26th Annual Thomas Jefferson University Spine Fellows Alumni Symposium

This live, in person course is designed exclusively for spine surgeons seeking active discussions concerning the care and management of patients suffering from spinal disorders and cervical and lumbar degenerative conditions.

Successful Completion
To successfully complete this activity, the required evaluation must be completed no later than Friday, August 7, 2026. Thereafter, the evaluation will no longer be available and credits will not be issued. No refunds will be offered for failure to complete the required evaluation by the stated deadline.

1. Summarize the latest surgical techniques for the treatment of cervical and lumbar spine conditions, their indications, outcomes and evidence.
2. Assess the benefits and disadvantages of the latest minimally invasive techniques and procedures designed to address lumbar spine conditions.
3. Evaluate the utility of robotics in spine surgery.
4. Evaluate how AI is being utilized in caring for spine patients.
5. Evaluate the effectiveness in bone graft options in spinal fusion.
6. Identify recent changes in spine coding and implications for insurance reimbursement.
7. Evaluate current treatment for spinal deformity.

In support of improving patient care, this activity has been planned and implemented by Thomas Jefferson University and Rothman Orthopaedic Institute. Thomas Jefferson University is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the healthcare team.

Physicians: This educational activity is designated for a maximum of 8.00 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits ^TM . Physicians should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Other Healthcare Professionals: This educational activity is designated for 8.00 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit ^TM. Participants should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Agenda
Agenda subject to change without notice.

Cancellation Policy
Requests for refunds must be submitted in writing and received in the Office of CPD two weeks prior to the start date of the course. There will be no refunds after this period.*  Cancellations notified before the two week time frame will incur a 25% administration fee (with a minimum of $20).  Registrants who fail to attend the conference are responsible for the entire fee.  All refunds will be processed after the conference.  The University reserves the right to cancel or postpone this course due to unforeseen circumstances.  In the event of cancellation or postponement, the University will refund registration fees, but is not responsible for related costs or expenses to participants, including cancellation fees assessed by hotels, airlines or travel agencies. Email to [email protected] - please include the activity name in the subject line. 

*Registration fees will be refunded less a 15% administration fee to international conference registrants who are unable to secure a travel visa. Registrants must provide proof of visa denial. 

Jefferson Release Policy
Jefferson may record/livestream/photograph this educational activity. These images/recordings, along with your name, may be used in Jefferson publications or on the Jefferson website. If you verbally submit any questions for Q&A sessions, you are agreeing to be recorded and to have that recording available in enduring materials. Once photographed, filmed, recorded, or videotaped, you waive the right of inspection or approval to which such images/recordings may be put and Jefferson has the right to use, publish, reproduce, modify, adapt, and distribute at any time in any manner or medium.

Jefferson HIPAA Policy

As an attendee of this educational activity hosted by Thomas Jefferson University, Jefferson University Physicians, and Thomas Jefferson University Hospitals, Inc. (collectively 'Jefferson'), you may gain access to certain proprietary information ('Confidential Information'), including Protected Health Information ('PHI').

By participating in this educational activity, you agree to maintain the confidentiality of all Confidential Information, including all PHI, obtained from any source. You also agree to take all necessary steps to protect such Confidential Information and shall not directly or indirectly disclose or use it in any manner or for any reason, other than as necessary to complete the educational activity. Further, you agree not to take photographs, record in any manner or otherwise reproduce any such Confidential Information. You understand that any unauthorized use or disclosure of Confidential Information may result in possible legal action against you by Jefferson whose confidentiality is breached.

Newport Marriott Hotel & Spa
25 America's Cup Avenue,
Newport, Rhode Island, 02840

Directions

To book accommodations click here.

Mitigation of Relevant Financial Relationships

Thomas Jefferson University adheres to the Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited Continuing Education and the policies that supplement the Standards.

All planners, faculty, and others in control of educational content are required to disclose any relevant financial relationships with ACCME defined ineligible companies within the past 24 months. Any conflicts of interests have been mitigated prior to this educational activity. Such disclosures will be available prior to the start of the activity. Jefferson conflict of interest mitigation process may result in changes to the program agenda.

Off-Label/Investigational Use
All faculty/presenters/authors at Thomas Jefferson University sponsored events are required to disclose whether or not their content contains information of commercial products/devices that are unlabeled for use or investigational uses of products not yet approved. Product(s) is/are not included in the labeling approved by the U.S. FDA for the treatment of disease(s).

