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Branko Kopjar is a physician and epidemiologist at the University of Washington. [1] He is best known for his contributions in the 1990s to the field of injury prevention and his later work on spine, orthopedic and spinal cord injury research. [2] In addition, he has been published in several top journals in the fields of cardiology, [3] oncology, [4] public health and neurosurgery [1] resulting in a total of more than 500 articles, reports, reviews and abstracts. [1]
He holds an MD (1987) and MS in biostatistics (1991) from the University of Zagreb, and a PhD in health economics and epidemiology from the University of Oslo (1996). [1] Dr. Kopjar also completed a post-graduate Fellowship in Health Services Research. [5]
Prior to joining the University of Washington, Dr. Kopjar served as the Research Director for the Norwegian Foundation for Health Services Research, Head of the Section for Preventive Medicine at the Norwegian Institute of Public Health and as a Ministerial Adviser on health policy to two European governments. [1] He was a participant at the World Injury Conference meetings held in Melbourne, Australia in 1995. [6]
One of his most notable publications include a 2002 sole-authorship which showed that Azithromycin is effective in patients with chronic bronchitis. The findings were published in the Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy. [7]
A year later, he partnered with the Veterans Health Administration to conduct a study on nearly 9,000 patients with coronary heart disease. The research examined how adherence to prescribed statins impacted secondary prevention of coronary heart disease. [8]
Dr. Kopjar was a co-author on a 2013 paper which for the first time showed that surgical decompression is an effective procedure to treat cervical spondylotic myelopathy, a common disease of the spine that can lead to paralysis. [9]
In 2014, Dr. Kopjar was honored with a five-year Distinguished Professorship to the Orthopaedic Department at Chongqing Medical University in Chongqing, P.R. China., [10] [1] a World Health Organization-recognized teaching hospital. [11] During his distinguished professorship in China, Dr. Kopjar was also the program director for the Executive Master of Public Health program at the University of Washington School of Public Health. The MPH program is consistently ranked as one of the top 10 in the United States. [12] Throughout this time, he continued publishing scientific papers across various therapeutic areas. For example, he was a co-author on a 2016 paper which showed that surgical intervention, in combination with radiation and chemotherapy, improves outcomes for patients whose cancer has metastasized to the spinal cord. [13]
From 2012 to 2021 Dr. Kopjar was the Study Director for the world's largest spinal cord injury trial, RISCIS. The project was a randomized double-blinded Phase 3 trial funded by the AO Foundation, United States Department of Defense, Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation and other organizations. [14] The trial enrolled and administered the drug Riluzole to 193 research subjects within 12 hours of traumatic cervical spinal cord injury. [15] The Principal Investigator for the trial was renowned neurosurgeon Michael Fehlings from the University of Toronto. Other leading spine surgeons that are, or have been, involved in RISCIS include Bizhan Aarabi, Nicholas Theodore and Charles Tator. The trial design was presented by Dr. Kopjar during a meeting of the Seattle Science Foundation in 2017. [16] Interim trial results were presented at the Congress of Neurosurgeons 2018 annual meeting. [17] Partially coinciding with his time on the RISCIS trial, Dr. Kopjar also served as a visiting consultant to the Royal Orthopaedic Hospital, a National Health Service hospital in Northfield, England. Also during this time, in 2018, he was also a study author on a 2018 publication in the Journal of Neurosurgery which led to a label change for i-FACTOR™ Peptide Enhanced Bone Graft. [18]
Since 2020, Dr. Kopjar has served as a consultant to the FDA's Orthopaedic and Rehabilitation Devices panel. [1]
In 2020, Dr. Kopjar, along with Drs. Edward. T Davis and Joseph Pagkalos, published a paper on the effects of bearing surfaces on the survival of cementless and hybrid total hip arthroplasty (THA). The paper was a culmination of a multi-year effort that involved analyzing more than 420,000 primary THAs. [19] Clinicians had for years speculated on the likelihood that bearing surface does in fact impact the long-term patient outcomes. THA is one of the most commonly performed surgical procedures in the world as more than 5% of people will undergo the procedure by the age of 80. [20]
In 2021, Dr. Kopjar was a co-author on a publication in The Lancet Neurology which highlighted the findings of a multi-center, Phase 3 trial that was conducted to research the drug riluzole for the treatment of cervical spondylotic myelopathy. [21]
He has been awarded the John M. Eisenberg Best Paper Award issued by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, [1] and the 2013, [22] 2014, [23] 2015 [24] and 2016 [25] Best Paper or Outstanding Paper Awards issued by the North American Spine Society. He is a member of the North American Spine Society's Performance Measurement Committee and its Outcomes Compendium Task Force. [26]
Dr. Kopjar is a Fellow of the American College of Epidemiology. [27] and of the academy of Translational Medicine.
