10 Spine and Neurosurgeons Who Served for Iraq and Afghanistan Conflicts

Spine

Here are 10 spine and neurosurgeons who took time to serve the United States and allied military members during the most recent conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Thomas S. Anderson, MD (Grand Strand Surgical Specialists, Myrtle Beach, S.C.). Dr. Anderson volunteered to treat injured soldiers in Germany during Operation Iraqi Freedom. He has a special interest in treating patients with spinal cord disorders and using minimally invasive techniques. In addition to his practice, Dr. Anderson is a member of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons and American Board of Quality Assurance and Utilization Review Physicians. Dr. Anderson earned his medical degree from the University of South Carolina in Columbia and completed his neurosurgical training at the University of Kentucky.

Jahangir Asghar, MD (Miami Children's Hospital).
Dr. Asghar has been a major in the United States Army Health Reserves and served for more than a year in Operation Iraqi Freedom. Dr. Asghar is currently an attending spine surgeon at Miami Children's Hospital. He is a member of several professional societies, including the Society for Military Orthopaedic Surgeons, American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons and North American Spine Society. He is a founding member of the Society for Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery and has published extensively on treating complex pediatric spinal deformities. Dr. Asghar earned his medical degree at St. George's University School of Medicine in Grenada, Wyo., and completed his residency at the University of Medicine and Dentistry in Newark, N.J., His additional training includes a fellowship in pediatric spine surgery spine surgery at the Philadelphia Shriners Hospital for Children.

Robert J. Berkowitz, MD (The Center for Orthopedics, Westlake, Ohio). Dr. Berkowitz was previously the chief of the department of orthopedic surgery and podiatry at Andrews Air Force Base in Malcolm Grow Medical Center near Washington, D.C. He served in Operation Enduring Freedom in the Middle East caring for wounded American soldiers, airmen and seamen. During his career, he also ran an orthopedic clinic at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., where he took care of several government leaders. He has a professional interest in many areas of orthopedics, including spine surgery, sports medicine and arthroscopy. In his practice, Dr. Berkowitz performs minimally invasive spine procedures, such as the X-stop procedure and disc replacements. He is a member of several professional societies, including the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons and North American Spine Society. Dr. Berkowitz earned his medical degree from the University of Vermont College of Medicine in Burlington and completed his residency in orthopedic surgery at Akron (Ohio) General Medicine Center.

Gene E. Bolles, MD (Denver Health).
Dr. Bolles served as chief of neurosurgery at the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany for more than three years after the terrorist attacks of 9/11/2001, caring for military soldiers who were wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan. He was originally drafted during the build up for the conflict in Vietnam and became an army flight surgeon, division flight surgeon and then division surgeon of the 8th Infantry Division in Germany at that time. He spent 32 years as a general neurosurgeon before returning to Germany to serve military members in the most recent conflicts. During his career, he has been interviewed by several news organizations about his experiences, including Anderson Cooper 360 and 60 Minutes, and he has done extensive humanitarian medical work in countries such as Belize and Indonesia. In 2006, Dr. Bolles was invited as a special guest to a gathering in Iraq hosted by President Mazzoud Barzani. Dr. Bolles earned his medical degree and completed a residency at the University of Colorado in Boulder. His additional training includes time at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden.

Steven J. Cyr, MD (Orthopaedic and Spine Institute, San Antonio).
Dr. Cyr served in the United States Air Force as a flight surgeon for two years before completing his medical residency and then served as the Chief of Air Force Spine Surgery and a spine surgery consultant to the Surgeon General of the Air Force after completing his fellowship. He has twice served war wounded military members in Iraq at the Air Force Theater Hospital in Balad. During his time in the military, he brought innovative techniques to spine care and was among the first to perform total disc replacement and endoscopic spine surgery on his patients. Dr. Cyr has a professional interest in caring for complicated spine cases and failed surgeries for patients around the world. Dr. Cyr earned his medical degree at the University of Texas Health Science Center and completed his residency in orthopedic surgery at Wilford Hall Medical Center, both in San Antonio. His additional training includes a spine surgery fellowship at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.

