Frank Phillips, M.D., director of the division of spine at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, was recently named president of the International Society for the Advancement of Spine Surgery (ISASS) during the society’s 2020 annual meeting in Puerto Rico.
Frank Phillips, M.D. Named President of ISASS
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Dr. Phillips is a pioneer in the realm of minimally invasive and motion-sparing techniques for spinal procedures.
“I look forward to reinforcing ISASS’s position as the premier international spine surgeon society focused on innovative technologies to better patient care,” he said. “We will continue to expand our international outreach, engage young surgeons and ensure that we provide value for our members and all stake holders in spinal care.”
Dr. Phillips earned his medical degree at the University of Witwatersand in Johannesburg, South Africa, and then traveled to the U.S. for an orthopedic residency at the University of Chicago Medical Center. He did a spine fellowship at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine in Cleveland.
Dr. Phillips told OTW, “I am excited about reenergizing ISASS around our core mission of providing a truly international forum for the discussion and evaluation of novel technologies to advance spinal surgical care. In addition, ISASS will continue to be a strong voice—ensuring sensible coverage decisions, patient access and stakeholder reimbursement to ensure appropriate patient care. I have been intimately involved with the education and mentoring of young spine surgeons and believe that ISASS provides a natural ‘home’ for this group. I am fully committed to engaging and involving young surgeons in leadership roles to continue the ISASS legacy.”
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This is a fascinating development. In my practice we've seen similar outcomes with the revised protocol. The key differentiator seems to be patient selection criteria. Has anyone else noticed the correlation with BMI thresholds?
Great point. I'd push back slightly on the conclusion, the sample size in the cited study is too small to draw population-level inferences. That said, the directional signal is compelling and worth a larger RCT.
We implemented a similar approach last year. Early results are promising but we're still gathering 12-month follow-up data. Happy to share our protocol if anyone is interested.
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