Professor John P McCabe, President Irish Spine Society

Clinical Practice
Having commenced practice in Galway in 1996, Professor Mc Cabe is the longest-serving Spine Surgeon in the Irish Public System. His expertise covers the full spectrum of traumatic, degenerative and tumour spine conditions as well as deformity surgery. He has pioneered technologies in this area including anterior and posterior cervical fixation and percutaneous spinal surgery. He has particular expertise in the management of complex spinal conditions in the presence of prior surgery.
Professor Mc Cabe also has an extensive practice in hip and knee surgery given his unique dual fellowship training in the world-renowned Hospital For Special Surgery, New York. This experience has ensured that he is skilled and has a wealth of knowledge in dealing with all aspects of musculoskeletal conditions pertaining to the spine and hip/knee area, conditions which often times can be difficult to diagnose and treat.

Research and Publications:
Professor Mc Cabe is very involved in ongoing research and teaching particularly in the area of spinal surgery. He has over 80 publications in peer reviewed journals as well as a number of co-authored book chapters in both spinal surgery and arthroplasty. He presents regularly at national and international meetings.

Areas of Interest

Spine

Hip & Knee Surgery

Mr Joseph Butler, Secretary Irish Spine Society

He is an active clinical and laboratory researcher based at Trinity College Dublin. He was awarded a PhD in bone biology by University College Dublin and has over 100 publications and 100 presentations at national and international scientific meetings. He has 40 major national and international awards for his research work and is on the editorial board of several major journals in the fields of Trauma & Orthopaedic Surgery and Spine Surgery. He is the secretary of the Irish Spine Society (ISS) and sits on the Biologics & Basic Research Committee and Robotics & Navigation Committee of the North American Spine Society (NASS). His h-index is 21 and he has over 1300 citations of his research.

Appointments

National Spinal Injuries Unit, Mater Misericordiae University Hospital,

Mater Private Hospital & Tallaght University Hospital.

K2

Professor Ciaran Bolger, Professor Clinical Neuroscience at Beaumont Hospital Dublin

He is on the Editorial Board of the European Spine Journal and on the Review Panel or Advisory board of several other Neurosurgery or Spine Journals.

He currently serves on the council of the Society of British Neurosurgeons and the European Spine Foundation and previously served on the Executive of the British Cervical Spine Society.  He is the UK representative to both the EANS and WFNS.

He is the Author of numerous book chapters and papers on neurosurgery, spinal surgery and has several published patents in the same area.

He has been invited speaker at numerous international medical and scientific meetings and has served as faculty on international training courses for neurosurgery, spinal and computer guided surgery.

He is a serial entrepeneur, have been involved in 5 startups 4 of which, to date, have achieved commercialisation.

He is a qualified and enthusuastic pilot. He also served as Candidate Astronaut to the European Space Agency.

Presentation

Managing Risk with Neurophysiological Monitoring  

Aisling Brennan, MSK Advanced Practice Physiotherapist, Tallaght Hospital

Aisling currently works in Tallaght hospital in the MSK Triage Service working at both Orthopaedic and Rheumatology clinics. Since 2017 she is also working as The National Planning and Performance Physiotherapist with the National MSK Steering Group.

Presentation

TBC

Mr David O’Brien, Consultant Neurosurgeon, The National Neurosurgery Centre, Beaumont Hospital

Returned to England as a consultant neurosurgeon with a special interest in complex spinal surgery to the Hull Royal Infirmary in 1999.  Whilst in England completed degrees in business (MDA) and in Medical Law (LL.M).  Returned to the Department of Neurosurgery in Beaumont Hospital Dublin in 2009, continuing a keen interest in complex spinal disorders.

Presentation

Syringomyelia Management

Dr Marie-Elaine Grant

 As lead physiotherapist to the Olympic Council of Ireland she was appointed to the Irish Olympic Team for 5 consecutive Summer Olympic Games commencing with Barcelona 1992 through to Beijing 2008. She has also worked extensively with developmental and youth athletes and was appointed to 10 Irish European Youth Olympic Squads. 

In 1997 she commenced her own physiotherapy practice in Dublin where she continues to enjoy clinical practice particularly in her specialist area of sports and exercise physiotherapy providing expert assessment, treatment and rehabilitation of sports injuries and sports related conditions from recreational to high performance athletes.

She has peer reviewed publications relating to sports injury and physiotherapy topics. She lectures on third level BSc Physiotherapy programmes and post-graduate MSc programmes in Sports and Exercise Physiotherapy and mentors post graduate physiotherapists. Through Olympic Solidarity she has also give sports physiotherapy education to developing nations in Africa.

