Christopher I. Shaffrey, MD, FAANS, was named president of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) at its annual meeting in San Diego, April 13-17, 2019.
Shaffrey, a neurosurgeon, is chief of Duke Health’s Spine Division, a collaboration between the departments of Neurosurgery and Orthopaedic Surgery. The division was formed last year to better coordinate the clinical, educational, and research missions related to spine care. This collaboration provides world-class interdisciplinary spine care with operative and non-operative experts in a coordinated care model.
Board-certified in the fields of neurosurgery and orthopaedic surgery, Shaffrey is a world-renowned physician-scientist who has an active research interest in spinal surgery, particularly in multicenter research studies of pediatric and adult scoliosis, spinal cord injury, spinal trauma, and tumors involving the spinal column. He is currently a deputy editor for both the journals Spine and Spine Deformity. He has more than 450 publications, more than 1,000 national and international presentations, and has served as editor for several textbooks on spinal surgery.
He received his medical degree from the University of Virginia in 1986 and completed his general surgical internship at Naval Hospital San Diego. He completed his residencies in neurosurgery and orthopaedics, followed by a spine fellowship in pediatric and adult reconstructive spine surgery at the University of Virginia.
Following completion of his surgical training he began his career in the departments of Neurological Surgery and Orthopaedic Surgery at Henry Ford Hospital, followed by a professorship at the University of Washington in Seattle and in 2003, he returned to the University of Virginia as professor of neurological surgery and director of the Neurosurgery Spine Division.
Founded in 1931 as the Harvey Cushing Society, the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) is a scientific and educational association with more than 11,500 members worldwide.