I am the happy father of three wonderful children and am grateful for the support of my lovely wife, who continues to allow me to dedicate the necessary time and energy to my profession. I began with Kaiser in 1996 having just completed a reconstructive spinal surgery fellowship under the tutelage of Dr. John Kostuik at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland. Dr. Kostuik continues to be acknowledged as one of the pioneers in the treatment of adult spinal deformity and I am fortunate to continue an ongoing friendship with him. My interest in the treatment of adult spinal deformity, i.e. scoliosis and kyphosis, stems in large part from the inspiration and knowledge that he has imparted. My practice has evolved over the last decade especially. I have learned and applied less invasive techniques to complex pathologies. For instance, fusion procedures (when bones are healed together in order to stabilize spinal motion segments to protect neural structures and decrease pain) can be done with screws and rods placed through small incisions under xray guidance rather than via traditional “open” techniques. This spares the muscles from unnecessary injury. Disc spaces can be accessed via minimally invasive “portal” surgery and disc space fusions can now be done using bone graft substitute rather than harvesting bone from the patient’s pelvis. Lumbar decompressive procedures can often be accomplished in a “structure sparing” fashion, i.e. via laminotomy rather than laminectomy, thereby decreasing soft tissue pain and decreasing the likelihood of destabilizing the spine. With improvement in techniques, the outcomes of surgery have improved. I take great joy in seeing my patients benefit from such advances. I have creative instincts also. In an effort to advance the field of spinal surgery I have developed and patented a number of spinal instruments and implants that are used in minimally invasive lumbar surgery. As part of the development process I have come in contact with many of the premier spinal surgeons in the United States and have benefited greatly from my association with them. This relationship keeps me abreast of current advances in techniques and technologies and allows me to provide my patients with up to date surgical care. I am proud to be associated with five wonderful surgeons whose goals with which I am fully aligned. I am especially grateful to Dr. VanPeteghem who was kind enough to hire me and with whom I worked many long hours together for the first five years of my practice. Together we would perform four hundred and fifty surgeries per year. Our current pace is more manageable but busy enough to maintain a high degree of technical proficiency as we perform approximately two hundred and fifty cases per year per surgeon. Dr. Bains, our current department chief, has defined our mission as follows: “Highest quality, academic, innovative surgical spine care delivered with compassion and outstanding service.”