Richard N.W. Wohns

Last updated
Richard N.W. Wohns
Born
Richard N.W. Wohns
Alma materHarvard College
Yale School of Medicine
National Hospital, Queen Square
UW Dept of Neurological Surgery
UW School of Business
Seattle University School of Law
Scientific career
Fields Neurosurgery
InstitutionsNeoSpine, LLC
Good Samaritan Hospital
St Francis Hospital
Swedish Medical Center

Richard N.W. Wohns is a neurosurgeon who is the founder and president of NeoSpine, LLC (a spine surgery and interventional pain management center). [1] [2] He has been listed one of the 50 Spine Surgeons and Specialists to Know by Becker's ASC Review. [3] He currently practices and teaches medicine in the Puget Sound Region of Washington, United States.

Contents

Career

Wohns is a board certified neurosurgeon affiliated with St Francis Hospital, [4] and Swedish Medical Center. [5] He is the founder of NeoSpine which has offices in Gig Harbor, Puyallup, and Bellevue, Washington. Wohns is a pioneer of outpatient spine surgery and founded the company, NeoSpine, which developed outpatient spine centers nationally. NeoSpine was acquired by Symbion, Inc., [6] in 2008, then Symbion was acquired by Surgery Partners. Wohns continues to serve as special consultant for outpatient spine surgery. He was also a co-founder of U.S. Radiosurgery which was acquired by Alliance Oncology, Inc., [7] in 2011. Wohns was director on the Board of Aqueduct Critical Care, Inc., [8] and was Chief Medical Officer for angelMD, and is consultant and scientific advisor to a number of spinal device companies, and principal of Wohns Consulting Group.

Since 1995, Wohns has been an associate clinical professor of Neurological Surgery at the University of Washington. [9]

Wohns has been the physician for a number of mountain climbing expeditions including early in his career when he served as Medical Director for the Ultima Thule Everest Expedition in which high altitude brain research was performed. [10] On a K2 expedition he performed an appendectomy on a Balti porter who perforated his appendix. [11]

During the summer of 2013, Dr. Wohns returned to Nepal to teach minimally invasive spine surgery techniques to the staff at Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital. During this trip he also performed pro bono surgery with medical implants and instruments graciously donated by leading medical device companies. His enduring commitment to the country, its people, and to the field of medicine has compelled him to return annually to continue lecturing and leading spine surgery workshops in Kathmandu, where he is now Visiting Professor of Neurological Surgery. Dr. Wohns has established the Nepal Spine Foundation, a non-profit 501(c)3 organization, to promote neurosurgery education and care for indigent patients in Nepal. Dr. Wohns also has lectured and operated in the Maldives and performed several “firsts” including cervical disc replacement, lumbar disc replacement, anterior lumbar interbody fusion and sacroiliac joint fusion.

Wohns has performed over 5000 outpatient cervical and lumbar surgeries and his expertise includes outpatient and minimally invasive spine surgery, complex spine surgery including robotically assisted surgeries, cervical and lumbar disc arthroplasty (artificial discs). He lectures both nationally and internationally and hosts yearly summits on the latest advancements in spine surgery techniques. [12]

Current positions

Awards and recognitions

In March 2014, Wohns was named in an article published on Becker's Hospital Review entitled 40 of the Smartest People in Healthcare. [14] He was recognized in September 2013 in Becker's Spine Review as one of the 92 Spinal Surgeon Device Inventors and Innovators to Know. [15] He was listed in 50 Spine Surgeons and Specialists to know by Becker's ASC Review in February 2010., [3] He was recognized in 2009 as one of the top three Outstanding Health Care Executives – Metropolitan Region by the Seattle Business Journal. [16]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Neurosurgery</span> Medical specialty of disorders which affect any portion of the nervous system

Neurosurgery or neurological surgery, known in common parlance as brain surgery, is the medical specialty concerned with the surgical treatment of disorders which affect any portion of the nervous system including the brain, spinal cord and peripheral nervous system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lumbar spinal stenosis</span> Medical condition of the spine

Lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS) is a medical condition in which the spinal canal narrows and compresses the nerves and blood vessels at the level of the lumbar vertebrae. Spinal stenosis may also affect the cervical or thoracic region, in which case it is known as cervical spinal stenosis or thoracic spinal stenosis. Lumbar spinal stenosis can cause pain in the low back or buttocks, abnormal sensations, and the absence of sensation (numbness) in the legs, thighs, feet, or buttocks, or loss of bladder and bowel control.

