Awards and Honors

1988 - Georgetown University Bachelor of Science, Cum Laude
Dean's List (3 of 6 semesters), First Honors (1 of 6), Second Honors (1 of 6).

1991 - Georgetown University School of Medicine Research Award: $1500
Heterogeneity of Benzodiazepine Recognition Site Ligands

1991 - Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society

1992 - Georgetown University Medical School, Cum Laude, Rank: 14/200

1994 - Diplomate, National Board of Medical Examiners

1994 -Baylor College of Medicine, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery
Paul Harrington Award for Orthopaedic Research: $1000
Age-Related Changes in Vertebral Bone Density and Trabecular Architecture are Influenced by Degenerative Change and Osteoporosis

1998 - Baylor College of Medicine, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery
Paul Harrington Award for Orthopaedic Research: $1000
Histology of Fractured Human Vertebral Bodies: Documentation of Intraosseous Nerves

2000 - Grant Recipient, Cervical Spine Research Society: $30,000 for SCI research

2001 - Russell Hibbs Basic Science Award, Scoliosis Research Society, Cleveland, OH
Axonal Regeneration Using Transplants of Genetically Engineered Fibroblasts in Spinal Cord Injury

2002 - American Spinal Injury Association Research Award: $1000.00, Vancouver, BC - SCI Research, First Place Paper

2002 - Golden Stethoscope Award - Most Dedicated Physician, Graduate Hospital, PA

2002 - Physician of the Year-Orthopaedic Residency Award for Teaching, PCOM, Philadelphia, PA

2003 - Fellow American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgery: FAAOS

2003 - Elected Active Member, Cervical Spine Research Society

2003 - SDEG Fellow, Scoliosis Research Society- Spinal Deformity Education Group Award

2003 - Grant Recipient: Shriners Hospital for Children: $25,000 for SCI Research

2003 - Russell Hibbs Basic Science Award, Scoliosis Research Society, Quebec, Canada
"Human Marrow Stromal Cell Transplants In a Collagen Matrix Support Axonal Regeneration of Descending Pathways Across Complete Spinal Cord Transections"

2003 - Invited Speaker, Spine Study Group 14th Annual Symposium, Palm Beach, FL

2003 - Invited Lecturer, Shriners Hospitals for Children 3rd Howard H. Steel Conference on Pediatric Spinal Cord Injury, Orlando, FL

2005 - Elected to Full, Active Member. Scoliosis Research Society

2005 - Grant Recipient: Shriners Hospital For Children: >$150,000 for SCI Research

2005 - Top Physician: Spine Surgery. Guide to America's Top Physicians.
Consumers Research Council of America. Washington D.C.

2005 - Cervical Spine Research Society, Nominated for best Paper Award

2005 - Fellow American Academy of Surgery: FACS

2006 - European Cervical Spine Research Society: Invited Guest Speaker, Berlin.

2006 - Invited Faculty, Depuy Spine Minimally Invasive Course, NYC

2006 - Invited Faculty, Shriners Hospital/Depuy Spine Advanced Spine Techniques

2006 - AO SPINE Europe:  Invited Guest Speaker, Majorca, Spain.

2006 - Co-chair, Steel Conference Precourse, SCI, Orlando, Florida

2006 - Pitie-Salpetriere Hospital, Invited Guest Speaker, Paris

2007 - Invited Faculty, Spine Study Group 18th Annual Symposium, Palm Beach, FL

2007 - Invited Speaker, European BIOSPINE II, Leipzig, Germany

2007 - Invited Faculty, Academy of Orthopaedic Surgery, San Diego

2007 - Top Physician: Spine Surgery.  Guide to America’s Top Physicians. Consumers Research Council of America, Washington, D.C.

2008 - Invited Speaker, Spine Study Group 19th Annual Symposium, Palm Beach, FL

2008 - Invited Presenter, Int'l Congress, Scoliosis/Growing Spine, Montreal, Germany

2008 - Invited Presenter, North American Spine Society, Toronto, Canada

2008 - Invited Presentation, Scoliosis Research Society, Salt Lake City, Utah

2009 - Appointed Member, Cervical Spine Research Society, Scientific Program Committee, 3 year term

2009 - Invited Moderator, Cervical Spine Research Society, Salt Lake City, Utah

2010 - Invited Moderator, Cervical Spine Research Society, Charlotte, North Carolina

2010 - Invited Presenter, Cervical Spine Research Society, Charlotte, North Carolina