Biography
I manage the following conditions and work with the patient to achieve their goal:
1. Degenerative conditions: disc herniations & stenosis (cervical/thoracic/lumbar), spondylolisthesis, OPLL, ankylosing spondylitis, DISH, cervical/thoracic myelopathy.
2. Spinal deformity: Congenital cervical fusion (Klippel-Feil), Scoliosis, kyphosis, isthmic spondylolisthesis, Syndromic spinal conditions (Neurofibromatosis, Marfan's) and Skeletal dysplasias. My interests in deformity include adult spinal deformity and revision surgeries needing osteotomies.
3. Spine tumors: Metastatic spine disease, chordoma, aneurysmal bone cysts, giant cell tumors, osteosarcoma, chondrosarcoma, osteoblastoma, aggressive hemangiomas.
I have an interest in mnimally invasive management of metastatic spine tumors, total en bloc resection of primary spine tumors (pediatric/adult), and operative and non-operative management of pathologic spine fractures. I am passionate about the application of research and innovation toward the improvement of care for spine tumor patients.
4. Spine trauma: fractures from occiput to sacrum and spinal cord injury. I have an interest in minimally invasive management of fractures of the sacrum and fractures in patients with ankylosing spondylitis.
5. Sports spine: injuries to the spine arising from sporting or training injuries.
Professional Background
Dr. Mesfin is the Division Chief of Spine Surgery and a Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery, Neurosurgery, Biomedical Engineering and Public Health at the University of Rochester. He has also served as the Director of the Louis A. Goldstein Spine Surgery Fellowship. He completed his Orthopaedic Surgery Residency at the John Hopkins Hospital. He completed the Adult and Pediatric Spine Surgery Fellowship at the Washington University in St. Louis. He also completed traveling fellowships focusing on spine oncology at Kanazawa University and at the Rizzoli Orthopaedic Institute in Italy.
Dr. Mesfin is active in research and has presented at more than 280 local, national and international meetings along with more than 170 peer reviewed publications. He is a member of the Cervical Spine Research Society, Scoliosis Research Society, North American Spine Society, Lumbar Spine Research Society. He is also member of orthopaedic organizations: American Orthopaedic Association, AAOS, and the scientific chair of the J. Robert Gladden Society. He has won several awards for his research and has received grant funding for his spine research. He has served in the United States Army Reserves and has deployed to Afghanistan as the Orthopaedic Surgeon of a Forward Surgical Team (FST). He is interested in Global Health and has taught and operated at a trauma center in Ethiopia.
Research
I am active in research and have presented at more than 280 local, national and international meetings along with more than 180peer reviewed publications. I am a member of the Cervical Spine Research Society, Scoliosis Research Society, North American Spine Society, Lumbar Spine Research Society. I am also a member of the American Orthopaedic Association, AAOS, and the scientific chair of the J. Robert Gladden Society. I have won several awards for his research and has received grant funding for his spine research. I have served in the United States Army Reserves and have deployed to Afghanistan as the Orthopaedic Surgeon of a Forward Surgical Team (FST). I am interested in Global Health and have taught and operated at a trauma center in Ethiopia.
I am interested in clinical outcomes research including following spine tumor surgery and basic science degenerative disc disease research. I have received grant funding for my research. I also have translation research laboratory evaluating cell signaling mechanisms involved in degenerative disc disease.
Awards
2021 - 2021
ABC-AOA Travelling Fellowship
Sponsor: American Orthopedic Association
2020 - 2021
Louis Goldstein Research Grant
Sponsor: University of Rochester Department of Orthopedics
2019 - 2019
Best Paper Award
Sponsor: Global Spine Journal
2019 - 2019
Scoliosis Research Society International Traveling Fellowship
2018 - 2018
Russell Hibbs Award Nominee for Best Clinical Presentation
2017 - 2017
Cervical Spine Research Society International Travelling Fellowship
2016 - 2016
John H. Moe Award Nominee for Best Basic Science Poster, Scoliosis Research Society
2015
North American Travelling Fellowship (NATF)
Sponsor: American Orthopaedic Association
2014
Goldstein Research Award
Sponsor: University of Rochester Department of Orthopaedic Surgery
2014
New Investigator Grant
Sponsor: Orthopaedic Research Education Foundation
2012
Cervical Spine Research Society Resident/Fellow Paper Award
2012
Best Paper Outcomes/Cost-utility
Sponsor: North American Spine Society
2012
Russel Hibbs Award Nominee for Best Clinical Presentation
Sponsor: Scoliosis Research Society
2012
1st Place Winner Resident/Fellow Research Competition
Sponsor: National Medical Association-Orthopaedic Section
2012
Jacquelin Perry Award for Best Paper
Sponsor: Orthopaedic Rehabilitation Association
2012
Whitecloud Award Nominee for Best Basic Science Presentation
Sponsor: IMAST
Location: Istanbul, Turkey
2012
Eastern Orthopaedic Association Resident/Fellow Research Award
Location: Lake George, New York
2011
AAOS/OREF/ORS Clinician Scholar Development Program Awardee
2011
Russel Hibbs Award Winner for Best Clinical Presentation
Sponsor: Scoliosis Research Society
2011
American Orthopaedic Association (AOA) Emerging Leaders Program
Sponsor: American Orthopaedic Association
2009
2nd Place winner OREF Virginia Region Resident Research Competition
Sponsor: Orthopaedic Research Education Fund
2004 - 2005
Emerging Scholar Award, National Medical Association
2003 - 2004
Bristol-Myers Squibb-NMF Fellowship Program in Academic Medicine
2002
American Pediatric Society & Society for Pediatric Research Fellow
1999
Fogarty/MIRT Research Fellow
Location: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
1997
University of Maryland Delegate Scholarship Recipient
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Publications
Journal Articles
9/2022
Mesfin A, Huber A, Denasty A, Maqsoodi N. "What are the academic and demographic characteristics of orthopaedic spine surgery division chiefs?" . 2022 Sep; 11:100147. Epub 2022 Aug 01.
8/22/2022
Mo K, Ikwuezunma I, Mun F, Ortiz-Babilonia C, Wang KY, Suresh KV, Uppal A, Sethi I, Mesfin A, Jain A. "Racial Disparities in Spine Surgery: A Systematic Review." Clinical spine surgery.. 2022 Aug 22; Epub 2022 Aug 22.
7/25/2022
Joo P, Maqsoodi N, Sulovari A, Omar A, Section J, Sanders J, Rubery P, Menga E, Mesfin A. "Ultralong Follow-Up of Spinal Fusion for Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis: Harrington Instrumentation vs Uninstrumented Fusion." International journal of spine surgery.. 2022 Jul 25; Epub 2022 Jul 25.
Books & Chapters
2020
Chapter Title: Minimally Invasive Approaches to Thoracic and Lumbar Spine Metastatic Spine Disease.
Book Title: Surgical Spinal Oncology
Author List: Vess E, Bowen Q, Mesfin A
Published By: Springer 2020
2019
Chapter Title: Correction of cervical scoliosis & hemivertebra resection.
Book Title: Cervical Spine Surgery: Standard and Advanced Techniques
Author List: Mesfin A, Koller H, Riew KD
Published By: Springer 2019
2019
Chapter Title: Thoracic Discectomy
Book Title: The Textbook of Spinal Surgery
Author List: Mesfin A. Sherif S
Published By: Wolters Kluwer Health 2019
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