Multidisciplinary Spine & Pain Committee

Experts from Saint Luke's Spine Surgery Program and Saint Luke’s Marion Bloch Neuroscience Institute meet on a regular basis to review spine and spinal pain cases. Our Multidisciplinary Spine & Pain Committee members consider surgical and nonsurgical treatment options. The committee’s combined recommendations are then forwarded to the patient and the referring physician.

The Committee includes

Neurosurgeons

• Carlos Bagley, MD 
• Gurpreet Gandhoke, MD

Physiatrists

• Stefan Eichenauer, MD

Pain Management physicians

• Jennifer A. Elliott, MD
• Mark Bilezikjian, MD
• Jeffrey M. Foster, DO

Neuroradiologists

• Naveed Akhtar, MD
• William E. Holloway, MD
• Coleman Martin, MD

Advanced practice providers

• Emily Beerman, NP
• Vinesha Byers, PA
• Sarah Orscheln, PA
• Bernadette Schwan, NP
• Jamie Sloan, PA
• Kelly Wemhoff, PA

Spine Center patient care navigators

• Ashley Henderson, RN, BSN
• Jaclyn Sloan, RN, BSN

Coordinated care

The Multidisciplinary Spine & Pain Committee members collaborate throughout the patient’s treatment to ensure seamless coordination of care. Because each specialist plays a different role, ours is a true multidisciplinary model of diagnosis, treatment, and support.

• Neurosurgeons provide a range of surgical techniques for the treatment of spinal disorders, such as minimally invasive spine surgery, complex spine surgery, and artificial cervical disc replacements.
• Neuroradiologists utilize the latest imaging methods, including MRI and CT, to evaluate spinal pathology and deformity.
• Physiatrists coordinate the non-invasive, non-operative management of patients with neck and back pain, with the help of a team of physical and occupational therapists.
• Pain Management physicians offer the latest in spinal and soft tissue injections to help diagnose and treat spine-related pain. They also help coordinate alternative treatment options such as acupuncture.
• Advanced practice providers work closely with neurosurgeons to support and coordinate patient care before and after surgery.
• Patient care navigators support and coordinate patient care before and after surgery
• Intraoperative neurophysiologic monitoring (IOM)—Under the guidance of a neurologist, a team monitors signals in the brain, spinal cord, and nerves, decreasing the risk of injury to these structures during surgery