NASS DFNS CLASS OF 2026
Gabriel Smith, MD
University Hospitals Department of Neurological Surgery
Cleveland, OH
Neurosurgeon
NASS Member Since 2014
Is there a NASS volunteer experience that had a lasting impact on you?
I have been involved in the Early Career Advisory Council with NASS for the past 5 years. The ECAC was an excellent waypoint as a young spine surgeon to get involved with a national organization and drive programming opportunities for early career members.
What is a lesson you learned early in your career that you still carry with you today?
Always look forward and strive to be a better surgeon than you were yesterday. Good habits include a process to reflect and grow from every surgery and patient you take care and always striving towards excellence.
What skills do you believe are most important for today's spine professionals to develop?
Our specialty must take a value-based approach to spine care over the next decade as external financial and economic stress builds within the healthcare industry. Understanding the lens of hospital administration, supply chain, and the business behind spine surgery is critical and we need organizations like NASS to raise awareness on these critical topics. Enhancing recovery, performing minimally invasive procedures, and understanding how to maintain a financially solvent surgical practice are going to be critical skills for all spine professionals.