Content Disclaimer
The views expressed in this activity are those of the faculty. It should not be inferred or assumed that they are expressing the views of any manufacturer of pharmaceuticals or devices or Thomas Jefferson University.

It should be noted that the recommendations made herein with regard to the use of therapeutic agents, varying disease states, and assessments of risk, are based upon a combination of clinical trials, current guidelines, and the clinical practice experience of the participating presenters. The drug selection and dosage information presented in this activity are believed to be accurate. However, participants are urged to consult all available data on products and procedures before using them in clinical practice.

AI Use in Accredited Content
All faculty, presenters, and authors participating in Thomas Jefferson University–sponsored events must disclose any use of AI in creating or editing content. Disclosures should specify the AI tool’s name, version, and date of use, and briefly describe how it supported the work—for example, drafting, data analysis, or assessment development. They must also identify the model or source, state that all outputs were reviewed and verified by a human (including who conducted the review and how), and indicate whether any prompts or outputs were stored externally.

Member Information

Role in activity

Nature of Relationship(s) / Name of Ineligible Company(s)

Jeffrey Rihn, MD
Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery
Rothman Orthopaedic Institute and Thomas Jefferson University
Media, PA

Activity/Course Director, Faculty

Royalties or Patent Beneficiary-Globus Medical, Inc.|Paid consultant-Camber

Alexander R Vaccaro, MD, PhD, MBA
Chair of Orthopaedic Surgery
Thomas Jefferson University Hospital
Philadelphia, PA

Course Director, Faculty

Membership on Advisory Committees or Review Panels, Board Membership, etc.-Accelus|Stocks or stock options, excluding diversified mutual funds-Rothman Institute and Related Properties|Royalties or Patent Beneficiary-Spinal Elements|Royalties or Patent Beneficiary-Wheelhouse Medical |Consulting Fee-Medcura|Stocks or stock options, excluding diversified mutual funds-Accellus|Consulting Fee-Curiteva |Royalties or Patent Beneficiary-Curiteva|Stocks or stock options, excluding diversified mutual funds-Advanced Spinal Intellectual Properties|Royalties or Patent Beneficiary-Alphatec|Independent Contractor (included contracted research)-AO Spine|Royalties or Patent Beneficiary-Atlas Spine|Stocks or stock options, excluding diversified mutual funds-Atlas Spine|Stocks or stock options, excluding diversified mutual funds-Avaz Surgical|Stocks or stock options, excluding diversified mutual funds-AVKN Patient Driven Care|Stocks or stock options, excluding diversified mutual funds-Cytonics|Stocks or stock options, excluding diversified mutual funds-Deep Health|Stocks or stock options, excluding diversified mutual funds-Dimension Orthotics, LLC|Stocks or stock options, excluding diversified mutual funds-Electrocore|Royalties or Patent Beneficiary-Elsevier|Stocks or stock options, excluding diversified mutual funds-Flagship Surgical|Stocks or stock options, excluding diversified mutual funds-FlowPharma|Stocks or stock options, excluding diversified mutual funds-Globus Medical, Inc.|Royalties or Patent Beneficiary-Globus Medical, Inc.|Consulting Fee-Globus Medical, Inc.|Stocks or stock options, excluding diversified mutual funds-Harvard Medtech|Stocks or stock options, excluding diversified mutual funds-Innovative Surgical Design|Royalties or Patent Beneficiary-Jaypee|Stocks or stock options, excluding diversified mutual funds-Jushi|Royalties or Patent Beneficiary-Medtronic (Any division)|Membership on Advisory Committees or Review Panels, Board Membership, etc.-National Spine Health Foundation|Stocks or stock options, excluding diversified mutual funds-Orthobullets|Stocks or stock options, excluding diversified mutual funds-Parvizi Surgical Innovation|Stocks or stock options, excluding diversified mutual funds-Progressive Spinal Technologies|Membership on Advisory Committees or Review Panels, Board Membership, etc.-Sentryx|Stocks or stock options, excluding diversified mutual funds-Sentryx|Royalties or Patent Beneficiary-SpineWave|Stocks or stock options, excluding diversified mutual funds-Stout Medical|Royalties or Patent Beneficiary-Stout Medical|Stocks or stock options, excluding diversified mutual funds-See All AI|Royalties or Patent Beneficiary-Stryker (Any division)|Independent Contractor (included contracted research)-Stryker (Any division)|Royalties or Patent Beneficiary-Taylor Francis|Royalties or Patent Beneficiary-Thieme|Stocks or stock options, excluding diversified mutual funds-ViewFi Health|Royalties or Patent Beneficiary-Wolters Kluwer|Royalties or Patent Beneficiary-Wheel House Medical|Consulting Fee-Wheel House Medical|Consulting Fee-Ferring Pharmaceutical|Independent Contractor (included contracted research)-Expert Testimony

