Advisory Board

Scientific Advisory Board

Kamal Ibrahim, MD

Dr. Ibrahim has practiced Pediatric Orthopedic & Spine surgery for more than thirty years. He is a Clinical Professor of Orthopedics at Loyola University Chicago. Dr. Ibrahim is a renowned researcher, speaker, and surgeon, who authored many scientific articles and book chapters. He is a member of many prestigious national and international orthopedic and spine surgery organizations. Besides his surgical practice, he is involved in defending human rights issues in developing countries. Dr. Ibrahim is in charge of an extensive program conducted by the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons to educate health care givers in Africa about orthopedic care and treatment. He is former president of the Scoliosis Research Society (SRS).

Mark Weidenbaum, MD

Mark Weidenbaum, MD received his medical degree from Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons and has been in practice for over 30 years. He is affiliated with New York-Presbyterian University Hospital of Columbia and Cornell where he treats a broad range of spinal disorders in adults and children, including deformities, arthritis, trauma, tumors, instability, and degenerative conditions. His surgical procedures range from minimally invasive, microsurgical approaches to complex spinal reconstructions. Dr. Weidenbaum is active in basic science as well as clinical research and has published numerous scientific articles in peer-reviewed journals. He is particularly interested in spinal deformity and degeneration and travels regularly to participate in scientific exchanges and care for patients with challenging conditions. Dr. Weidenbaum holds leadership roles in national and international spine surgery organizations. Dr. Weidenbaum is currently the Chairman of SpineCraft's Scientific Advisory Board.

Steven Mardjetko, MD

Steven Mardjetko, MD, FAAP is a graduate of the University of Illinois College of Medicine, and stayed for his residency training in orthopaedic surgery at the University of Illinois Medical Center. He received expert specialty training by completing two postgraduate fellowships at Rush University, one in pediatric orthopaedics and the other in spinal deformity and reconstruction. He is board certified in orthopaedic surgery and pediatric orthopaedics. Dr. Mardjetko has several academic appointments, and is a fellow in the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Scoliosis Research Society, where he has served on its board of directors. He is an active lecturer at many professional meetings and conferences, where he teaches the latest surgical techniques to spine surgeons world-wide.

Dennis Devito, MD

After completing the Harvard pediatric orthopedic surgery fellowship at Boston Children's Hospital, Dr. Devito began his career at Vanderbilt University Medical Center as an assistant professor in the department of Orthopedics. He specializes in the treatment of scoliosis, complex spinal disorders and deformities in children, adolescents, and young adults. His passion for caring for children, both in the US and around the world, is demonstrated by his more than 15 years of charity mission work in Central America where he treats scoliosis and other orthopedic conditions.

Steven Mather, MD

Dr. Mather is an Orthopedic Surgeon with DuPage Medical Group in the greater Chicago area. He specializes in disorders of the adult spine including cervical, thoracic, and lumbar area, with a special interest in failed back surgery. He is a graduate of the Chicago Medical School and completed his residency training in orthopedic surgery at Maricopa County Hospital. He received expert training by completing two postgraduate fellowships, one in spinal surgery/spinal cord injury at Case Western Reserve University and the other in orthopedic biomechanics and arthritis at Harrington Arthritis Research Center. He is board certified in orthopedic surgery. Dr. Mather is a member of North American Spine Society, American Medical Association, Illinois State Medical Society and Chicago Medical Society.

Anis Mekhail, MD

Dr. Mekhail is an orthopedic surgeon at Parkview Musculoskeletal Institute in Palos Heights, IL and a Clinical Assistant Professor at University of Illinois at Chicago. He specializes in spine deformity surgery and disorders of the adult spine, with a special interest in minimally invasive surgery. He is a graduate of Ain Shams University School of Medicine in Cairo, Egypt and completed his residency training in orthopedic surgery at the University of Illinois at Chicago. He received training in a postgraduate fellowship in spine surgery at Cleveland Clinic Foundation. Dr. Mekhail is certified by the American Board of Orthopedic Surgeons. He is a member of North American Spine Society, Mid-America Orthopedic Association, American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons and Orthopedic Trauma Association.

Paul M. Arnold, MD

Dr. Arnold is Professor of Neurological Surgery and Vice-Chairman of Research for the Department of Neurosurgery at the University of Kansas Medical Center in Kansas City, Kansas. He received his M.D. in 1984 from the University of Illinois in Chicago and completed his neurosurgical residency at the University of Illinois Hospital, Cook County Hospital, and Michael Reese Hospital in 1992. After completion of his Spine Surgery Fellowship at the Medical College of Wisconsin, Dr. Arnold joined the Department of Neurosurgery at the University of Kansas Medical Center in 1993 as an Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery. He achieved Board Certification in Neurological Surgery in 1997, and was promoted to Associate Professor in 1999, then to Professor in 2004. Dr. Arnold combines an active clinical practice in complex and degenerative spinal disorders and diseases with a research focus on discovering novel treatments for spinal trauma and spinal cord injury. Dr. Arnold has published over 150 articles as well as numerous book chapters, primarily on the topics of complex spinal surgery and spinal cord injury.

Ivan Cheng, MD

After obtaining his degree at Harvard Medical School, Dr. Cheng completed his residency in Orthopaedic Surgery at U.C. Davis and his spine surgery fellowship with the world-renowned spine surgery group at Washington University in St. Louis. Board-certified in Orthopaedic Surgery, Dr. Cheng has received many awards including the Timothy Bray Trauma Award from U.C. Davis, the Saul Halpern Orthopaedic Teacher of the Year Award from Stanford, the International Society for the Study of the Lumbar Spine Prize in Clinical Research, and Outstanding Paper Awards from the North American Spine Society. In addition to the latest techniques in spinal reconstruction, Dr. Cheng is also well-experienced in minimally-invasive surgery and motion-preserving surgery. He is a Board Member of the Cervical Spine Research Society as well as a member of the Scoliosis Research Society, the North American Spine Society, and the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.