SpineLine’s 20 Under 40 Class of 2025 Profiles

By Kelly Campbell, MS, and Jeff Karzen

Since its launch in 2018, SpineLine’s 20 Under 40 has honored young leaders in spine care who are making meaningful contributions to the field. Candidates may be nominated by colleagues or apply directly, but all complete the same application process that focuses on their background, accomplishments, and service to NASS and their home communities. Each year, the SpineLine Editorial Board carefully reviews dozens and dozens of candidates to identify whose professional accomplishments, innovation, scholarship, and service set them apart as the most deserving of this recognition.

The 2025 class reflects the global reach and multidisciplinary strength of today’s spine community. This year’s honorees include orthopedic surgeons, neurosurgeons, rehabilitation specialists, allied health professionals, and researchers working across a wide spectrum of focus areas – from complex deformity and degenerative disorders, to biologics, biomaterials, and patient recovery. Congrats to this year's class!

Ilyas Aleem, MD, MS, FRCSC

Orthopedic Surgeon

University of Michigan Medical Center Ann Arbor, MI

Zainab J. Al Lawati, MD

PM&R

University of Miami Miller School of Medicine Miami, FL

Luca Ambrosio, MD

Orthopedic Surgeon

Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Campus Bio-Medico Rome, Italy

Joshua Bakhsheshian, MD, MHA

Neurosurgeon

Department of Neurological Surgery, Mayo Clinic Arizona Phoenix, AZ

Josephine Coury-Whalley, MD

Orthopedic Surgeon

The Daniel and Jane Och Spine Hospital at New York-Presbyterian/Columbia New York, NY

Charlotte Dandurand, MD, MSc, FRCSC

Neurosurgeon

The University of British Columbia Vancouver, BC

Rafael Garcia de Oliveira, MD

Orthopedic Surgeon

Virginia Mason Medical Center Seattle, WA

Brian C. Goh, MD, PhD

Orthopedic Surgeon

Emory University School of Medicine Atlanta, GA

Sereen Halayqeh, MD

Orthopedic Surgeon

Hospital for Special Surgery New York, NY

Harish Kempegowda, MD

Orthopedic Surgeon

Horizon Health Paris Community Hospital Paris, IL

Ahmad Ozair, MD, MPH

Neurosurgeon

McGill University Montreal, Canada

Prashant V. Rajan, MD

Orthopedic Surgeon

University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center Cleveland, OH

Andreas Remis, DPT

Physical Therapist

Duke University Durham, NC

Ahad M. Siddiqui, PhD

Researcher

Mayo Clinic Rochester, MN

Dan Tobert, MD

Orthopedic Surgeon

Massachusetts General Hospital Boston, MA

Sung Huang Laurent Tsai, MD, MPH

Orthopedic Surgeon

Taipei Medical University Hospital Taipei, Taiwan

Anne Versteeg, MD, PhD, MHSc, FRCSC

Orthopedic Surgeon

Mayo Clinic Rochester, MN

Hao-Hua Wu, MD

Orthopedic Surgeon

UC Irvine Orange, CA

Charles Yu, MD, FAAOS

Orthopedic Surgeon

Ochsner Medical Center New Orleans, LA

Mohamed A. Zaazoue, MD, MSc, MBA

Neurosurgeon

Department of Neurological Surgery, University of Wisconsin Madison, WI

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