Ralph Bingham Cloward was an American neurosurgeon, best known for his innovations in spinal neurosurgery. Cloward is known for the development of the Posterior Lumbar Interbody Fusion and Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion. Cloward moved from Chicago to Hawaii in 1938, becoming the state's lone neurosurgeon. He is well known for his work treating victims of brain injuries after the Pearl Harbour attack in 1941.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spinal fusion</span> Immobilization or ankylosis of two or more vertebrae by fusion of the vertebral bodies

Spinal fusion, also called spondylodesis or spondylosyndesis, is a neurosurgical or orthopedic surgical technique 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.

Mayo Hospital is one of the oldest and biggest hospitals in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. King Edward Medical University, one of the oldest and most prestigious medical institutions in South Asia, is attached to Mayo Hospital. Mayo Hospital is located in the heart of Old Lahore, and provides free treatment to almost all admitted patients as part of a government policy. It also has many different ward's mainly centered around the Syed A route location.

Artificial disc replacement (ADR), or total disc replacement (TDR), is a type of arthroplasty. It is a surgical procedure in which degenerated intervertebral discs in the spinal column are replaced with artificial disc implants in the lumbar (lower) or cervical (upper) spine. The procedure is used to treat chronic, severe low back pain and cervical pain resulting from degenerative disc disease. Disc replacement is also an alternative intervention for symptomatic disc herniation with associated arm and hand, or leg symptoms.

The Anne Arundel Medical Center (AAMC) is a regional health system headquartered in Annapolis, Maryland. In addition to the main campus in Annapolis, the group has outpatient pavilions in Bowie, Kent Island, Odenton, Easton and Waugh Chapel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spinal disease</span> Diseases involving the vertebral column

Spinal disease refers to a condition impairing the backbone. These include various diseases of the back or spine ("dorso-"), such as kyphosis. Dorsalgia refers to back pain. Some other spinal diseases include spinal muscular atrophy, ankylosing spondylitis, lumbar spinal stenosis, spina bifida, spinal tumors, osteoporosis and cauda equina syndrome.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spinal stenosis</span> Disease of the bony spine that results in narrowing of the spinal canal

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.

Andrew C. Hecht, M.D., is an American orthopaedic surgeon and a nationally recognized leader in surgery on the spine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roger Härtl</span>

Roger Härtl is a board-certified neurological surgeon at Weill-Cornell Medical College and NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital. He is Director of Spinal Surgery at the Weill Cornell Brain & Spine Center in New York and the neurosurgeon for the New York Giants. Härtl has been named by Becker's Spine Review as one of the Top 50 Spine Surgeons in the United States as well as one of the Top 10 Spine and Neurosurgeon Leaders at Non-Profit Hospitals. He was named one of New York's Top Doctors by New York magazine after he saved the life of New York firefighter Eugene Stolowski, whose leap from a burning building left him critically injured.

Minimally invasive spine surgery, also known as MISS, has no specific meaning or definition. It implies a lack of severe surgical invasion. The older style of open-spine surgery for a relatively small disc problem used to require a 5-6 inch incision and a month in the hospital. MISS techniques utilize more modern technology, advanced imaging techniques and special medical equipment to reduce tissue trauma, bleeding, radiation exposure, infection risk, and decreased hospital stays by minimizing the size of the incision. Modern endoscopic procedures can be done through a 2 to 5 mm skin opening. By contrast, procedures done with a microscope require skin openings of approximately one inch, or more.

Kevin Pauza is an American physiatrist and interventional spine specialist. He is the co-founder of the Texas Spine and Joint Hospital located in Tyler, Texas. Pauza developed the Discseel procedure for the treatment of spinal disorders known as the Pauza Disc Treatment, which claims to repair re-grow discs without a spinal fusion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Xenco Medical</span>

Xenco Medical is an American medical technology company headquartered in San Diego, California that designs, develops, and distributes composite polymer medical devices.

The Philadelphia Surgery Center is a medical facility in Narberth, Pennsylvania, that specializes in small-scale endoscopic spine surgery for the treatment of spinal stenosis and herniated or fragmented spinal discs.

