John M. "Jack" Flynn, MD, is Chief of the Division of Orthopaedics at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). A nationally recognized orthopedic leader, Dr. Flynn’s primary clinical and research focus is scoliosis care for children and teens. Each week in his clinic, Dr. Flynn offers second opinions for families from around the region and across the country. If your child or teen has been told they need spine surgery and you would like an expert second opinion, the CHOP Orthopaedics Nurse Navigator can quickly arrange VIP access, coordinate care with other CHOP specialists (e.g., neurology or cardiology), and offer travel, lodging and insurance advice. CHOP’s state-of-the-art facilities, nationally recognized low-complication rates, special spine teams and recovery pathways, and world-class anesthesia/nursing/therapy make it one of America’s top-ranked destinations for children and teens needing spine surgery. Since joining CHOP in 1996, Dr. Flynn has focused his clinical care and research on innovations to improve the results and safety of pediatric and adolescent spine surgery. He pioneered the use of image-guided navigation for pediatric spinal deformity correction — significantly improving the safety of implant placement. He has collaborated with CHOP experts in anesthesia, pain management and post-operative nursing and therapy to develop the famous CHOP Scoliosis Rapid Recovery Pathway (RRP). The RRP, designed to maximize pain control and mobilization while minimizing opioid use, allows most children and teens to go home to their families only two to three days after major spine deformity correction. Since publishing the results of the CHOP RRP, many other centers across the country have adopted similar care standards. Optimum care is always about teamwork. Working recently with CHOP’s Office of Clinical Quality Improvement, Dr. Flynn led an effort to create Dedicated Spine Teams (DSTs), assuring each child who has spine surgery at CHOP is cared for by a small group of expert anesthesiologists and nurses who work together daily, perfecting each step of the procedure. Since launching DSTs in 2015, spine deformity correction surgical times have been reduced by more than one hour each, meaning children get much less anesthesia and begin their recovery sooner; a recent scientific analysis of results also shows a trend toward lower complication rates with Dedicated Spine Teams. Dr. Flynn has presented this work at many academic centers around the nation, in spine safety courses for surgeons, and at the Best Paper Session of the 2017 Scoliosis Research Society Annual Meeting. CHOP spine care teamwork extends beyond the operating room. Dr. Flynn’s team includes Theresa McIntosh, MSN, CRNP, who runs Dr. Flynn’s clinical practice and brings more than 25 years of experience in pre-operative teaching and post-operative spine care. While in the Hospital, a team of orthopaedic nurse practitioners oversee the post-operative care. Dr. Flynn is one of a small group of surgeons in the country with a focus on spinal disorders in very young children. Dr. Flynn helped found CHOP's Center for Thoracic Insufficiency Syndrome in 2004, the nation's first multidisciplinary program created to treat children with thoracic insufficiency syndrome and early onset scoliosis. He pioneered use of magnetic lengthening growing rods at CHOP, saving many young children planned repetitive surgery. Dr. Flynn is also a recognized leader in non-operative care for pediatric spine deformities. He helped establish CHOP’s Schroth physiotherapy scoliosis-specific exercise (PSSE) program, and led CHOP’s effort in the landmark National Institutes of Health BrAIST trial which conclusively proved the efficacy of back bracing as a treatment for scoliosis. He is a member of several international multi-center scoliosis research networks, including the Harms Study Group, and the Growing Spine Study Group. He has been President of the Children’s Spine Study Group run by the Children's Spine Foundation. Dr. Flynn earned his bachelor’s degree in natural sciences from Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, and his doctor of medicine from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA. He completed his surgical training in the Harvard Combined Orthopaedic Surgery Program, followed by a pediatric orthopedic fellowship at A.I. DuPont Hospital for Children, Wilmington, DE. Dr. Flynn’s leadership extends beyond CHOP. He has been President of the Pediatric Orthopaedic Society of North America, President of the Children’s Spine Study Group, Research Committee Chair of the Scoliosis Research Society, he co-chaired the International Pediatric Orthopaedic Symposium, and is serving a 10-year team as a Director of the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery. Dr. Flynn has published more than 250 peer-reviewed scientific articles, reviews or textbook chapters. He is editor of three principal texts in pediatric orthopaedic surgery: Lovell and Winter’s Pediatric Orthopaedics; Rockwood and Wilkins' Fractures in Children; and Operative Techniques in Orthopaedic Surgery. Dr. Flynn has served as a Visiting Professor at more than 60 academic centers nationally and internationally, speaking on improving quality, safety and value in pediatric spine deformity, optimizing care of pediatric fractures, and work-life integration and wellness for surgeons and physicians. Dr. Flynn’s greatest passion is his family: wife Mary, and children Erin, Colleen, John and Kelly. His hobbies include outdoor sports, esp. rowing and biking, backyard farming and reading books that impart great wisdom.