Tuesday
October 6, 2026
| Case 1: Infection Moderator: Lawrence G. Lenke, MD |
|
| 13:00 - 13:04 | Case 1: Infection - Senior Presentation Shanmuganathan Rajasekaran, MD, PhD, FRCSA, MCh |
| 13:04 - 13:08 | Case 1: Infection - Junior Presentation Javier Pizones, MD, PhD |
| 13:08 - 13:18 | Discussion |
| Case 2: Congenital Moderator: Reuben CC Soh, MBBS, FRCS |
|
| 13:18 - 13:22 | Case 2: Congenital - Senior Presentation Daniel J. Sucato, MD |
| 13:22 - 13:26 | Case 2: Congenital - Junior Presentation Brice Ilharreborde, MD, PhD |
| 13:26 - 13:36 | Discussion |
| Case 3: Osteoporosis Moderator: Reuben CC Soh, MBBS, FRCS |
|
| 13:36 - 13:40 | Case 3: Osteoporosis - Senior Presentation Ahmet Alanay, MD |
| 13:40 - 13:44 | Case 3: Osteoporosis - Junior Presentation Dong-Gune Chang, MD, PhD |
| 13:44 - 13:54 | Discussion |
| Case 4: OI Moderator: Lawrence G. Lenke, MD |
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| 13:54 - 13:58 | Case 4: OI - Senior Presentation Suken A. Shah, MD |
| 13:58 - 14:02 | Case 4: OI - Junior Presentation Michelle C. Welborn |
| 14:02 - 14:12 | Discussion |
| 14:12 - 14:15 | Wrap-Up |
Tuesday
October 6, 2026
| Case 1: VBT Moderator: Jianguo Terry Zhang, MD |
|
| 14:15 - 14:19 | Case 1: VBT - Senior Presentation Amer F. Samdani, MD |
| 14:19 - 14:23 | Case 1: VBT - Junior Presentation Christina K. Hardesty, MD |
| 14:23 - 14:33 | Discussion |
| Case 2: Neuromuscular Moderator: Jianguo Terry Zhang, MD |
|
| 14:33 - 14:37 | Case 2: Neuromuscular - Senior Presentation Stefan Parent, MD |
| 14:37 - 14:41 | Case 2: Neuromuscular - Junior Presentation Joshua M. Pahys, MD |
| 14:41 - 14:51 | Discussion |
| Case 3: Syndrome Scoliosis Moderator: Sebastien Pesenti, MD, PhD |
|
| 14:51 - 14:55 | Case 3: Syndrome Scoliosis - Senior Presentation Michael G. Vitale, MD, MPH |
| 14:55 - 14:59 | Case 3: Syndrome Scoliosis - Junior Presentation Caglar Yilgor, MD |
| 14:59 - 15:09 | Discussion |
| Case 4: Early Onset Scoliosis Moderator: Sebastien Pesenti, MD, PhD |
|
| 15:09 - 15:13 | Case 4: Early Onset Scoliosis - Senior Presentation Jean Albert Ouellet, MD, FRCS(C) |
| 15:13 - 15:17 | Case 4: Early Onset Scoliosis - Junior Presentation Steven W. Hwang, MD |
| 15:17 - 15:27 | Discussion |
| 15:27 - 15:30 | Wrap-Up |
Tuesday
October 6, 2026
| Case 1: Biomarker Moderator: Steven D. Glassman, MD |
|
| 15:45 - 15:49 | Case 1: Biomarker - Senior Presentation Ferran Pellise, MD, PhD |
| 15:49: - 15:53 | Case 1: Biomarker - Junior Presentation Michael P. Kelly, MD |
| 15:53 - 16:03 | Discussion |
| Case 2: Proximal Junctional Kyphosis Moderator: Steven D. Glassman, MD |
|
| 16:03 - 16:07 | Case 2: Proximal Junctional Kyphosis - Senior Presentation Praveen V. Mummaneni, MD |
| 16:07 - 16:11 | Case 2: Proximal Junctional Kyphosis - Junior Presentation Peter G. Passias, MD |
| 16:11 - 16:21 | Discussion |
| Case 3: Cervical Moderator: Nan Wu, MD |
|
| 16:21 - 16:25 | Case 3: Cervical - Senior Presentation Khaled M. Kebaish, MD |
| 16:25 - 16:29 | Case 3: Cervical - Junior Presentation Lee A. Tan, MD |
| 16:29 - 16:39 | Discussion |
| Case 4: Adult Scoliosis with a Double Curve Moderator: Nan Wu, MD |
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| 16:39 - 16:43 | Case 4: Adult Scoliosis with a Double Curve - Senior Presentation Munish C. Gupta, MD, MBA |
| 16:43 - 16:47 | Case 4: Adult Scoliosis with a Double Curve - Junior Presentation Jeffrey Gum, MD |
