Medical Education · CME Faculty · Course Director

Teaching is the
other half of surgery.

  • Speaks to spine surgeons, neurosurgery residents, and medical societies
  • Topics: surgical technique, anatomy, robotics, AI in practice
  • Annual course host and international surgical demonstrator
  • Faculty at AANS, CNS, NASS, and AOSpine over multiple years
Book Dr. Rod
Conference Faculty

Where he has
spoken.

AANS CNS NASS AOSpine SRS ICEOS SMISS ISASS Becker's Spine Review HIMSS IAMA Medical-Legal CLE

Every talk is built from clinical practice. The research, the anatomy, and the technique come from the operating room first.

Accepts

Medical education events, CME conferences, cadaveric courses, and surgical demonstrations.

Keynotes Grand Rounds Cadaveric Courses Podcast Appearances Panel Moderation Surgical Demonstrations
What this looks like in practice
  • + Every clinical claim traceable to published work or direct OR experience
  • + 500+ publications and 7 textbooks as the underlying body of work
  • + Live surgical demonstrations for cadaveric courses
  • + CME-accredited programming through Seattle Science Foundation
Signature Topics

Six signature
topics.

01
Robotics in Spine Surgery
  • Accuracy data on pedicle screw placement
  • Radiation reduction for patients and surgeons
  • Where the technology does not yet justify cost or complexity
  • Early adopter: speaks to the learning curve and the real outcomes
02
Lateral Approaches to the Lumbar Spine
  • LLIF, XLIF, OLIF, and lateral lumbar corpectomy
  • Performed early corpectomies before these techniques had formal names in the US
  • Host of the Lateral Approaches to the Spine course for 10+ years
  • Co-authored the anatomy textbook on this approach
03
AI and Big Data in Neurosurgery
What's proven
Outcome prediction models, AI-assisted imaging interpretation
What's not
Where the literature is still catching up to vendor marketing
04
Building a High-Volume Spine Service
  • Operations, surgical volume, and team structure
  • Academic output and industry relationships
  • Led Swedish Neuroscience Institute spine service for 20+ years
  • Includes the parts that do not appear in published reports
05
Expert Witness Medicine for Surgeons
  • What attorneys need from neurosurgeons in litigation
  • What typically disqualifies a surgical expert witness
  • Medical record review, standard of care, courtroom testimony
  • Hundreds of cases over two decades, plaintiff and defense
06
Mentorship and the Premed Pipeline
  • Kids in Medicine program
  • SSF resident and fellow training model
  • What early surgical exposure actually produces in trainees over time
  • Why it matters beyond the optics of outreach
Track Record

Selected
appearances.

Speaking Inquiries

Contact for
availability.

Domestic events
60 days lead time minimum
Cadaveric / International
90 days lead time minimum

All inquiries reviewed personally. Include your budget range and we will respond with a straight answer.

Typical engagements
Talk formats
Keynotes (20 to 30 minutes), lectures (45 to 60 minutes), panels, and half or full-day cadaveric courses.
Materials
Slides and video provided. AV and case-imaging needs shared ahead of the event.
CME credit
Available for accredited events through the Seattle Science Foundation.
Lead time
Domestic 60 days, international and cadaveric 90 days minimum.