One of my most memorable mentors was Dr. Michael Groff, who was my spine fellowship director at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Unfortunately, Dr. Groff and many of his family perished in a tragic accident a little more than 1 year ago. One of Dr. Groff’s favorite lines was “if it was easy, everyone would do it”. This to me meant that hard is good. We as spine surgeons should embrace difficult problems – whether it be scientific questions, clinical scenarios or administrative challenges. It is only by embracing difficult situations that we get better.

Intellectually, I found spine surgery the most challenging and yet the most congruent to my background as a biomedical engineer. In neurosurgery, I felt it was the field that had the most growth potential and its focus on problem solving was particularly enticing. Having now been in practice for close to 10 years, I definitely think I made the right decision. The field is growing at an extraordinary rate with new techniques being developed to help patients.

Although the name of the Association is ‘North American,’ it is truly an international organization. I fondly remember meeting many colleagues from all over the world at the Annual meeting and this has become a highlight of my attendance at the Annual meeting. I am particularly excited to now serve on the International Strategic Growth Committee starting in November 2026.