| 16:47 - 16:57 | Discussion |
| 16:57 - 17:00 | Wrap-Up |
Wednesday
October 7, 2026
Moderators
Eric O. Klineberg, MD & Megan Johnson, MD
| 08:00 - 08:34 | Pre-Meeting Course 1 - Early Career: Identity, Growth, and Reality: Years 0-5 in Practice |
| 08:00 - 08:08 | The Growth Mindset in Spine Surgery Megan Johnson, MD |
| 08:08 - 08:16 | From Fellowship to Real Practice: The First Plateau Caglar Yilgor, MD |
| 08:16 - 08:24 | Mistakes Along the Way (That No One Warned You About) Nicholas D. Fletcher, MD |
| 08:24 - 08:34 | Discussion |
| 08:34 - 09:16 | Pre-Meeting Course 2 - A Marathon and Not a Sprint: The Spine Surgeon's Toolkit for Longevity |
| 08:34 - 08:42 | The Spine Surgeon as an Athlete: How to Keep Yourself Healthy and in the Game for the Long Haul Suken A. Shah, MD |
| 08:42 - 08:50 | Prehab and Post Game Recovery: How to Prepare for Big Days and Recover from Big Cases or Devastating Complications Todd J. Albert, MD |
| 08:50 - 08:58 | Group Effort: How Building a Team Around You from Extenders to Co-Surgeons Can Help Extend Your Career Rajiv K. Sethi, MD, PhD |
| 08:58 - 09:06 | Technical Assistance: How Enabling Technologies and Advanced Robotics Will Help Extend Our Careers and Not Replace Us Presenter TBA |
| 09:06 - 09:16 | Discussion |
| 09:16 - 09:50 | Pre-Meeting Course 3 - Mid-Career:Plateaus, Deliberate Practice, and Burnout |
| 09:16 - 09:24 | The Intermediate Plateau: When You're "Good" but Not Getting Better Javier Pizones, MD, PhD |
| 09:24 - 09:32 | Deliberate Practice for the Experienced Surgeon Christopher P. Ames, MD |
| 09:32 - 09:40 | When Surgery Gets Hard Michael G. Vitale, MD, MPH |
| 09:40 - 09:50 | Discussion |
| 09:50 - 10:15 | Break* |
| 10:15 - 11:15 | Pre-Meeting Course 4 - Coaching, Leadership, and Mentorship |
| 10:15 - 10:45 | Deliberate Practice, Coaching, and How to Overcome Plateaus Sean O'Conner, PhD, MappSC Couch Psych. BSc Psych. |
| 10:45 - 11:15 | Panel Discussion Todd J. Albert, MD; Haemish A. Crawford, FRCS; Sean O'Conner, PhD, MappSC Coach Psych. BSc Psych.; Brian Hsu, MD; Serena S. Hu, MD |
| 11:15 - 12:00 | Pre-Meeting Course 5 - Later Career: Judgment, Leadership, and Exit |
| 11:15 - 11:23 | Judgment Over Technique Juan S. Uribe, MD |
| 11:23 - 11:31 | Practice Management as a Late-Career Strategy Peter O. Newton, MD |
| 11:31 - 11:39 | When Is It Time to Quit Operating? David W. Polly Jr., MD |
| 11:39 - 11:47 | Assessment Skills and Creating a Meaningful Exit Kenneth MC Cheung, MD, MBBS, FRCS |
| 11:47 - 11:57 | Discussion |
| 11:57 - 12:00 | Closing Comments |
Wednesday
October 7, 2026
Moderators
Ali Baaj, MD & Burt Yaszay, MD
| Panel 1: Young Adult with Untreated AIS | |
| 12:17 - 12:19 | Case 1: M/F Ages 20-30 with Main Th Scoliosis Ali Baaj, MD |
| 12:19 - 12:21 | Case 2: M/F Ages 17 with 40 Degree T/L Scoliosis Ali Baaj, MD |
| 12:21 - 12:35 | Panel Discussion Patrick J. Cahill, MD; Marinus de Kleuver, MD, PhD; Michael A. Galgano, MD; Amit Jain, MD, MBA; Heiko Koller, MD; Kota Watanabe, MD, PhD |
| 12:35 - 12:45 | Discussion |
| Panel 2: Understanding the Risk of Degenerative Arthritis | |
| 12:47 - 12:49 | Case 1: Treated AIS Long Fusion to L3 (wedged 3/4 disc) Burt Yaszay, MD |
| 12:49 - 12:51 | Case 2: Thoracolumbar tether Burt Yaszay, MD |
| 12:51 - 13:05 | Panel Discussion Ahmet Alanay, MD; Jennifer M. Bauer, MD, MS; Kenny YH. Kwan, BMBCh(Oxon), FRCSEd; Amer F. Samdani, MD; Michael Selby, MD |
| 13:05 - 13:15 | Discussion |
