NASS DFNS CLASS OF 2026
Mohammad Majd, MD
Semi-Retired
Newport Coast, CA
Orthopedic Surgeon
NASS Member Since 1997
What is a lesson you learned early in your career that you still carry with you today?
I have learned that doing spine surgery is different than other orthopedic subspecialities; I learned that you need a couple of years of sharing your cases with your mentor or other coworkers to get good at it. I also learned that if you have a good bed manner, and are respectful and honest with your patients especially regarding the complication you don’t need marketing, just word of mouth makes you a busy surgeon.
Describe a challenge you faced in your career and what it taught you.
I was doing a TLIF procedure at L2-L3 level with my fellow in an overweight female and due to the rupture of ALL the patient developed bleeding and a was able to control it with a bipolar 24 hours after the surgery the patient developed retroperitoneal hematoma but she was stable and her HB was 7.5-8. The consulting general surgeon pushed me to take her back to surgery to drain the hematoma and I have learned that was a great mistake because the surgery was a disaster and I should sit on the case and check her with serial Hb check because the majority of those bleeding get under control by the hematoma.
What accomplishment are you most proud of, and why?
Training fellows and students, being able to publish, doing presentations nationally and internationally, and helping patients in some countries that they do not have access to the care that we have here in this country.
What skills do you believe are most important for today's spine professionals to develop?
The skill of listening to the patients, examining the patients properly and then looking at the imaging studies. Treat the patients like your family members, and while you are in the exam room with them pay attention to them not to the computer.
Also being respectful and humble to all of your coworker from MDs, Nurses, the person that cleans and mops the operating room, and the wards.
What initially inspired you to become involved with NASS, and what has kept you engaged over the years?
After completing of my fellowship in Louisville Kentucky, I attended the NASS meeting in Philadelphia, and I was impressed with the wide range of topics that were discussed so I decided to join. My mentor, Dr Holt, and others like Drs Hochschuler, Chapman and Vaccaro were also instrumental in this decision.
If you could go back and give your younger self one piece of career advice, what would it be?
Study hard, learn the anatomy well, learn the skill of handling the instrument correctly, be very respectful to the tissues, especially the spinal cord and nerve roots.