Last week was an incredible week in Sydney, Australia, for the 2026 SRS meeting. I had the opportunity to present our work on multicenter treatment patterns and surgical outcomes in Marfan syndrome-associated scoliosis, as well as an updated machine learning model integrating hemodynamic data to detect changes in intraoperative neuromonitoring earlier than traditional methods. It was a pleasure to learn from colleagues and friends, hear about exciting new research, and connect with members of the spine research community from around the world.

Happy World Spine Day! This year’s theme, Spine Health for Life, is a reminder of the importance of lifelong spine health. One of the most rewarding parts of caring for children is having the opportunity to watch patients grow, from their earliest years through adolescence and beyond, while helping them build healthy spines along the way. We’re grateful to be part of our patients’ journeys and to support them as they grow! #WorldSpineDay #SpineHealthForLife #PediatricOrthopedics #Scoliosis #SpineHealth

Happy PA Week from our team at Columbia Pediatric Orthopedics! Today, we’re celebrating Physician Assistants like Amber, whose dedication has made a lasting impact on our Pediatric Orthopedics Department. Since joining our team in 2006, Amber has brought extensive experience and a commitment to providing exceptional care to every patient and family. Beyond her clinical work, she plays an important role in helping patients and parents better understand their care. Thank you, Amber, for all that you do for our patients and our team! #PAweek2026 #PAweek #PediatricOrthopedics

Bracing Support Groups are back! We are so excited to be restarting our monthly brace groups led by Madden Cunningham, our new Mental Health Coordinator, and Amber Mizerik, PA-C. If your child is struggling with their scoliosis brace, come join us for activities, conversations, games, support, and more. The groups are a positive place where kids in scoliosis braces can meet up virtually. Our first group is this Thursday evening from 5-6pm. Following groups will meet on the 2nd Thursday of each Month. Register here: form.jotform.com/26277460775… to receive the Zoom link. We hope to see you there!

We’re excited to welcome Madden, our new Mental Health Coordinator, to our team. Madden helps integrate mental health support into operative and non-operative care, providing psychosocial support, coordinating resources and referrals, and supporting our pediatric patients and their families. Welcome, Madden!

More exciting research news from our team! Excited to see the Project for Safety in Spine Surgery publish the latest Best Practice Guidelines, exploring details on how and when to best deploy intraoperative neuromonitoring to improve safety in spine surgery.

Excited to share two of our recent studies examining two important aspects of pediatric spine care: mental health screening in patients with scoliosis and factors associated with successful brace treatment for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis. Together, these findings reinforce the importance of comprehensive scoliosis care- identifying and addressing mental health concerns to optimize nonoperative treatment. Read more: 1: ovid.com/10.1097/BPO.0000000… 2: link.springer.com/journal/43…

September is Pain Awareness Month - an important time to talk about pain after pediatric spine surgery. Every patient experiences pain differently, which is why we use a multimodal approach to pain management to support comfort, mobility, and recovery. #PainAwarenessMonth #PediatricSpine #PediatricOrthopedics #SpineSurgery

As kids return to school, backpack fit and weight are important considerations for maintaining healthy posture and minimizing strain on the spine. A few simple adjustments can make a meaningful difference in daily comfort and back health. #BackToSchool #PediatricOrthopedics #SpineHealth #BackpackSafety

We’re excited to announce that recruitment is now underway for our 2028–2029 Pediatric Orthopedic Fellowship Programs! We are recruiting for two fellowship positions at NewYork-Presbyterian / Columbia Irving Medical Center: • Advanced Pediatric Orthopedic Spinal Deformity Fellowship, directed by Dr. Michael Vitale and Dr. Lawrence Lenke • Pediatric Orthopedics Fellowship, directed by Dr. Joshua Hyman and Dr. Lauren Redler For more information about the fellowship programs and application process, visit the link in our bio, or contact William Campos: [email protected] Applications are now open through SF Match. *Please note: The Advanced Pediatric Orthopedic Spinal Deformity Fellowship requires one completed fellowship year in either Orthopedic Surgery or Neurosurgery prior to the start of the program* #PediatricOrthopedics #OrthopedicFellowship #SpineSurgery #PediatricSpine #FellowshipTraining

Very excited to welcome the 2026-2027 Columbia Pediatric Orthopedics Fellows to our team! This talented group of physicians, medical students, and pre-medical students will spend the year working alongside our faculty, contributing to patient care and research, and gaining valuable experience in pediatric orthopedics and spine surgery. We’re thrilled to have them with us and look forward to a great year ahead! #ColumbiaOrthopedics #PediatricOrthopedics

Meet Emi, a Junior National Champion archer who's back in competition after her spinal fusion. Emi was diagnosed with scoliosis at 12 and initially treated with bracing and physical therapy. After more than a year of bracing, she ultimately decided to move forward with surgery. While Emi’s physical recovery from surgery went remarkably well, returning to archery proved more challenging. A highly accomplished young archer with five national medals and a U15 Junior National Championship title, Emi feared she would not be able to return to the sport she loved. With encouragement from her care team, she gradually rebuilt her confidence and returned to training and competition. Today, she is back doing what she loves and continuing to pursue her goals. For us, Emi's story captures what good scoliosis care really means: not only a successful surgery, but a return to the things that matter most. We are incredibly grateful to Emi and her family for allowing us to be part of her journey and for sharing her story. To read more about Emi’s journey and other patient stories, visit pediatricscoliosissurgery.co…