Charles Anthony Fager was an American neurosurgeon, medical academic, and leader at the Lahey Hospital & Medical Center.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">P. S. Ramani</span> Indian neurosurgeon (born 1938)

Premanand Shantaram Ramani is an Indian neurosurgeon and writer from the state of Goa. He is known for his work in Newcastle and his neurospinal surgery technique of "PLIF". He is currently the senior neurospinal surgeon at Lilavati Hospital, Mumbai. An annual marathon is held in his honour in Goa. It is titled "Dr P S Ramani Goa Marathon".

Pohang Wooridul Hospital is a medical institution designated by North Gyeongsang Province, South Korea, in 2016 and the first hospital in Pohang to been certified as a medical institution by the Ministry of Health and Welfare in 2013. It specialises in spinal therapy and research.

Ralph Mobbs is an Australian neurosurgeon who specialises in spinal surgery. He operates at Prince of Wales Private and Public Hospital. He sees patients at his clinic and at an additional clinic in Bowral.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thomas Schuler</span> Spinal surgeon

Thomas Schuler, M.D., F.A.C.S is an American spinal surgeon, researcher and educator in the treatment of neck and low back conditions. He was an early adopter of stem cell therapy, biologics, robotics, laser and hybrid surgery and augmented reality for spinal surgery. Schuler specializes in cervical and lumbar disc replacement procedures, minimally invasive spine surgery and robotic spine surgery. He performed the first hybrid multi-level cervical artificial disc replacement with spinal fusion in the country. He founded a practice that has performed some of the first robotic and augmented reality spinal surgeries in the world. In 2002 he created and currently serves as President of the National Spine Health Foundation, a national non-profit focused on education, research and patient advocacy of neck and back health.

References

  1. ↑ "American Medical Association, Doctor Finder". ama-assn.org. Retrieved 2015-05-12.[ permanent dead link ]
  2. ↑ "Home - Spinal Surgery, Pain Management, Puyallup, Seattle, Poulsbo, Washington, WA". NeoSpine. Retrieved 2015-04-06.
  3. 1 2 "50 Spine Surgeons and Specialists to Know". Beckersasc.com. 2010-02-05. Retrieved 2015-04-06.
  4. ↑ "Hospital Health System - Tulsa, OK - Saint Francis Health System". Saintfrancis.com. 2015-03-25. Retrieved 2015-04-06.
  5. ↑ "Swedish Hospital | Swedish Medical Center Seattle and Issaquah". Swedish.org. Retrieved 2015-04-06.
  6. ↑ "surgerypartners.com". Symbion.com. Archived from the original on 2018-07-11. Retrieved 2015-04-06.
  7. ↑ "Alliance HealthCare Services". Alliance Oncology. 2014-05-20. Retrieved 2015-04-06.
  8. ↑ "The Team - Aqueduct Neurosciences". aqueductneurosciences.com. 2015-08-18.
  9. ↑ "Richard Wohns, M.D. - CHI Franciscan Health". Chifranciscan.org. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2015-04-06.
  10. ↑ Wohns, R. N.; Colpitts, M; Colpitts, Y; Clement, T; Blackett, W. B. (1987). "Effect of high altitude on the visual evoked responses in humans on Mt. Everest". Neurosurgery. 21 (3): 352–6. doi:10.1227/00006123-198709000-00013. PMID   3670581.
  11. ↑ "Mountain Medicine - Dr. Richard Wohns' Homepage". Richardwohns.com. Retrieved 2015-04-06.
  12. ↑ "Mazama". Destinationmi.com. 2015-01-06. Archived from the original on 2017-07-02. Retrieved 2015-04-06.
  13. ↑ "Western Neurosurgical Society Committees". Westnsurg.org. Retrieved 2015-04-06.
  14. ↑ Adamopoulos, Helen (2014-03-04). "40 of the Smartest People in Healthcare". Beckershospitalreview.com. Retrieved 2015-04-06.
  15. ↑ "92 Spinal Surgeon Device Inventors & Innovators to Know". Beckersspine.com. Retrieved 2015-04-06.
  16. ↑ "Health Care Heroes 2009 | Washington and Puget Sound Business News Source | Seattle Business Magazine". Sandbox.seattlebusinessmag.com. Archived from the original on 2017-08-15. Retrieved 2015-04-06.
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