NEW YORK, Sept. 26, 2019 /PRNewswire/ — Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS), the top-ranked orthopedic hospital in the nation, today announced the appointments of Harvinder S. Sandhu, MD, MBA, and Andrew A. Sama, MD, as the new co-chiefs of its spine service, effective October 2019.
Drs. Sandhu and Sama succeed Frank Schwab, MD, who will continue his practice as chief emeritus of HSS Spine. Under Dr. Schwab’s leadership, HSS Spine continued to advance its clinical and academic reputation and bolstered its position as the international leader in complex and minimally invasive spine procedures.
“HSS is world-renowned for its innovative and research-based evaluation and treatment of people with all levels of musculoskeletal disease and injury, including afflictions of the spine,” said Bryan T. Kelly, MD, surgeon-in-chief and medical director at HSS. “We look forward to Drs. Sandhu and Sama’s leadership to continue to elevate our spine program to even higher levels of patient care excellence.” 
“HSS has been ranked the # 1 Orthopedic program for 10 consecutive years. Our spine service is a key part of that amazing achievement and is one of the best in the world,” said Louis A. Shapiro, president and CEO at HSS. “The combined leadership and experience of Drs. Sama and Sandhu will take us to the next level.”
Dr. Sandhu focuses on minimally invasive spine surgery, microsurgery, computer-assisted surgery and spinal biologics. Previously chief of the spinal service at UCLA, and a graduate of Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Dr. Sandhu joined HSS in 1997. He is actively engaged in the research, development and invention of a variety of devices and instruments and holds several patents on the diagnosis and treatment of spinal disorders.
“HSS is unique in that we have a bench-to-bedside approach and are able to directly translate our innovative research into appropriate and customized patient care,” said Dr. Sandhu. “Sometimes this means not doing surgery when you don’t need to. Other times it means ensuring the right kind of procedure. I am looking forward to this new opportunity to build on the strong foundation of our service and continue our mission to provide the highest quality spine care.”
Dr. Sama specializes in the evaluation and surgical management of all traumatic, degenerative and deformity-related conditions of the spine. A member of numerous spine and orthopedic societies, he lectures at scientific conferences internationally. He is also involved in innovative product development, helping to design orthopedic implant devices for spinal surgery. A graduate of the University of Miami, Dr. Sama completed his fellowship at HSS before beginning his practice in 2001.
“I am honored to co-lead our dedicated multidisciplinary team, who are so experienced that complex procedures have become routine,” said Dr. Sama. “Our high volume and incredible team allow us to continue to advance our expertise, leading to optimal patient care and outcomes.”
About HSS
HSS is the world’s leading academic medical center focused on musculoskeletal health. At its core is Hospital for Special Surgery, nationally ranked No. 1 in orthopedics (for the tenth consecutive year), No. 3 in rheumatology by U.S. News & World Report (2019-2020), and named a leader in pediatric orthopedics by U.S. News & World Report “Best Children’s Hospitals” list (2019-2020). Founded in 1863, the Hospital has one of the lowest infection rates in the country and was the first in New York State to receive Magnet Recognition for Excellence in Nursing Service from the American Nurses Credentialing Center four consecutive times. The global standard total knee replacement was developed at HSS in 1969. An affiliate of Weill Cornell Medical College, HSS has a main campus in New York City and facilities in New Jersey, Connecticut and in the Long Island and Westchester County regions of New York State. In addition, HSS will be opening a new facility in Florida in early 2020. In 2018, HSS provided care to 139,000 patients and performed more than 32,000 surgical procedures, and people from all 50 U.S. states and 80 countries travelled to receive care at HSS. There were more than 37,000 pediatric visits to the HSS Lerner Children’s Pavilion for treatment by a team of interdisciplinary experts. In addition to patient care, HSS leads the field in research, innovation and education. The HSS Research Institute comprises 20 laboratories and 300 staff members focused on leading the advancement of musculoskeletal health through prevention of degeneration, tissue repair and tissue regeneration. The HSS Global Innovation Institute was formed in 2016 to realize the potential of new drugs, therapeutics and devices. The HSS Education Institute is the world’s leading provider of education on musculoskeletal health, with its online learning platform offering more than 600 courses to more than 21,000 medical professional members worldwide. Through HSS Global Ventures, the institution is collaborating with medical centers and other organizations to advance the quality and value of musculoskeletal care and to make world-class HSS care more widely accessible nationally and internationally. www.hss.edu.
SOURCE Hospital for Special Surgery