A few weeks ago, we had the opportunity to host our parent webinar: Navigating Your Child's Scoliosis. I am so grateful to everyone who joined us for such a thoughtful conversation. Our multidisciplinary team discussed the different types of scoliosis, diagnosis, and treatment options ranging from physical therapy to bracing and surgery. We also covered topics including the Schroth method (scoliosis-specific physical therapy), nutrition, mental health, and ways to support children and families throughout their care. Thank you to all of the parents and caregivers who asked thoughtful questions and helped make this such an engaging discussion. If you missed it, you can watch the full webinar on YouTube at the link in my bio or in my story highlights!

As the Bridging the Gap Spine meeting comes to a close, I'm reflecting on what an incredible few days it has been. Definitely one of the highlights was leading a panel where New York Times bestselling author Greg McKeown shared the principles of Essentialism with surgeons. I'm grateful to have co-chaired this inspiring meeting alongside my friend and thought leader, Dr. Greg Mundis. Thank you to everyone who contributed their expertise, energy, and passion for advancing spine care at this year's meeting!

As Julia, our Mental Health Coordinator, concludes her time with our team, we want to recognize her many contributions over the past few years! Julia helped to create the role of Mental Health Coordinator as well as launch our #HealingSpinesAndMinds initiative. She was instrumental in integrating mental health into both pre- and post-operative care, ensuring patients and their families felt supported every step of the way. Over the years, Julia built an extensive referral network of mental health providers for our scoliosis patients, led weekly support groups, spoke at conferences, and connected patients with one another for additional support and encouragement. Her work has had a lasting impact on our patients, families, and team. Thank you, Julia, for everything you've done. We are so grateful for your hard work and wish you continued success in this next chapter! #HealingSpinesAndMinds

It is always a bittersweet time of year when these talented young people move on to the next steps in their careers. Together, this team achieved an extraordinary year of productivity - delivering more than 25 poster and podium presentations and submitting over 30 conference abstracts and 20 manuscripts for publication. They earned prestigious recognition, including the 2026 SOSORT Award for "Development of Consensus-Based Research Guidelines for Bracing Treatment in Idiopathic Scoliosis" and the First Place Clinical Science Award at the 2025 NYMC Medical Student Research Forum. Thank you to our Spine Deformity Clinical Fellow, Josie R. Coury, MD; our David P. Roye Research Fellows, Michael Brown and Alex Park; our PRISM Fellow, Maddie Monness; our Quality Fellow, Josh Choi; and our Research Coordinator, Mehdi Elfilali. We miss this great group, but look forward to working with the incoming fellows for another productive year ahead. We wish them luck as they continue forward in their medical careers! #PediatricOrthopedics #FutureOfMedicine

Peri first came to our office at eight years old, and her spinal curve had become so severe that it was affecting her breathing and overall quality of life. Between 2008 and 2011, she underwent eight scoliosis surgeries. Now 26 years old, Peri has spent 18 years recovering and "stepping out" to embrace facing the unknown and venturing outside the norm. Peri has now founded the Team Peri Foundation @team_peri_rox, delivered a TEDx Talk, won an Emmy for an interview she gave, earned her undergraduate and MBA degrees, launched a podcast, and built a career as a marketing consultant. This September, her first book will be published! Peri's journey has been a long road of recovery, marked by extraordinary perseverance and achievement. Her story reflects the lasting impact that scoliosis treatment can have on a person's life, and it has been a privilege to care for her and witness all that she has accomplished over the past 18 years.@

Honored to have been invited to Cabo, Mexico, to speak at my first State of Spine Surgery Think Tank last week. It was an amazing lineup of speakers, and I learned so much. Excited to bring these insights back to my team and keep working to improve patient outcomes in spine care! #PediatricSpine #HealingSpinesAndMinds

As Scoliosis Awareness Month came to a close last week, we are reminded that advancing pediatric spine care is a year-round commitment. I am proud to serve alongside colleagues across numerous organizations dedicated to advancing quality, safety, and outcomes in pediatric spine surgery. Through research, innovation, and collaboration, we continue working to improve outcomes for children with scoliosis. #Scoliosis #Research

Proud to see such a strong Columbia presence at the 12th Annual Pediatric Spine Symposium: Best in Class Non-Operative Care! It was a wonderful opportunity to come together as a team, and represent Columbia’s continued commitment to advancing pediatric spine care. Thank you to all of our speakers, colleagues, and contributors for sharing their knowledge, research, and dedication to improving pediatric spine care. A special thank you to my co-directors Prachi Bakarania, DPT, Amber Sentell Mizerik, PA, and William Campos for their leadership and commitment to making this initiative a success.