also ensure that all supportive materials, published articles/ papers, scientific data, patient experience, FDA approval, clinical data are included in request, in order to minimize staff research time. [This is particularly important when dealing with a CPT/RUC issue, so we must insure that we have all the relevant information, existing and proposed codes, etc.] Staff will also assess financial obligation of the society to include with write up presented to the review panel.
- ISASS will create a small panel of members, inclusive of at least one member from our Public Policy Committee, one member from our Coding & Reimbursement Task Force, and an ex-officio member of our board. This “Vetting Body” shall consist or perhaps 4-5 members. All requests will be reviewed by our “Vetting Body” for congruity with a set of Guiding Principles, below, which are consistent with our mission and values. The Vetting Body may also at this time suggest to the requesting company modifications that will benefit each respective organization.
- After a thorough review, the Vetting Body will formulate a recommendation to the Board. This recommendation may be supportive of, or in opposition to the request, and may also include suggested modifications to the request.
- The ISASS Board will make a final decision on the handling of each request. Board members with direct conflicts will recuse themselves from participating in any decisions.
Guiding Principles – all requests from Industry should be consistent with affirmative answers to the following questions: [Mission Statement: ISASS is an international, scientific and educational society organized to discuss and assess existing strategies and innovative ideas in the clinical and basic sciences related to spine surgery to enhance patient care.] - Are ISASS’ actions (letter, survey, testimony, etc) consistent with our society’s Mission Statement?
- Are ISASS’ recommendations or policy statements based on the best available scientific data, including atleast three published articles, members’ clinical experiences, and patient experiences where available?
- Are the requested actions in alignment with the FDA-approved indications on the given device or procedure? (i.e., are we being sure not to endorse or otherwise recommend usage off-label?)
- Will ISASS actions benefit or otherwise better inform our members’ clinical decision-making?
- Will ISASS actions insure that we are not in the position of advancing one company’s product over that of another company?
- Will the desired outcomes of the actions improve patient access to medically indicated surgical spine care, through advocacy for newer technologies?
- Will ISASS’ actions bring a different or unique point of view to an existing problem or discussion?
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