Scoliosis Research Society Funds more than $8 million for Spine Deformity Research

It’s oft repeated at the SRS that “research is our middle name.” But it’s also more than a cheeky catch phrase, it’s a mission. Our primary focus is on providing continuing medical education for health care professionals and on funding/supporting research in spinal deformities.

To support this mission, the society funds a variety of grants every year. In 2025 we funded more than $894,000 in grants dedicated to spine research, our highest single year award total ever. And with this year’s recipients, we have awarded 231 grants since 1994, totaling more than $8.2 million.

In addition, our members are prolific researchers themselves. The member-led Adult Symptomatic Lumbar Scoliosis II Study was recently published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Funding was also provided by the SRS and several of the SRS industry partners and the International Spine Study Group.

“The more than $8 million in funding from the SRS has supported hundreds of basic and clinical studies across the spectrum of spinal deformity,” said Justin Smith, MD, PhD, SRS Research Council Chair. “Collectively, these studies have had far reaching impact on our understanding of spinal deformity and on the care and quality of life of the patients affected.”

The society has funded spinal deformity research projects from the institutions all over the world, including the United States, Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, Spain and the Netherlands. These have included studies on improved spinal cord monitoring during surgery, brace treatment effectiveness, methods to improve fusion rates, and three large studies looking for the cause of idiopathic scoliosis.

For more information on SRS Grant opportunities, visit our website. To contribute to grant research funding, review all the ways you can donate to SRS at www.srs.org.