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Full Schedule

Full Schedule

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Thursday, April 9, 2026
7:00 AM - 7:00 PM East Coast USA Time
Registration

8:00 AM - 10:00 AM East Coast USA Time
GENERAL SESSION 1: NEW & EMERGING SPINE TECHNOLOGY (Non-CME)
Moderator: Mark Oppenlander, MD
Moderator: Rolando Garcia, Jr., MD MPH – Orthopedic Care Center
Moderator: Eric A. Potts, MD – Goodman Campbell Brain and Spine

10:00 AM - 10:30 AM East Coast USA Time
Refreshment Break with Non-CME Workshops

10:35 AM - 12:30 PM East Coast USA Time
GENERAL SESSION 2: Motion Preservation in the Spine: Distinction and Nuance
Moderator: Richard D. Guyer, MD – Center for Disc Replacement
Moderator: Seok Woo Kim, MD – HALLYM UNIV. MEDICAL CENTER

12:30 PM - 1:20 PM East Coast USA Time
Early Career Surgeon Workshop: How Enabling Technologies are Transforming Procedures from Skull to Sacrum: The PILAR Technique and MIS TLIF | Medtronic

12:30 PM - 1:30 PM East Coast USA Time
Lunch with Exhibits & E-Poster Viewing

1:30 PM - 3:15 PM East Coast USA Time
CONCURRENT SESSION 1: UPDATES IN COMPLEX SPINE – PRINCIPLES FOR NON-DEFORMITY SPINE SURGEONS (NON-CME)
Moderator: Alexander R. Vaccaro, MD PhD MBA – Rothman Orthopedic Institute
Moderator: Massimo Balsano, MD – AOUI Verona

1:30 PM - 3:15 PM East Coast USA Time
CONCURRENT SESSION 2: BUILDING A CAREER IN SPINE SURGERY – MOST CHALLENGING OBSTACLES AND GREATEST OPPORTUNITIES
Moderator: Frank M. Phillips, MD – Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush
Moderator: Jeremy Steinberger, MD

1:30 PM - 3:15 PM East Coast USA Time
CONCURRENT SESSION 3: WRITING HIGH-IMPACT PAPERS: RESEARCH, DATA ANALYSIS, AND JOURNAL SELECTION
Moderator: Jae Chul Lee, MD – Soonchunhyang University Seoul Hospital
Moderator: Morgan P. Lorio, MD – Advanced Orthopedics and Pain Management
Moderator: Oscar L. Alves, MD – Hospital Lusiadas Porto

3:15 PM - 3:45 PM East Coast USA Time
Refreshment Break with Exhibits and E-Poster Viewing

3:45 PM - 4:10 PM East Coast USA Time
GENERAL SESSION 3: US PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS

4:10 PM - 6:00 PM East Coast USA Time
GENERAL SESSION 3: CONTINUED - ADVANCED SURGICAL TECHNIQUES and TECHNOLOGY
Moderator: Richard G. Fessler, MD, PhD – Rush University Medical Center
Moderator: Seok Woo Kim, MD – HALLYM UNIV. MEDICAL CENTER

6:00 PM - 7:00 PM East Coast USA Time
Welcome Reception with Exhibits

Friday, April 10, 2026
7:00 AM - 6:00 PM East Coast USA Time
Registration

7:30 AM - 8:20 AM East Coast USA Time
Non-CME Workshops with Breakfast

8:30 AM - 10:00 AM East Coast USA Time
GENERAL SESSION 4: Free Paper Session
Moderator: Josha Woodward, MD, MCR – Rush University Medical Center
Moderator: Deeptee Jain, MD – Washington University in St. Louis
Moderator: Puya Alikhani, MD – University pf South Florida

10:00 AM - 10:30 AM East Coast USA Time
Refreshment Break with Exhibits and E-Poster Viewing

10:30 AM - 12:00 PM East Coast USA Time
GENERAL SESSION 5: ENDOSCOPIC SPINE SURGERY (NON-CME)
Moderator: James Yue, MD
Moderator: Si-Young Park – Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Yonsei University College of Medicine

12:00 PM - 12:50 PM East Coast USA Time
Non-CME Workshop with Lunch: How Enabling Technologies are Transforming Procedures from Skull to Sacrum: The PILAR Technique and MIS TLIF | Medtronic

