Behrooz Akbarnia, MD is past Treasurer and past President of the Board of Directors as well as a founding member of the Pediatric Spine Foundation. He is a Clinical Professor of Orthopedic Surgery at University of California, San Diego and Chairman of the Board and Founder of the San Diego Spine Foundation. He was instrumental in the establishment of the International Congress on Early Onset Scoliosis and Growing Spine (ICEOS), which provides an annual scientific forum for pediatric spine care professionals. He has published 3 editions of The Growing Spine textbook and pioneered the development and popularization of the traditional dual growing rod technique as well as the magnetic growth device (MAGEC) for growing children with spine deformity. Dr. Akbarnia is a past president of the Scoliosis Research Society. He has a deep commitment to improving patient care in the challenging Early Onset and Growing pediatric population.

Richard C. E. Anderson, MD is a Clinical Associate Professor of Neurosurgery at NYU Langone and Director of Pediatric Neurosurgery at Goryeb Children's Hospital, St. Joseph's Children's Hospital, and Valley Hospital. After earning an MD from Johns Hopkins University, he completed neurosurgical residency at Columbia University and a pediatric neurosurgery fellowship at the University of Utah Primary Children's Hospital. He holds leadership positions in many neurosurgical organizations including a Director of the American Board of Pediatric Neurosurgeons. HIs research efforts focus on collaborative studies investigating the effects of neurosurgical and orthopedic interventions on the growing spine.

Laurel Blakemore, MD is a founding member of the Pediatric Spine Foundation. She is the chief executive officer for Pediatric Specialists of Virginia, a collaboration between Children's National Hospital and Inova Health System. She is also a Clinical Professor of Orthopedic Surgery and Pediatrics at George Washington University School of Medicine and Professor of Neurosurgery and Medical Education, University of Virginia Inova Fairfax Campus. Dr. Blakemore has served on the board of directors for the Pediatric Orthopedic Society of North America and the Scoliosis Research Society (SRS). She is currently the Vice President for the SRS and Chair of the Shriner's Hospitals Medical Advisory Board. Dr. Blakemore graduated from medical school at the University of Alabama and completed her residency in orthopedic surgery at the University of Michigan followed by a fellowship in Pediatric Orthopedics at Case Western Reserve University. Dr. Blakemore is passionate about improving treatment options for early onset scoliosis and other pediatric conditions.

Pat Cahill, MD is a professor and the Robert M. Campbell Endowed Chair at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and the University of Pennsylvania. He is the director of the Wyss-Campbell Center for Thoracic Insufficiency Syndrome. He earned his bachelor's degree in mathematics from Vanderbilt University, MD from the University of Illinois, completed his residency in orthopedic surgery at Loyola University, and his spine fellowship at Rush University. Dr. Cahill conducts research related to pediatric spine deformity across a broad spectrum of clinical and translational disciplines. He enjoys traditional Irish music, tennis, hiking, and cycling.

Ron El-Hawary, MD, MSc. is a founding member and a past president of the Pediatric Spine Foundation. He is a faculty member at Harvard University and works as a pediatric orthopaedic surgeon at Boston Children's Hospital. He has a background in Mechanical Engineering and Medical Biophysics and completed his orthopaedic training at the University of Western Ontario, with fellowship training at Texas Scottish Rite Hospital in Dallas, Texas. He is also the founding president of the Canadian Pediatric Spine Society and a past president of the Canadian Pediatric Orthopaedic Society. His areas of clinical and research interests include neuromuscular scoliosis and innovative approaches to the treatment of EOS.

John "Jack" Flynn, MD is a founding member of Pediatric Spine Foundation. He is the Chief of Orthopaedic Surgery at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, where he has been inducted into the Academy of Master Clinicians. He did his orthopaedic surgery training at Harvard University and the Children's Hospital of Boston, then fellowship training at Alfred I. duPont Institute in Delaware. He helped found CHOP's Center for Thoracic Insufficiency Syndrome in 2004, the nation's first multidisciplinary program created to treat children with thoracic insufficiency syndrome and early onset scoliosis. He has been President of POSNA, the Pediatric Spine Foundation and Vice President of the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery. He has been inducted into the POSNA Hall of Fame. He is passionately committed to improving the care of children with spine problems.

Michael Glotzbecker, MD is a founding member of the Pediatric Spine Foundation. He is a professor of orthopaedics and Division Chief of Pediatric Orthopaedics at Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital. He holds the George Thompson Endowed Chair for Pediatric Orthopaedic Surgery. He is a graduate of Duke University. After completing medical school at the University of Pennsylvania, he completed orthopaedic residency at Harvard. He then completed a fellowship at Boston Children's Hospital before joining staff at Boston Children's Hospital. He moved to Cleveland in 2019. He has broad research interests related to improving quality of care in Early Onset Scoliosis, idiopathic scoliosis and other spinal conditions.

Matt Oetgen, MD is the Chief of Orthopaedic Surgery and Sports Medicine at Children's National Hospital in Washington, DC and Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery and Pediatrics at George Washington University. He holds the Joseph E. Robert, Jr. Endowed Chair for Pediatric Orthopaedic Surgery. He completed his medical training at Georgetown University, his orthopaedic surgery residency at Yale-New Haven Hospital, and his pediatric orthopaedic fellowship at Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children. Dr. Oetgen's research interests include the care of children with cervical spine deformities and improving the quality of care provided to pediatric patients with spinal deformity.