Ameen Barghi, MD
Main Line Health
Bryn Mawr, PA

Faculty

Eli Baron, MD
Medical Director, Spine Trauma Surgery
Cedars Sinai
Los Angeles, CA

Faculty

Bryce Basques, MD
Spine Fellow
Rothman Institute
Philadelphia, PA

Faculty

John M Beiner, MD
Spine Surgeon
Connecticut Orthopaedics
Madison, CT

Faculty

Joseph S Butler, PhD FRCS
Spine Surgeon
NSIU, Mater Misericordiae University Hospital
Dublin 4

Faculty

Thomas D Cha, MD, MBA
Rothman Orthopaedics
Philadelphia, PA

Faculty

Alex Ching, MD
Orthopedic Spine Surgeon
Oregon Spine Care
Tualatin, OR

Faculty

Jonathan Dalton, MD
Rothman Orthopaedic Institute
Philadelphia, PA

Faculty

Alan Daniels, MD
Spine Surgeon
Brown University
Barrington, RI

Faculty

Edward M DelSole, MD
Spine Surgeon
Keystone Spine & Pain Management Center
Wyomissing, PA

Faculty

DJ Fredericks Jr., MD
Orthopedic Spine Surgeon
Walter Reed National Military Medical Center
Arlington, VA

Faculty

Vincent Frederico, MD
Main Line Health
Bryn Mawr, PA

Faculty

Jonathan N Grauer, MD
Professor
Yale Orthopaedics
New Haven, CT

Faculty

Chambliss C Harrod, MD
Physician
Bone & Joint Clinic of Baton Rouge, Inc.
Baton Rouge, LA

Faculty

Robert F Heary, MD
Heary Neurosurgical Institute
Summit, NJ

Faculty

Joshua E Heller, MD, MBA
Associate Professor of Neurological Surgery
Thomas Jefferson University
Philadelphia, PA

Faculty

Consulting Fee-ATEC|Consulting Fee-Spinal Elements|Consulting Fee-Globus Medical, Inc.|Consulting Fee-XTANT|Royalties or Patent Beneficiary-Globus Medical, Inc.|Consulting Fee-Convatec (Relationship has ended)|Consulting Fee-Providence Medical Technology|Consulting Fee-SI Bone

Alan S Hilibrand, MD
Joseph and Marie Field Professor of Spinal Surgery
The Rothman Institute
Merion Station, PA

Faculty

Brian Karamian, MD
Instructor
University of Utah
Salt Lake City, UT

Faculty

David Kaye, MD
Assistant Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery
Rothman Orthopaedic Institute
Philadelphia, PA

Faculty

Eric O Klineberg, MD, MS
UT Health Houston
Bellaire, TX

Faculty

Jonathan D Krystal, MD
Spine Surgeon
Montefiore Medical Center
Roslyn Heights, NY

Faculty

Mark F Kurd, MD
Associate Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery
Rothman Institute, Thomas Jefferson University
Bryn Mawr, PA

Faculty

John Mangan, MD, MHA
Rothman Orthopaedics
Philadelphia, PA

Faculty

Patrick B Morrissey, MD
Orthopaedic Spine Surgeon
Naval Medical Center San Diego
San Diego, CA

Faculty

Mark J.R Moulton, MD
Orthopaedic Associates of Muskegon
Muskegon, MI

Faculty

Troy I Mounts, MD, MA
President - CEO
Troy I Mounts MD Inc
San Luis Obispo, CA

Faculty

Richard Nachwalter, MD
Spinal Surgeon
Atlantic Spine Specialists
Morristown, NJ

Faculty

Rajkishen Narayanan, MD
Rothman Orthopaedic Institute
Philadelphia, PA

Faculty

Mitchell Ng, MD
Rothman Orthopaedics
Philadelphia, PA

Faculty

Michael T Nolte, MD
Spine Surgeon
ProHealth Care
Pewaukee, WI

Faculty

Michael A Nolter, ATC
Jefferson Moss-Magee Rehabilitation
Reading, PA

Faculty

Chukwuka Okafor, MD, MBA, CIME, FAAOS
Spine Institute of Central Florida
Lakeland, FL