12:00 PM - 1:00 PM East Coast USA Time
Lunch with Exhibits & E-Poster Viewing

1:00 PM - 2:30 PM East Coast USA Time
CONCURRENT SESSION 4: SPINAL ONCOLOGY: DECISION MANAGEMENT AND TREATMENT OPTIONS
Moderator: Naresh Kumar, MBBS, MS (Orth), DNB (Orth) FRCS ED, FRCS (Trauma & Orth), DM [University of Nottingham] (Orth & Spinal Surgery) – NUHS: National University Health System
Moderator: Brenton Pennicooke, MD, MS

1:00 PM - 2:30 PM East Coast USA Time
CONCURRENT SESSION 5: CONTROVERSIES IN CERVICAL SPINE SURGERY (NON-CME)
Moderator: Regis W. Haid, Jr., MD – Haid consulting
Moderator: Han Jo Kim, MD – Hospital for Special Surgery
Panelist: Matthew F. Gornet – The Orthopedic Center of St. Louis
Panelist: Ernest E. Braxton, Jr., MD, MBA – Vail Summit Orthopaedics and Neurosurgery
Panelist: Rick C. Sasso, MD – Indiana Spine Group

1:00 PM - 2:30 PM East Coast USA Time
CONCURRENT SESSION 6: EARLY-CAREER SURGEONS: BEST ADVICE GIVEN AND HARDEST LESSONS LEARNED

2:30 PM - 3:00 PM East Coast USA Time
Refreshment Break with Exhibits and E-Poster Viewing

3:00 PM - 5:00 PM East Coast USA Time
GENERAL SESSION 6: GLOBAL SESSION: HOW I’D TREAT THIS IN MY COUNTRY; WORLDWIDE PERSPECTIVES
Moderator: Chang-Nam Kang, MD – Hanyang University
Moderator: Massimo Balsano, MD – AOUI Verona
Moderator: Huilin Yang, MD.PhD. – The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University

4:10 PM - 5:00 PM East Coast USA Time
GENERAL SESSION 6: CONTINUED - INTERNATIONAL PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS
Moderator: Chang-Nam Kang, n/a – Hanyang University
Moderator: Massimo Balsano, MD – AOUI Verona
Moderator: Huilin Yang, MD.PhD. – The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University

5:00 PM - 6:00 PM East Coast USA Time
GENERAL SESSION 7: DEBATES & DRINKS

5:00 PM - 5:20 PM East Coast USA Time
Case I - Grade I Spondy at 4/5 – Endoscopic Decompression vs Mini-Open TLIF

5:20 PM - 5:40 PM East Coast USA Time
Case 2 - Myeloradiculopathy in a 30-Year-Old Professional Soccer Player

5:40 PM - 6:00 PM East Coast USA Time
Case 3 - Spondylotic C5-6 with Foraminal Stenosis in 50-Year-Old House Painter
Faculty: K. Daniel Riew, MD
Faculty: Brandon Carlson, MD, MPH – Kansas University Medical Center

6:00 PM - 7:00 PM East Coast USA Time
WOMEN IN SPINE SURGERY RECEPTION

7:00 PM - 8:30 PM East Coast USA Time
All Attendee Event

Saturday, April 11, 2026
7:00 AM - 2:00 PM East Coast USA Time
Registration

7:00 AM - 8:30 AM East Coast USA Time
Non-CME Workshop with Breakfast: Endo Spine Academy Program | elliquence

8:30 AM - 10:10 AM East Coast USA Time
GENERAL SESSION 8: Free Paper – Rapid Fire
Moderator: Vignessh Kumar – University of Miami Department of Neurosurgery
Moderator: Mihir Dekhne, MD, MS – Hospital for Special Surgery
Moderator: Asad Akhter

10:10 AM - 10:30 AM East Coast USA Time
Refreshment Break

10:30 AM - 12:00 PM East Coast USA Time
GENERAL SESSION 9: EVEN THE MASTERS HAVE COMPLICATIONS: WHAT I LEARNED FROM MY WORST CASE AND WHAT I’D DO DIFFERENTLY NOW
Moderator: Richard G. Fessler, MD, PhD – Rush University Medical Center
Moderator: Oscar L. Alves, MD – Hospital Lusiadas Porto

12:00 PM - 12:15 PM East Coast USA Time
Lunch Grab-n-Go to Free Paper Session

12:15 PM - 2:00 PM East Coast USA Time
GENERAL SESSION 10: Free Paper – Rapid Fire
Moderator: Adham M. Khalafallah, MD – University of Miami Miller School of Medicine
Moderator: Atahan Durbas, MD – Hospital for Special Surgery