My interest in innovative spine technologies and background as an electrical engineer allows me in my orthopedic spine practice the ability to understand underlying biomechanical processes and logical problem solving to provide the best solutions for my patients with injuries, deformity and other diseases of the spine. I have been in practice in the Los Gatos, CA area since 1992. I am a native of San Antonio, Texas.
I earned my B.S. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Notre Dame, graduating cum laude. My M.D. degree was earned at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, MO. I served in the U.S. Army for 13 years with my internship and residency at Letterman Army Medical Center in San Francisco, CA and The Shiners’ Hospital for Crippled Children in St. Louis, MO. I received valuable experience serving as a staff orthopedic surgeon at the 34th General Hospital in Augsburg, Germany for three years. During part of that time I provided orthopedic coverage for the U.S. Women’s Ski Team during their training sessions in Europe and also at the World Cup Games in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia. I returned to the U.S. for a fellowship in Reconstructive Spinal Surgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, MD. I returned to my roots in San Antonio where I served as the Chief of the Spine Surgery Service at Brooke Army Medical Center (BAMC) at Ft Sam Houston, TX. During my tenure at BAMC, I served as Chief of Orthopaedic Surgery in Saudi Arabia and Iraq in Support of Operation Desert Storm.
My professional interests include Minimally Invasive Spinal Surgery, Spinal Reconstructive Surgery, Spinal Disc Arthroplasty Surgery, Scoliosis Surgery, Adult and Pediatric Spinal Deformity Surgery and Cervical Spine Surgery. I have performed research in the field of spinal biomechanics, spine surgery, disc replacement surgery, scoliosis and spinal instrumentation. My work has been presented at multiple national and international meetings. I have collaborated on book chapters and published numerous articles related to the study of surgery of the spine. I am involved in teaching other spine surgeons new techniques to further the advance of the practice of spine surgery.
I am board certified as a diplomat of the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery. I am a Fellow in the Scoliosis Research Society (SRS) and the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS). I am a member of the Cervical Spine Research Society (CSRS), Lumbar Spine Research Society (LSRS), North American Spine Society (NASS), Society of Lateral Access Surgeons (SOLAS), Spinal Arthroplasty Society (SAS) / International Society for the Advancement of Spine Surgery (ISASS), Society for Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery (SMISS) and the Orthopaedic Research Society (ORS). I look at the total person when evaluating my patients. I take into account their goals and lifestyle. Often surgery is not indicated, therefore, I refer my patients for non-operative treatments including spinal injections, physical therapy, etc. When spinal surgery is indicated, I work closely with the patient pre and post operatively to ensure the best result possible.