Wednesday
October 7, 2026
Moderators
Kariman Abelin Genevois, MD & Michael P. Kelly, MD
| 12:15 -12:25 | Development of the Sagittal Plane Sebastien Pesenti, MD, PhD |
| 12:25 - 12:35 | Assessment of Normal Standing Alignment in Adults Jeffrey M. Hills, MD |
| 12:35 - 12:45 | Discussion |
| 12:45 - 12:55 | Planning Realignment in Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis Brice Ilharreborde, MD, PhD |
| 12:55 - 13:05 | Planning Realignment in Adult Spinal Deformity Camilo A. Molina, MD |
| 13:05 - 13:15 | Discussion |
Wednesday
October 7, 2026
Moderators
Cristina Sacramento Dominguez, MD & John S. Vorhies, MD
| Session 1: Large-Magnitude Curves in Adolescents | |
| 12:15 - 12:20 | Patient Population and Pre-Operative Optimization Strategies Kwadwo Poku Yankey, MD |
| 12:20 - 12:25 | Preoperative and Intraoperative Resources for Severe Deformity Nan Wu, MD |
| 12:25 - 12:27 | Moderated Q&A |
| 12:27 - 12:29 | Case Presentation Kwadwo Poku Yankey, MD |
| 12:29 - 12:35 | Discussion |
| Session 2: Early and Late Presentation in Adult Spinal Deformity | |
| 12:35 - 12:40 | Late Presentation in ASD: Aging, Metabolic Health, Inflammatory Modulation and Tissue Optimization Susana nunez Pereira, MD, PhD |
| 12:40 - 12:45 | Early Presentation in ASD: When are MIS Techniques an Appropriate Strategy? Jianguo Terry Zhang, MD |
| 12:45 - 12:47 | Moderated Q&A |
| 12:47 - 12:49 | Case Presentation Susana Nunez Pereira, MD, PhD |
| 12:49 - 12:55 | Discussion |
| Session 3: Early-Onset Syndromic and Neuromuscular Deformity | |
| 12:55 - 13:00 | How Does Implant Availability Affect My Transition Point from Non-Operative to Operative Care? Andre Luis F. Andujar, MD |
| 13:00 - 13:05 | How I Design a Growth Friendly Surgical Strategy Kristopher M. Lundine, MD |
| 13:05 - 13:07 | Moderated Q&A |
| 13:07 - 13:09 | Case Presentation Susana Nunez Pereira, MD, PhD |
| 13:09 - 13:15 | Discussion |
Non-CME Session
Wednesday
October 7, 2026
| 17:20 - 17:25 | Welcome to Australia Metropolitan Local Aboriginal Land Council (MLALC) |
| 17:25 - 17:30 | Welcome to Sydney Andrew K. Cree, FRCSA; Brian Hsu, MD |
| 17:30 - 17:35 | Presidential Message Suken A. Shah, MD |
| 17:35 - 17:40 | Acknowledgement of SRS Donors Paul C. Celestre, MD |
| 17:40 - 17:43 | Douglas C. Burton, MD Best Adult Deformity Paper Justin S. Smith, MD, PhD |
| 17:43 - 17:47 | SRS Cotrel Foundation Basic Science Research Grant Award Nicolas Plais, MD |
| 17:47 - 17:51 | Biedermann Innovation Award Winner & Award Update Announcement Markku Biedermann, MD |
| 17:51 - 17:55 | SRS Research Grant Award Winners Walter H. Truong, MD FRCS(C) |
| 17:55 - 18:02 | Presentation of Blount Humanitarian Award Selina C. Poon, MD |
| 18:02 - 18:20 | Importance of our Corporate Partners & Acknowledgement of Corporate Supporters Han Jo Kim, MD |
| 18:20 - 18:25 | Introduction of Howard Steel Lecturer Suken A. Shah, MD |
| 18:25 - 18:55 | Howard Steel Lecture David Hunt |
| 18:55 - 19:00 | Closing Remarks Suken A. Shah |
Thursday
October 8, 2026
Moderators
Arun R. Hariharan, MD, MS; Anthony L. Mikula, MD
| 14:10 - 14:13 | Introduction Arun R. Hariharan, MD, MS; Anthony L. Mikula, MD |
| Mini-Lectures | |
| 14:15 - 14:21 | Occipitocervical Junction Fixation Strategies Daniel M. Sciubba, MD |
| 14:21 - 14:25 | Discussion |
| 14:25 - 14:31 | Cervicothoracic Junction - Key Radiographic Parameters, Level Selection, and Technical Pearls Masafumi Machida, MD |