C. Timothy Floyd, MD (St. Luke's Clinic, Boise Orthopedic Clinic, Boise, Idaho). Dr. Floyd joined the army after 9/11 to serve his country. He was the sole orthopedic surgeon serving in the 934th Forward Surgical Team in the U.S. Army Reserve. He spent time caring for wounded patients at several camps in Iraq, treating the Iraqi Army, Republican Guard, Special Republican Guard, foreign terrorists and civilians caught in the crossfire.  He is a member of several professional organizations, including the Society of Military Orthopaedic Surgeons and Scoliosis Research Society, and is a fellow of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. Dr. Floyd earned his medical degree at the University of Florida in Gainesville and completed the San Francisco Orthopaedic Residency Program. His additional training includes spine surgery fellowships at Texas Back Institute in Plano and Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore.

Bryan Fox, MD (Sports Medicine and Orthopaedic Center, Chesapeake, Va.).
Dr. Fox served in the U.S. Navy for 17 years as a physician and eight as a naval aviator. He served as an orthopedic and spine surgeon during Operation Iraqi Freedom and was most recently chief of orthopedic spine surgery at the Naval Medical Center in Portsmouth, Va. During his time in the Middle East, he was on the battlefields and performed emergency orthopedic and spine surgery on wounded soldiers. In his clinical practice, Dr. Fox has a professional interest in minimally invasive surgical techniques and treats patients with a variety of complex deformities and fractures. He is a member of several professional societies, including the Society of Military Orthopaedic Surgeons and North American Spine Society. Dr. Fox earned his medical degree at Ohio State University in Columbus and completed his orthopedic surgery residency at the Naval Medical Center. His additional training includes an adult spinal surgery fellowship at Duke University in Durham, N.C.

James E. McGrory, MD (Hughston Clinic, Columbus, Ga.). Dr. McGrory served on the staff at Naval Medical Center in Portsmouth, Va., where he trained as a military orthopedic surgery resident in total joint replacement and sports medicine. After a fellowship at Texas Back Institute in Plano, Dr. McGrory expanded his practice to the non-operative and surgical management of spinal conditions. He has a professional interest in total joint replacement, bone tumors and degenerative spinal conditions. During the most recent conflicts, Dr. McGrory was deployed overseas in support of the Global War on Terrorism and Operation Iraqi Freedom. He is a member of the North American Spine Society, International Society for the Advancement of Spine Surgery and American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.  He earned his medical degree at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn., and completed his orthopedic surgery residency at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.

Timothy P. McHenry, MD (Steadman Hawkins Clinic of the Carolinas, Greenville, S.C.).
Dr. McHenry is an army war veteran of the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. He has a professional interest in caring for cervical spine disorders, degenerative spinal conditions and deformity. In addition to his clinical work, Dr. McHenry has served as a professor at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine in Columbia. He earned his medical degree from New York University School of Medicine in New York City and completed his residency in orthopedic surgery at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. His additional training includes a fellowship in spine surgery at the University of Washington/Harborview Medical Center in Seattle and in orthopedic trauma surgery at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston.

Derek A. Taggard, MD (Sutter Medical Group, Roseville, Calif.).
Dr. Taggard has served as theater director of spine and neurosurgery for Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. He is a fellowship-trained neurosurgeon with a special interest in spine surgery. During his career, he pioneered research in spinal injury registries and the management of complex cervical spine cases.  In his practice, Dr. Taggard performs minimally invasive spine surgery, cervical artificial disc replacement and spinal fusions. Dr. Taggard earned his medical degree at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center and completed his residency at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in Iowa City.

If you would like to recommend a spine surgeon leader to highlight in future weekly lists, please e-mail Laura at laura@beckersasc.com.


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