Wenzel Spine Grows its Scientific Advisory Board

Wenzel Spine Inc., a medical device company focused on alternatives to traditional spinal fusion, added two new members to its scientific advisory board (SAB): Jeff Arle, M.D., Ph.D., of Boston, Mass., and Thomas Wilson, M.D., of Birmingham, Ala.

“We welcome Drs. Arle and Wilson to the Wenzel Spine SAB and look forward to continued collaboration to bring our stand-alone, expandable technologies to market,” said Chad Neely, CEO of Wenzel Spine. “Their thought leadership and participation in clinical initiatives will be invaluable to our team and organization.”

Arle is associate chief of neurosurgery at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston and an associate professor of surgery at Harvard Medical School. He is board certified by the American Board of Neurological Surgeons, a fellow of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) and member of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons (CNS). He serves on the executive board for the Joint AANS/CNS Pain Section. He attended medical school at the University of Connecticut, School of Medicine, where he also received his Ph.D. in computational neuroscience. He completed his residency at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania in neurological surgery, and a fellowship in functional neurological surgery at New York University Medical Center. Arle has authored nearly 60 publications, and is a world leader in innovative solutions to advance the science of neurosurgery.

“I share a long-term commitment to advancing technology and improving outcomes for patients who require spine surgery,” said Arle. “Robust data collection is an integral part of that process. I’m pleased to continue this important work as a member of the Wenzel Spine scientific advisory board.”

Wilson is board certified by the American Board of Neurological Surgeons and a member of the AANS, the Jefferson County Medical Society, and the Medical Association of the State of Alabama. He currently practices at the St. Vincent’s NeuroSpine Center in Birmingham. He attended Washington and Lee University for his undergraduate education before attending medical school at Vanderbilt University. Following medical school, he completed his internship and neurosurgery residency at Wake Forest University. He is a partner in Neurosurgical Associates and has held several leadership positions on the medical staff of St. Vincent’s Birmingham.

“Wenzel Spine has a compelling track record and vision for developing stand-alone spinal surgery technologies,” Wilson said. “I am looking forward to working with Wenzel Spine to continue the development of expandable, interbody technology.”

Austin, Texas-based Wenzel Spine’s cervical and lumbar VariLift expandable interbody fusion systems are commercially available in the United States and Europe.