Scott Spann (surgeon)

Scott Spann MD (born April 24, 1958 in Greenville, South Carolina) is a board-certified orthopaedic surgeon, medical device inventor, former world-class swimmer and recovered quadriplegic.

Medical Career

Scott Spann is a practicing orthopaedic surgeon and fellowship-trained in the surgical treatment of the spine. He is the founder of Westlake Orthopaedics Spine and Sports in Austin, TX. Dr. Spann attended the University of South Carolina Medical School where he served as President of the State Student Section of the American Medical Association, and then completed his residency with the Ochsner Foundation in New Orleans, Louisiana. While a resident, Dr. Spann enlisted in the United States Medical Corps, from which he later retired as a Major. After residency, he performed a fellowship in spine surgery in Atlanta, Georgia.

Dr. Spann eventually opened a private practice in Knoxville, Tennessee and served as the Chairman of Orthopedics of east Tennessee's largest hospital system. Then Dr. Frank Noyes, American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine Hall of Fame Inductee, recruited Dr. Spann to come to Cincinnati and begin the Spine Care Institute.

Finally, in 1997, Dr. Spann and his family returned to Austin, Texas, where Dr. Spann had earned his undergraduate degree and met and married his college sweetheart. There he founded Westlake Orthopaedics and helped to found Westlake Hospital.

In 2005 Dr. Spann began researching stem cells and their effectiveness in treating orthopaedic injuries. As a result he became one of the earliest to adapt stem cells for use in a clinical setting. In April, 2010 an international biopharmaceutical company opened a stem cell harvesting center in Dr. Spann's Westlake office.

A member of numerous medical organizations, Dr. Spann is a Diplomate of the American Board of Orthopedic Surgery (certifying body of orthopedic surgeons in the United States) and Chairman of Spine Surgery at Westlake Hospital. He is also a consultant and instructor for several medical device companies, and has been a part of numerous product design teams for spinal implants, holding more than a dozen patents for orthopaedic products and procedures.

Business Career: Pantheon Spinal

In an ardent effort to bring consistency to the way that lateral access spine surgery is performed, Dr. Scott Spann developed a company called Pantheon Spinal. Pantheon Spinal is a surgical device company dedicated to bringing innovation to the field of spine surgery. The Pantheon System Products are Dr. Spann's invention of intellectually-designed, rigorously tested and FDA-cleared devices called "Epiphany" and "Pontus." Through these devices, Pantheon Spinal endeavors to redefine the way lateral access spinal surgery is performed - thus promoting better surgical outcomes to benefit spine patients all over the world.

The "Epiphany" device is specifically engineered for lateral access to L5-S1. It is designed for use in patients with advanced degenerative disc disease and intended for implantation via an oblique lateral lumbar exposure.

The "Pontus" device is designed to act as a bridge from the Epiphany device, to the remaining portion of the spine during surgery. It is engineered for implantation between the L2 and L5 vertebrae via a lumbar lateral exposure.

Swimming Career

Scott Spann began swimming at the age of seven and was a championship swimmer during his undergraduate years at Auburn University and the University of Texas. During this time he broke five world records, including one of Mark Spitz’, and was expected to qualify for the 1980 Olympics before the United States boycott of the Moscow games. An alumnus at the University of Texas, he was inducted into the UT Hall of Honor in 1998.

While at Auburn University:

Two-time SEC Swimmer of the Year
Two-time Auburn Athlete of the Year
Won three individual NCAA titles
Recipient of swimming’s Kiputh Award - the Most Valuable National Swimmer.

While at the University of Texas:

Led UT to 2nd place in the NCAA
Two-time All-American
While senior year captain UT won its first National Championship
Earned four NCAA titles in individual and relay events
Broke five world records
Won a bronze medal in the Pan American Games

Quadriplegia and Recovery

In September 2005 Dr. Spann suffered a severe spinal cord injury, rendering him unable to move from the neck down. After a surgery that included an anterior and posterior fusion, an iliac bone graft and a Harm's Cage insertion, he underwent physical therapy, craniosacral therapy and myofascial release therapy. Then, in January 2006 Dr. Spann returned to the operating room as a surgical assistant. With time he returned to a full workload, including surgery.

Personal

Dr. Scott Spann lives in Austin, Texas with his wife Beth. They have three children: Austin, Scott Jr., and Alexi. Both Alexi and Scott Jr. have won medals at the Pan American Games and Scott Jr. was part of the Men's Olympic Swim Team in Beijing in 2008.

References

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Saturday, May 07, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.