Addisu Mesfin Receives the NASS Henry Farfan Award

Addisu Mesfin, M.D., is the 2024 recipient of the North American Spine Society’s Henry Farfan Award which recognizes outstanding contributions in spine-related basic science research.

Dr. Mesfin has been a member of the North American Spine Society for 15 years. He has received two best paper nominations and as served the society in many capacities including as an Annual Meeting abstract reviewer and as a member of the Section on Spine Oncology, Research Project Management Committee and Patient Safety Committee.

“Dr. Mesfin has demonstrated himself to be a dedicated researcher toward the advancement of our field in the setting of basic science research as demonstrated by his accomplishments,” said Peter Passias, M.D. in a statement.

“This complements his clinical and outcomes-based contributions to our field. We are excited to have him receive this recognition and appreciate his dedication to our society.”

Dr. Mesfin is the Vice Chair of Research and Professor of Orthopaedics at Medstar Orthopaedic Institute/Georgetown University School of Medicine. He has contributed more than 200 peer-reviewed publications and over 300 presentations at national and international meetings.

He received his medical degree from Drexel University School of Medicine and completed his orthopedic residency at the Johns Hopkins Hospital and his spine surgery fellowship at Washington University in St. Louis. Dr. Mesfin also did spine oncology training at Kanazawa University in Japan and at Rizzoli Orthopaedic Institute in Italy.

He began his career at the University of Rochester where he served as Chief of Spine Surgery, Spine Fellowship Director, and Professor.

He is also the cofounder of Jotlogs, which uses AI to provide data-drive insights to surgical teams to improve techniques, technologies, and approaches.

In an interview with Orthopedics This Week, Dr. Mesfin discussed the importance of NASS and the areas of spine care that draws his interest the most.

“NASS is unique because of its multidisciplinary approach to spine care. It truly captures the patient’s full journey. It is also a good forum for learning about the latest research and technology,” he explained.

On what initially drew him to spine surgery, he said he became interested in spine surgery after performing scoliosis surgeries and seeing the immediate improvements in the patient’s conditions. He was also inspired by his many mentors throughout his career.

As a researcher, the areas of spine care that interest him the most are improving outcomes in spinal oncology and spine trauma.

Currently, Dr. Mesfin is involved in research on decreasing complications after spinal tumor surgery as well as decreasing disparities in treating cauda equina syndrome which is a compression of multiple nerve roots caused by a herniated lumbar disk, infection, fracture, lumbar spinal stenosis, epidural hematomas, tumors and other complications.

If left untreated, it can lead to sexual dysfunction, loss of bladder or bowel control, and weakness of the legs. Most patients come from the ER and there are a lot of opportunities for disparities in treatment based on many factors, including socioeconomic factors and race/ethnicity.

On what he sees for the future of spine care, Dr. Mesfin said, “We need to focus on personalized medicine to foster a better understanding of why certain patients do well and others don’t. We also need to take a more holistic approach to deciding on what surgeries to offer each patient.”

The North American Spine Society is a medical society for health care professionals who specialize in spine care. The mission of the society, which was founded in 1985, is to promote evidence-based and ethical spine care.

NASS honors five outstanding figures in the field of spine every year. Three of the awards are named for founding members of the NASS who not only made key contributions to the field, but who have played a role in the success of the society.