In 2010 Marie-Elaine was appointed to the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) Medical Commission Games Group, in this role Marie-Elaine is responsible for monitoring all physiotherapy activities and facilities for all nations participating at an Olympic Games (Winter and Summer) and is the main contact person for the IOC for all issues related to physiotherapy and rehabilitation. She is currently facilitating with physiotherapy and physical therapies preparations for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

She was awarded Specialist Membership of the Irish Society of Chartered Physiotherapists in 2006 which has been renewed in 2013 for a second term. In September 2013  she was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from University College Dublin in recognition of expertise and contribution to Physiotherapy in Ireland.

Presentation

Risk Management of Athletic Low Back Pain

David Kaye, MD, Assistant Professor of Orthopedic and Neurological Surgery at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, The Rothman Institute.

He then completed his internship in general surgery and his residency in Orthopaedic Surgery at NYU Hospital for Joint Diseases in New York, NY where he was awarded the Nate Bondi Award, a distinction given for excellence in leadership, teamwork, and academic integrity. He completed a fellowship in Spine Surgery at Rothman Orthopaedic Institute at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia, PA and has stayed on as staff.

Presentation

Perioperative Management of Dysphagia after Cervical Spine Surgery

Post-operative dysphagia is a known risk factor after cervical spine surgery with a well-defined spectrum of severity ranging from expected mild swallowing pain to significant difficulties even requiring enteric feeding. Correction of cervical deformity can further predispose to this untoward complication. We will review the literature on post-operative dysphagia and potential perioperative interventions along with some illustrative case examples.

Christopher Kepler, Associate Professor, Rothman Institute & Thomas Jefferson University

He has published more than a hundred and fifty peer-reviewed articles and presents regularly at national and international spine meetings. He has multiple ongoing research interests including a strong interest in basic research where he studies the molecular biology of disc degeneration and strategies to prevent postoperative infection, research which is funded by the NIH.  Dr. Kepler has a faculty appointment at Thomas Jefferson University where he directs a basic science lab and is heavily involved in clinical research.

Presentation

Management of Intraoperative and Postoperative Neurologic Deficits

The known risks associated with spinal surgery does little to lessen the anxiety felt by a surgeon during or after an operation when a patient suffers a neurologic injury. Medical, social and practical strategies for mitigation of patient harm, physician anxiety and medicolegal consequences are discussed along with several case examples.

Patrick Morrissey, Lieutenant Commander

From there he traveled to Philadelphia for his spine fellowship at the Rothman Institute. He currently resides with his wife and twin toddlers in San Diego, California where he serves as Assistant Professor of Orthopaedic surgery at the Naval Medical Center. Dr. Morrissey’s academic interests include the treatment of young athletes with degenerative spinal pathology. He currently cares for a diverse military population that includes members of both the Marine Corps and Navy SEALs.

Presentation

Treatment of the Military Athlete with Degenerative Spinal Pathology

The demands of military service present unique challenges in the management of degenerative spinal pathology. The degenerative disease often presents much earlier than in the civilian population and caring for the warfighter requires a thoughtful approach to both operative and nonoperative treatment. Young military patients require short recovery times and durable results. Specific challenges for the military spine surgeon include the management of cervical radiculopathy and isthmic lumbar spondylolisthesis in the young. This presentation will focus on the treatment considerations and outcomes for these disorders in an active duty military population.

Arjun Sebastian, M.D

After completing undergraduate and medical school at Case Western Reserve University, Arjun began his orthopaedic surgery residency at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. It was during his time as a resident that he became interested in spine surgery and went on to do a spine surgery fellowship at the Rothman Institute in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Following completion of his fellowship, Arjun went back to Mayo Clinic to join on as staff. Since returning to Mayo, Arjun has enjoyed participating in high-value initiatives to both decrease cost and increase quality in spine surgery.

Presentation

Malpractice in Spine Surgery

Spine surgery has unique inherent risks and complications that set it apart from other surgical specialities. As such spine surgeons typically pay higher malpractice premiums than other surgical disciplines and face considerably higher malpractice rates, indemnity payments, and defence costs. Despite this, little evidence is available describing medical liability issues in spine surgery, and surgeons themselves typically have a limited understanding of the subject. Understanding how complications can result in claims, and strategies to minimize risk is crucial.

Scott C. Wagner, M.D

During subspecialty training in spinal surgery, he was selected as the 2017 recipient of the CDR Michael T. Mazurek Clinician Scholar Award by the Society of Military Orthopaedic Surgeons, for commitment to excellence in military orthopaedic education and research. In 2018, he was named one of the North American Spine Society’s “20 Under 40”. Dr. Wagner has authored hundreds of meeting abstracts, publications and textbook chapters, and has presented internationally on topics related to conditions of the spine.

Presentation

Complex Spine Surgery in the Elderly Population: Pearls and Pitfalls

Gallery of Images from the 2016 Irish Spine Society Conference