| 14:31 - 14:35 | Discussion |
| 14:35 -14:41 | Thoracolumbar Junction - Tailoring Alignment Goals and Avoiding Revisions Firoz Miyanji, MD, FRCS(C) |
| 14:41 - 14:45 | Discussion |
| 14:45 - 14:51 | Lumbosacral Junction: Fractional Curves and Special Considerations Alan H. Daniels, MD |
| 14:51 - 14:55 | Discussion |
| 14:55 - 15:01 | The Spine-Hip Interface at the Thoracolumbar and Lumbosacral Junction: When Hip Pathology Drives Level Selection Robert K. Eastlack, MD |
| 15:01 - 15:05 | Discussion |
| Pediatrics Debate | |
| Pelvic Fixation Dogma in Neuromuscular and Syndromic Deformity: Who Really Needs It? Moderator: Brandon A. Ramo, MD |
|
| 15:05 - 15:10 | Always Fuse to The Pelvis in Non-Ambulator and Never in an Ambulator Vidyadhar V. Upasani, MD |
| 15:10 - 15:15 | It's OK to Stop Short of the Pelvis in a Non-Ambulator and Go to The Pelvis in an Ambulator Haemish A. Crawford, FRCS |
| 15:15 - 15:23 | Discussion |
| Adult Junction Debates | |
| Proximal Junction Kyphosis Prophylaxis Techniques Moderator: Gregory M. Mundis, Jr., MD |
|
| 15:23 -15:28 | Tethers, Cement, Hooks: You Need It All Justin K. Scheer, MD |
| 15:28 - 15:33 | You Don't Need Junctional Prophylaxis Gimmicks - Alignment is All That Matters Mitsuru Yagi, MD, PhD |
| 15:33 - 15:38 | Discussion |
| Lumbosacral Junctional Interbody Fusion Moderator: Sean Molloy, MBBS, FRCS(Orth), MSc |
|
| 15:38 - 15:43 | Lumbosacral Junctional Interbody Fusion | I Always Do an Interbody at L5-S1 Benjamin D. Elder, MD, PhD |
| 15:43 - 15:48 | Lumbosacral Junctional Interbody Fusion | An L5-S1 Interbody is a Waste of Time Han Jo Kim, MD |
| 15:48 - 15:53 | Discussion |
| 15:53 - 15:55 | Closing Comments Arun R. Hariharan, MD, MS; Anthony L. Mikula, MD |
Friday
October 9, 2026
Moderators
Ronald Lehman Jr, MD; Daniel J. Sucato, MD, MS
| Pediatric Transition Debates | |
| Are We Ready to Fully Adopt VBT for AIS? | |
| 13:45 - 13:50 | Yes - Motion Preservations is Key Amer F. Samndani, MD |
| 13:50 - 13:55 | No - Fusion is King Tenner Guillaume, MD |
| 13:55 - 14:02 | Discussion |
| Pedicle Screw Placement in 2026 | |
| 14:02 - 14:07 | Freehand/Fluoro More Efficient Heiko Koller, MD, PhD |
| 14:07 - 14:12 | Enabling Technology is Here to Stay David L. Skaggs, MD, MMM |
| 14:12 - 14:20 | Discussion |
| Bracing Paradigm: Should the Goals Change? | |
| 14:20 - 14:25 | Stay the Historical Course: Prevent Progression Kenny YH. Kwan, BMBCh(Oxon), FRCSEd |
| 14:25 - 14:30 | Permanent Improvement Should Be the Goal Michael B. Johnson, MD, PhD |
| 14:30 - 14:37 | Discussion |
| Transition Debates | |
| Tethers are "Great", But What to Do When They Fail? | |
| 14:37 - 14:42 | Peds: Revision Tether - Keep the Motion Peter O. Newton, MD |
| 14:42 - 14:47 | Peds/Adult: Do What You Should Have Done in the First Place - Fuse Them! Ronald Lehman Jr, MD |
| 14:47 - 14:55 | Discussion |
| AIS Vs. AdIS - When to Intervene? | |
| 14:55 - 15:00 | Peds: The Earlier the Better Baron S. Lonner, MD |
| 15:00 - 15:05 | Adult: "Let Them Be Kids" - Wait Until They Become Young Adults! Joseph M. Lombardi, MD |
| 15:05 - 15:12 | Discussion |
| High Grade Sponydlolisthesis: Are the Considerations Different? | |
| 15:12 - 15:17 | Peds: Grade 4 - Should We Reduce? Risks and Outcomes Qianyu Zhuang, MD |
| 15:17 - 15:22 | Adult: Grade 4 - This is a Different Animal (A/P vs. All Post) - Restore Sagittal Alignment Khaled M. Kebaish, MD |
| 15:22 - 15:30 | Discussion |