He is a faculty member in the Master of Health Administration program at the University of Washington, [28] one of the top 10 MHA programs in the United States. [29]
Neurosurgery or neurological surgery, known in common parlance as brain surgery, is the medical specialty that focuses on the surgical treatment or rehabilitation of disorders which affect any portion of the nervous system including the brain, spinal cord, peripheral nervous system, and cerebrovascular system. Neurosurgery as a medical specialty also includes non-surgical management of some neurological conditions.
Syringomyelia is a generic term referring to a disorder in which a cyst or cavity forms within the spinal cord. Often, syringomyelia is used as a generic term before an etiology is determined. This cyst, called a syrinx, can expand and elongate over time, destroying the spinal cord. The damage may result in loss of feeling, paralysis, weakness, and stiffness in the back, shoulders, and extremities. Syringomyelia may also cause a loss of the ability to feel extremes of hot or cold, especially in the hands. It may also lead to a cape-like bilateral loss of pain and temperature sensation along the upper chest and arms. The combination of symptoms varies from one patient to another depending on the location of the syrinx within the spinal cord, as well as its extent.
Pott's disease, or Pott disease, named for British surgeon Percivall Pott who first described the symptoms in 1799, is tuberculosis of the spine, usually due to haematogenous spread from other sites, often the lungs. The lower thoracic and upper lumbar vertebrae areas of the spine are most often affected.
Tetraplegia, also known as quadriplegia, is defined as the dysfunction or loss of motor and/or sensory function in the cervical area of the spinal cord. A loss of motor function can present as either weakness or paralysis leading to partial or total loss of function in the arms, legs, trunk, and pelvis. The paralysis may be flaccid or spastic. A loss of sensory function can present as an impairment or complete inability to sense light touch, pressure, heat, pinprick/pain, and proprioception. In these types of spinal cord injury, it is common to have a loss of both sensation and motor control.
Spinal tumors are neoplasms located in either the vertebral column or the spinal cord. There are three main types of spinal tumors classified based on their location: extradural and intradural. Extradural tumors are located outside the dura mater lining and are most commonly metastatic. Intradural tumors are located inside the dura mater lining and are further subdivided into intramedullary and extramedullary tumors. Intradural-intramedullary tumors are located within the dura and spinal cord parenchyma, while intradural-extramedullary tumors are located within the dura but outside the spinal cord parenchyma. The most common presenting symptom of spinal tumors is nocturnal back pain. Other common symptoms include muscle weakness, sensory loss, and difficulty walking. Loss of bowel and bladder control may occur during the later stages of the disease.
A spinal cord injury (SCI) is damage to the spinal cord that causes temporary or permanent changes in its function. It is a destructive neurological and pathological state that causes major motor, sensory and autonomic dysfunctions.
Myelopathy describes any neurologic deficit related to the spinal cord. The most common form of myelopathy in humans, cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM), also called degenerative cervical myelopathy, results from narrowing of the spinal canal ultimately causing compression of the spinal cord. When due to trauma, myelopathy is known as (acute) spinal cord injury. When inflammatory, it is known as myelitis. Disease that is vascular in nature is known as vascular myelopathy.
Arachnoiditis is an inflammatory condition of the arachnoid mater or 'arachnoid', one of the membranes known as meninges that surround and protect the central nervous system. The outermost layer of the meninges is the dura mater and adheres to inner surface of the skull and vertebrae. The arachnoid is under or "deep" to the dura and is a thin membrane that adheres directly to the surface of the brain and spinal cord.
Cauda equina syndrome (CES) is a condition that occurs when the bundle of nerves below the end of the spinal cord known as the cauda equina is damaged. Signs and symptoms include low back pain, pain that radiates down the leg, numbness around the anus, and loss of bowel or bladder control. Onset may be rapid or gradual.
Spinal fusion, also called spondylodesis or spondylosyndesis, is a surgery performed by orthopaedic surgeons or neurosurgeons that joins two or more vertebrae. This procedure can be performed at any level in the spine and prevents any movement between the fused vertebrae. There are many types of spinal fusion and each technique involves using bone grafting—either from the patient (autograft), donor (allograft), or artificial bone substitutes—to help the bones heal together. Additional hardware is often used to hold the bones in place while the graft fuses the two vertebrae together. The placement of hardware can be guided by fluoroscopy, navigation systems, or robotics.