Amer Samdani, MD is a founding member of the Pediatric Spine Foundation. He serves as the Chief of Staff at Shriners Children's Philadelphia as well as a Professor of Orthopaedic and Neurosurgery (adjunct) at the Sydney Kimmel Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University. He received his B.S. from Columbia University and M.D. from the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. He completed his residency at the Johns Hopkins Hospital and performed a fellowship in pediatric neurosurgery at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. He has held leadership positions in multiple organizations. His research interests include growth modulation, neurological disorders associated with spine deformity, and management of severe deformities.

Jeff Sawyer, MD is a founding member of the Pediatric Spine Foundation. He serves as Co-Chief of the Pediatric Spine Service at the Campbell Clinic-Lebonheur Children's Hospital as well as a Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at University of Tennessee Campbell Clinic. He received his B.S. from the Rochester Institute of Technology. He earned his M.D. from the University of Rochester. He completed his residency at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and performed a fellowship in pediatric orthopaedic surgery at the Campbell Clinic. He has held leadership positions in multiple organizations and is the incoming President of the Pediatric Orthopedic Society of North America. His research interests include the long term outcomes for patients with Early Onset Scoliosis as adults.

Steve Schwartz is the Chairman of the Board and a founding member of the Pediatric Spine Foundation. He is the President of GDS Consulting Services, LLC., specializing in the areas of professional medical education, marketing, and medical humanitarian initiatives. He has many years of experience in the medical device marketplace where he held many senior management positions, including executive management of sales; executive management of professional education; and liaison with the AO Foundation (a worldwide non-profit medical research and education organization). He has worked closely with many professional societies relating to Orthopaedics, Spine, and Craniomaxillofacial surgery; and he currently serves on the Boards of several non-profit and non-governmental service organizations. Mr. Schwartz holds a degree in Geography from the University of California, Los Angeles.

David Skaggs, MD, MMM is a founding member of the Pediatric Spine Foundation. He is the Director of the Spine Center of Excellence, Executive Vice-Chair Orthopaedics, Director Pediatric Orthopaedics and Professor of Orthopaedics, Pediatrics and Neurosurgery at Cedars Sinai. He received his undergraduate degree from Amherst College and completed his medical degree and residency at Columbia University. He has a special interest in all aspects of care of growing children with spinal disorders. He has designed many spine implant systems and techniques to maximize patient safety.

John Smith, MD is a founding member of Pediatric Spine Foundation. He completed his orthopedic training at the University of Utah and fellowship at Atlanta Scottish Rite Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia. He is currently the Chief of Scoliosis Service at Primary Children's Medical Center in Salt Lake City, while serving as Professor of Orthopaedics at the University of Utah. He is also the recipient of the Mary Scowcroft Peery Presidential Endowed Chair in Orthopaedics. His interests are in research and innovative techniques in the management of Early Onset Scoliosis. He has worked extensively on development of surgical teams and checklists to improve safety and reduce complications in this patient population.

Paul Sponseller, MD, MBA is a founding member of Pediatric Spine Foundation. He serves as Chief of the Division of Pediatric Orthopaedics at the Johns Hopkins Children's Center, as well as a Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. He received his B.S. from the University of Michigan. He earned his M.D. from the University of Michigan Medical School. He completed his residency at the University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics and performed a fellowship in pediatric orthopaedic surgery at Boston Children's Hospital of Harvard Medical School. He has held leadership positions in multiple organizations. His research interests include Marfan syndrome, pediatric spinal deformities, pediatric skeletal trauma and bladder exstrophy.

Tricia St. Hilaire, MPH is the Executive Director and a founding member of the Pediatric Spine Foundation. She has a background in product design, development and manufacturing, specifically in orthopedic spinal devices. She earned a degree in biomedical engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and received her Masters in Public Health at UMass Amherst. She has led the Pediatric Spine Foundation since it's inception and is passionate about long-term health outcomes, rare disease advocacy, and innovation.

Michael Vitale, MD, MPH is a founding member of the Pediatric Spine Foundation. He is the Director of Pediatric Orthopaedics and Chief of the Pediatric Spine Service at the Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital of New York Presbyterian, while serving as the Ana Lucia Professor of Orthopaedic and Neurological Surgery at Columbia University Irving College of Physicians and Surgeons. He completed his orthopedic training at Columbia University where he also earned a Master's degree in Public Health, with fellowship training at the Children's Hospital Los Angeles. He has been President of POSNA, BOD of SRS, President of the Project for Safety in Spine Surgery, Chairman of IPOS, and President of the Pediatric Spine Foundation. The core focus of his clinical, administrative, and academic contributions has been on helping young people with spine problems live better lives, today and in the future.

Burt Yaszay, MD is Chief of Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine at Seattle Children's Hospital as well as Professor and Vice Chair in Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine at the University of Washington School of Medicine. He completed his Orthopaedic training at the University of Washington and pursued a pediatric and adult spine fellowship at NYU/Hospital for Joint Diseases. He holds leadership positions in multiple organizations. His clinical and research interests include early onset scoliosis, cervical spine, and long-term outcomes of pediatric spinal diseases and treatment. He was part of the team the implanted the first magnetically controlled growing rod in the United States.