Becker’s Spine Review interviews HSS spine surgeons Harvinder S. Sandhu, MD, MBA, and Andrew A. Sama, MD, who discussed their goals for tenure following their recent appointment as co-chiefs of HSS Spine, and current trends in spine care.

Drs. Sandhu and Sama explained their plans to leverage relationships with physician and nursing colleagues, as well as executive leadership partners to continue to advance the level of spine care at HSS and throughout the nation. “We will continue to endorse astute diagnostics techniques and the application of vetted surgical principals to create a personalized treatment plan for each of our patients. We will promote and ensure excellence in the clinical, academic and research endeavors of each member of the service,” cited Drs. Sandhu and Sama.

When asked about the future of the HSS Spine department, Drs. Sandhu and Sama noted, “Spine surgery is one of the most dynamically evolving areas in musculoskeletal care. Our goal is to remain on the forefront of this continuing evolution by focusing on innovation while anchoring ourselves to data-driven validation of outcomes and progress. We have nearly 20 spine surgeons on staff, a group larger than many entire orthopedic departments. Down the road, we hope to find a balance of both working cohesively as a single large service while also allowing specific interest groups to work in smaller sections for clinical and research collaboration.”

Drs. Sandhu and Sama also discussed how they plan to address challenges in the surgical spine field, saying, “Despite advances in navigation, robotics, biologics and minimally invasive techniques, we will continue to emphasize the importance of accurate diagnostics, the formulation of a sound treatment plan, and excellence in execution of that plan. We feel that all of these advances are excellent tools, but the surgeon should use these tools in the context of sound fundamental principles, not surrender blindly to them.”

Read the article at Beckersspine.com.