Tethered cord syndrome (TCS) refers to a group of neurological disorders that relate to malformations of the spinal cord. Various forms include tight filum terminale, lipomeningomyelocele, split cord malformations (diastematomyelia), occult, dermal sinus tracts, and dermoids. All forms involve the pulling of the spinal cord at the base of the spinal canal, literally a tethered cord. The spinal cord normally hangs loose in the canal, free to move up and down with growth, and with bending and stretching. A tethered cord, however, is held taut at the end or at some point in the spinal canal. In children, a tethered cord can force the spinal cord to stretch as they grow. In adults the spinal cord stretches in the course of normal activity, usually leading to progressive spinal cord damage if untreated. TCS is often associated with the closure of a spina bifida. It can be congenital, such as in tight filum terminale, or the result of injury later in life.
Spinal stenosis is an abnormal narrowing of the spinal canal or neural foramen that results in pressure on the spinal cord or nerve roots. Symptoms may include pain, numbness, or weakness in the arms or legs. Symptoms are typically gradual in onset and improve with leaning forward. Severe symptoms may include loss of bladder control, loss of bowel control, or sexual dysfunction.
The TESSYS method is a minimally-invasive, endoscopic spinal procedure for the treatment of a herniated disc. It was a further development of the YESS method by the Dutch Dr Thomas Hoogland in the Alpha Klinik in Munich in 1989 and was first called THESSYS. The procedure involves performing a small foramenotomy and removal of soft tissue compressing the nerve root.
Nicholas Theodore is an American neurosurgeon and researcher at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. He is known for his work in spinal trauma, minimally invasive surgery, robotics, and personalized medicine. He is Director of the Neurosurgical Spine Program at Johns Hopkins and Co-Director of the Carnegie Center for Surgical Innovation at Johns Hopkins.
Curtis Dickman is an American researcher, author, and retired Neurosurgeon. He is recognized internationally for his pioneering work in the fields of Spinal Surgery, Surgery of the Craniocervical Junction, Spinal Biomechanics, and Thoracoscopic Neurosurgery.
Arthur L. Jenkins III is an American fellowship-trained neurosurgeon, co-director of the Neurosurgical Spine Program, and Director of Spinal Oncology and Minimally Invasive Spinal Surgery (MIS) Program at the Mount Sinai Hospital, New York. Additionally, he is an associate professor of Neurosurgery and of Orthopedic Surgery at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine. Dr. Jenkins has multiple patents and patent applications for spine-related implants and support systems, and is developing new minimally invasive treatments for patients with cancer that has spread to the spine. He is an innovator in the treatment of acute spinal cord injury as well as degenerative and congenital anomalies of the spine, taking a minimally invasive or minimal-impact approach where possible. He is board certified in Neurological Surgery and is licensed in New York and Connecticut.
Spinal precautions, also known as spinal immobilization and spinal motion restriction, are efforts to prevent movement of the bones of the spine in those with a risk of a spine injury. This is done as an effort to prevent injury to the spinal cord in unstable spinal fractures. About 0.5-3% of people with blunt trauma will have a spine injury, with 42-50% of injuries due to motor vehicle accidents, 27-43% from falls or work injuries, and the rest due to sports injuries (9%) or assault (11%). The majority of spinal cord injuries are to the cervical spine, followed by the thoracic and lumbar spine. Cervical spinal cord injuries can result in tetraplegia or paraplegia, depending on severity. Of spine injuries, only 0.01% are unstable and require intervention.
Michael Fehlings is a Canadian neurosurgeon based at Toronto Western Hospital in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Dr. Fehlings specializes in complex spine surgery with a special interest in traumatic and non-traumatic spinal cord injury and spine oncology. He mainly focuses on preclinical and clinical translational research related to enhancing repair and regeneration of the injured central nervous system. He holds many positions, including Professor of Neurosurgery at the University of Toronto, Vice Chair Research at the University of Toronto, Robert Campeau Foundation/Dr. C.H. Tator Chair in Brain and Spinal Cord Research at UHN, Scientist at the McEwen Centre for Regenerative Medicine, McLaughlin Scholar in Molecular Medicine, and Co-Director of the University of Toronto Spine Program. He is the past inaugural Director of the University of Toronto Neuroscience Program, and was the previous Medical Director at Toronto Western Hospital. Dr. Fehlings is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons and a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of Canada.
Spinal cord injury research seeks new ways to cure or treat spinal cord injury in order to lessen the debilitating effects of the injury in the short or long term. There is no cure for SCI, and current treatments are mostly focused on spinal cord injury rehabilitation and management of the secondary effects of the condition. Two major areas of research include neuroprotection, ways to prevent damage to cells caused by biological processes that take place in the body after the injury, and neuroregeneration, regrowing or replacing damaged neural circuits.
Bizhan Aarabi is an Iranian-American neurosurgeon, researcher, author, and academic. He is a professor of neurosurgery at University of Maryland and the Director of Neurotrauma at the R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center.