Faculty

Erik C Olsson, MD
Spine Surgeon
Southeastern Orthopedics & Spine
Asheville, NC

Faculty

Consulting Fee-OrthoFix|Royalties or Patent Beneficiary-OrthoFix

Zachariah Pinter, MD
Rothman Orthopedic Institute
Bala Cynwyd, PA

Faculty

Kornelis A Poelstra, MD, PhD
ALLEGIANT Spine Institute
Las Vegas, NV

Faculty

William Robinson, MD
Fellow
Rothman Orthopaedic Institute
Philadelphia, PA

Faculty

Glenn S Russo, MD, MS
Orthopaedic Surgeon
Thomas Jefferson University Hospital
Philadelphia, PA

Faculty

Hesham Saleh, MD
Spine Surgeon
Princeton Orthopaedic Associates
New Brunswick, NJ

Faculty

Andre M Samuel, MD
Thomas Jefferson University

Faculty

Michael S Schallmo, MD
Main Line Health
Bryn Mawr, PA

Faculty

Jeff S Silber, MD, DC
Northwell Health System
West Harrison, NY

Faculty

Jed Vanichkachorn, MD, MBA, MSHA
Tuckahoe Orthopaedics
Richmond, VA

Faculty

Michael J Vives, MD
Associate Professor of Orthopaedics
Rutgers University-New Jersey Medical School
Mendham, NJ

Faculty

Scott Wagner, MD, FAAOS
Orthopaedic Spine Surgeon
Walter Reed National Military Medical Center
Gaithersburg, VA

Faculty

Zachary Wilt, MD
Orthopedic Spine Surgeon
Rothman Orthopaedic
Spring Lake, PA

Faculty

Nothing to disclose

Sarah J Carmody, MBA
Associate Director
Thomas Jefferson University
Philadelphia, PA

OCPD Team Member

Nothing to disclose

Jacqueline Coval, BS
CE Planner
Thomas Jefferson University
Philadelphia, PA

OCPD Team Member

Nothing to disclose

Annette M Donawa, PhD, MSEd
Associate Provost
Thomas Jefferson University
Philadelphia, PA

OCPD Team Member

Nothing to disclose

Deana M Scruggs, BA
Project Manager
Thomas Jefferson University
Philadelphia, PA

OCPD Team Member

Nothing to disclose

Jennifer Turner, CA
Education Program Specialist
Thomas Jefferson University
Philadelphia, PA

OCPD Team Member

Nothing to disclose

This educational activity received no commercial support.

Join course directors Alexander Vaccaro MD, PhD and Jeffrey Rihn MD from the Rothman Orthopaedic Specialty Hospital, a world leader in orthopaedics for this year’s 26^th Annual Spine Fellows Alumni Symposium in Rhode Island.

Opportunity for spine surgeons to explore your company's latest products, services and technologies.

Showcase the latest clinical benefit or scientific research on your company's product including new uses, combinations, or therapies for approved product.

Boost your brand reputation, reach your target audience, and maximize your market share.

Application Deadline
Applications for exhibiting will be accepted through July 7, 2026. After July 7, 2026, applications may be accepted on a case by case basis.

Exhibitor Rules

• Exhibitor is not providing commercial support for this activity; they are purchasing exhibit space only.

• All exhibits must be tabletop or portable in nature.

• Exhibitor activities are restricted to the designated space at the conference. Distribution of educational/promotional materials by the exhibitors is limited to their booth space in the exhibit area. It is not permitted anywhere else in the hall, conference meeting space, or at the entrances to the conference meeting space.

• Exhibits are intended for informational purposes only; products should not be sold onsite.

• Photography by exhibitors that include images of the conference or its attendees is prohibited.

• The purpose of the exhibit is to support attendee education through product and service displays and demonstrations. Exhibitor personnel may observe scientific sessions but may not participate in or record them on behalf of their company.

• Thomas Jefferson University is not responsible for the security of exhibitors’ materials. Exhibitors are advised not to leave valuables (e.g., laptops, cell phones) unattended at any time.

Cancellation by Conference Organizers
If the conference is cancelled, the organizers are not responsible for any airfare, hotel, or other costs incurred by exhibitors. The full exhibit fee paid by the company will be refunded.

Exhibitor Refund Request
Requests for exhibitor fee refunds must be submitted in writing and received by the Office of Continuing Professional Development (OCPD) at least one month before the conference start date. Cancellations received before this deadline will incur a 10% cancellation fee. No refunds will be issued after this period. All refunds will be processed after the conference.

Exhibitors who do not attend the conference will not receive a refund. Send refund request to [email protected]. Include conference name in the subject line.