2026 North American Spine Society Distinguished Fellow of NASS (DFNS) Class

The individuals featured in this publication comprise the 2026 Distinguished Fellows of the North American Spine Society (DFNS) inductees. This prestigious designation recognizes members who have demonstrated sustained commitment to professional excellence, engagement, and service to the spine community throughout their careers.

As Distinguished Fellows, these members exemplify the leadership, expertise, and dedication that advance both NASS and the field of surgical and comprehensive spine care. To commemorate this inaugural class of Distinguished Fellows, all inductees were invited to reflect on their career journey, share what NASS has meant to them professionally, and offer advice to the next generation of spine care providers and researchers. The profiles throughout this publication feature responses from those Distinguished Fellows who chose to participate, providing personal insights and experiences that highlight the many paths to leadership and excellence in spine care.

We are proud to recognize their achievements and celebrate their lasting contributions to the profession. Learn more about the Distinguished Fellow of NASS program or apply for 2027 at www.spine.org/dfns.

List of all 2026 Distinguished Fellows of the North American Spine Society

Distinguished Fellow Profiles

Kaku Barkoh, MD Kingwood, TX
Kingsley Chin, MD, MBA Ft. Lauderdale, FL
Brian Clifford, DPT, OCS, CSCS Boston, MA
Olumide Danisa, MD Durham, NC
Michael Fehlings, MD, PhD, FRCSC Toronto, ON, Canada
John Finkenberg, MD San Diego, CA
Ram Haddas, PhD, MBA, MEng Rochester, NY
Deeptee Jain, MD Palm Beach, FL
Daniel Kim, MD, MS Birmingham, AL
Justin Lantz, DPT Los Angeles, CA
Jeff Lehmen, MD Jefferson City, MO
Isador Lieberman, MD Plano, TX
Sukanta Maitra, MD Las Vegas, NV
Tobias Mattei, MD, JD, FACS St. Louis, MO
Christopher McDonald, MD Mansfield, MA
Mark Mikhael, MD Glenview, IL
Richard (Dick) Nasca, MD Wilmington, NC
Lindsay Orosz, PhD, MSc, PA-C Reston, VA
Mitchell Reiter, MD, PC Summit, NJ
Zeeshan Sardar, MD, MSc New York, NY
Lali Sekhon, MD, PhD, MBA Reno, NV
Michael Suer, MD Madison, WI
Ryan Tauzell, PT, MA, MDT Christiansburg, VA
Andrew Trontis, MD, MBA Englewood, NJ
Richard Vogel, PhD, DABNM Nashville, TN
William Watters III, MD, MMS, MS Houston, TX
Jau-Ching Wu, MD, PhD Taipei City, Taiwan
SlaviĊĦa Zagorac, MD Belgrade, Serbia
Ernest Braxton Jr., MD, MBA Vail, CO
Theodore (Ted) Choma, MD Columbia, MO
Mark Croucher, DC Williamsburg, VA
Jaime Diaz de Atauri Bosch, MD Alcobendas, Spain
Lisa Ferrara, PhD Hendersonville, NC
Michael Gerling, MD Brooklyn, NY
Jung-Woo Hur, MD, PhD Seoul, South Korea
Hemant Kalia, MD, MPH Rochester, NY
Sameer Kitab, MD Al-Qadisiyah, Iraq
Ho-Jin Lee, MD, PhD Cheonan, South Korea
Alexander Lemons, MD Pinehurst, NC
Sheng-fu (Larry) Lo, MD, MHS Great Neck, NY
Mohammad Majd, MD Newport Coast, CA
Gregory McComis, MD Munster, IN
Hitesh Mehta, PhD Atlanta, GA
Christian Morgenstern, MD, PhD, MSc Barcelona, Spain
Catherine Olinger, MD North Liberty, IA
Stephen Pirris, MD Jacksonville, FL
Kamran Sahrakar, MD, FACS Little Rock, AR
Philip Schneider, MD Chevy Chase, MD
Jeremy Shaw, MD Salt Lake City, UT
Koji Tamai, MD Osaka, Japan
Mark Testaiuti, MD Mount Laurel, NJ
Alexander Vaccaro, MD, PhD Philadelphia, PA
Jeffrey Wang, MD Los Angeles, CA
F. Todd Wetzel, MD Cooperstown, NY
Jim Youssef, MD Durango, CO