Dr. James Dowdell is an Assistant Attending Orthopedic Surgeon at Hospital for Special Surgery and an Instructor of Orthopedic Surgery at Weill Cornell Medical College. His expertise lies with treating degenerative spinal pathologies in both a minimally invasive and open fashion. He believes in a holistic approach to patient care and focuses on the development of the surgeon-patient relationship to ensure a proper plan of care. His research interests focus on the use of enabling technologies in spine surgery, specifically the use of navigation, robotic, and augmented reality technologies. His future interests involve using these technologies for training of residents and fellows to make spine surgery safer and more efficient. He has authored over 30 articles, book chapters, and text books. Dr. Dowdell received his medical degree from Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia, PA where he was selected for both the Alpha Omega Alpa (AOA) and Gold Humanism Honor Society (GHHS) medical honor societies indicating both academic achievement and compassionate patient care. He completed his orthopedic surgery residency at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, NY. He then completed fellowship training in spine surgery at HSS where he received specialized training in a spectrum of spinal pathologies utilizing both open and minimally invasive techniques. Dr. Dowdell is a member of the North American Spine Society, American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, and serves on the Editorial Board for the Spinal Deformity Journal.