Spine Society of Australia:
Trainee Weekend on Spinal Biomechanics 11 - 12 June 2016 | Rydges South Bank, Brisbane

United States

Professor Avinash G. Patwardhan is a Professor in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery & Rehabilitation at Loyola University Stritch School of Medicine and Director of the Musculoskeletal Biomechanics laboratory at Edward Hines Jr. VA Hospital. 

Dr. Patwardhan is a dynamic teacher and a pioneer in the area of spinal biomechanics, having developed a novel biomechanical spine testing technique known as the follower load, which has achieved recognition in biomechanical laboratories world-wide. Dr. Patwardhan has authored over 100 original articles, 13 book chapters, and 267 presentations at national and international conferences. For his innovative research, Dr. Patwardhan has received numerous prestigious awards including the 1982 Volvo Award given by the International Society for the Study of the Lumbar Spine, the 2005 Outstanding Paper Award for his work on lumbar disc arthroplasty, and the 2009 Henry Farfan Award for outstanding contributions to spine related basic science research, presented by the North American Spine Society.

Australia

A graduate of Sydney University, Dr Sears became one of the first neurosurgeons in Australia to sub-specialize exclusively in the field of spinal surgery. Recently retired as a VMO at Royal North Shore Hospital, he is now in private practice in northern Sydney and vice-President of the Spine Society of Australia. An author of 29 peer-reviewed publications, he undertakes clinical, observational research in the fields of adjacent segment degeneration, dynamic spinal stabilisation and spinal balance. He maintains an active interest in laboratory biomechanical research.