NASS News: North American Spine Society Kicks Off 34th Annual Meeting

Thousands of the top minds in spine technology and techniques are descending on Chicago this week for the North American Spine Society’s 34th Annual Meeting. A record number of 1,434 abstracts were submitted this year, from which the top 322 scientific podium presentations, 156 ePosters, 56 symposia presentations, and 20 Best Papers were selected.

“This year’s NASS Annual Meeting is much different from other meetings and even from previous annual meetings,” said Thomas E. Mroz, M.D., director of the Center for Spine Health & Spine Research at Cleveland Clinic, and one of five NASS 2019 meeting co-chairs. “We have invited the best and most prestigious surgical content experts to lead the meeting in cutting-edge symposia and cadaver courses. We wanted to engage the NASS members in unique ways and offer them the absolute best content.”

The NASS 2019 program chairs worked diligently to have relevant content for all attendees, from surgeons to physiatrists to physical therapists, naming just a few.

“We know the sacrifice our colleagues are making to leave the office and attend a meeting, and we really strove to make this a terrific, worthwhile program for everyone who comes to Chicago,” said co-chair David Fish, M.D., MPH, a UCLA PM&R specialist. “I think the medical/interventional content will be outstanding and I’m looking forward to seeing how it is received.”

A new addition to this year’s meeting that is already generating buzz are the five surgical technique cadaver demonstrations that will take place in the general session room on Sept. 27. The courses will be led by some of the top spine surgeons in the country, including Michael Y. Wang, M.D. (endoscopic spine surgery), John C. Liu, M.D. (minimally invasive tubular decompression), Juan S. Uribe, M.D. (minimally invasive lateral interbody fusion), K. Daniel Riew, M.D. (cervicothoracic osteotomy for cervical kyphosis), and Lawrence G. Lenke, M.D. (spinal deformity correction).

“The focus this year is on surgical technologies, emerging therapies, and the economic and artificial intelligence era that will change how we all practice medicine,” said Dr. Mroz. “With this meeting, we hope to really engage the spine community and push it forward to the future.”

Along with Drs. Mroz and Fish, NASS 2019 is co-chaired by Allen S. Chen, M.D., MPH; Patrick C. Hsieh, M.D., MS; and Sanjog Pangarkar, M.D.

More than 3,000 spine professionals are networking at NASS 2019 through Sept. 28 to share the latest information, innovative techniques and procedures, and best practices in the spine field. Cutting-edge technologies are being featured in the Technical Exhibition, which offers a large, interactive learning place including Surgical Innovation Labs hands-on workshops, ePosters with Poster Grand Rounds and social media activity, Solution Showcases presented by key opinion leaders, and more.

NASS is a multidisciplinary medical organization dedicated to fostering the highest quality, evidence-based and ethical spine care by promoting education, research, and advocacy. NASS is comprised of more than 8,500 members from several disciplines, including orthopedic surgery, neurosurgery, physiatry, neurology, radiology, anesthesiology, research, and physical therapy.