NASS DFNS CLASS OF 2026
Tom Mayer, MD
PRIDE
Dallas, TX
Orthopedic Surgeon
NASS Member Since 1986
What was a pivotal moment in your career that shaped the professional you are today?
The pivotal moment and challenge in my career occurred with the loss of bilateral central vision in 1981, that ended my career as an operating orthopedic surgeon. A former training chief and NASS President, Vert Mooney, provided the collaboration in his Orthopedic University department to establish an alternate career in nonoperative orthopedics and rehabilitation. Everything in my life thereafter developed from that misfortune, which ultimately became positively life-changing. The many unanswered research, practice and economic challenges in this unexplored world was my career path from then on, and was truly “the road that diverged in the wood.”
Is there a NASS volunteer experience that had a lasting impact on you?
NASS offered volunteer experiences of unparalleled value to me, both nationally and regionally. First and most important was the opportunity to serve on the Board and enter the Presidential line. The opportunity to found The Spine Journal and be its founding Editor-in-Chief was a valued career enhancer. Later, as Treatment Guidelines became of greater importance, participation on guideline committees was vital. My credibility with AMA on the Guides to Evaluation of Permanent Impairment allowed NASS representatives to significantly influence the development of this international instrument. In all, compared to other professional societies tied to training and specialty, NASS involvement has been far more productive and relevant to national and regional issues in spine care, in my experience.
If you could go back and give your younger self one piece of career advice, what would it be?
I would advise young professionals to expand their horizons from the nuts and bolts of their practices. Join a community like NASS, volunteer for assignments of interest to you and meet more national colleagues. Do the same in your personal life, introducing yourself and your family to non-medical experiences in nature, history and literature. Don’t pay attention to the headlines but try to read to the substance below.