Why did you decide to become a spine surgeon?

I was a medical student doing my fellowship at the San Vicente de Paul Hospital in Medellín, Colombia. One day during the rounds I was given the opportunity to attend a spine surgery on a patient with a thoracolumbar fracture. It was very exciting. Two days later I saw a scoliosis surgery on a teenager. That day I decided I wanted to become a spine surgeon and spend the rest of my life working in this area.

 

Where did you get trained?

I first studied orthopedics and traumatology at the Javeriana Catholic University of Bogota. Then I was a fellow in spine, pelvis and acetabulum surgery at the New Granada Military University also in Bogotá. Later on, I went to Buenos Aires, Argentina, to spend some time in pediatric deformities at the Garraham Hospital.

 

Who inspired you?

During my residency in orthopedics and traumatology at the Javeriana University I had the opportunity to work with doctors David Meneses, and Carlos Montero who I can say were my mentors. With them, I learned many things about spine deformities in children.

 

During my residency at the Bogota Santa Fe Foundation, I met doctors Andrés Rodríguez, Luis Carlos Morales Sáenz, and María Constanza Bedoya. All of them passed on their passion for spine surgery, teaching and research to me.

 

Other people who have inspired me in my profession are doctors Javier Matta, Víctor Arrieta and Fernando Torres, who taught spine, pelvis and acetabulum surgery at the New Granada Military University in Bogotá during my fellow time. I was able to share great disciplined learning and research experiences there.

 

Can you tell a bit in general about spine surgery in your country?

Spine surgery enjoys a high standard in Colombia and represents the level of quality in Latin America very well. This is because of the type of surgeries and the increasing scientific, educational and research level of the people.

 

What projects do consider your most important ones?

There are two projects that I consider really important. I am very passionate about research. I work on a research project called SpineBog, in a group of approximately twenty people including fellows, residents, medical students, and people from other fields such as farmers and engineers.

 

One of the most ambitious projects in which I have participated was carried out at the Santa Fe Foundation, where orthopedists and neurosurgeons together with a multidisciplinary team were granted accreditation by the Joint Commission International as the first program in decompression and fixation of lumbar channel accredited by such entity.

 

Also, at the Roosevelt Institute we developed a center of excellence for the treatment of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis. We have developed a neuromuscular scoliosis center. All these projects are in the search of standardization of processes to provide better care to our patients, with better results and greater safety in our proceedings.

 

I’m also past research officer for AOSpine for Colombia and the secretary of the Spine Chapter of the Colombian Society of Orthopedics and Traumatology where we have been carrying out several activities focused on international education and joining efforts to improve our identity as a group.

 

What does being a member of AOSpine mean to you, how has AOSpine influenced your career?

I believe that in AOSpinepine and with AOPEER, I can keep going on the road of learning and teaching.

 

As spine surgeons we must always remember the principles: discipline, respect for our patients and colleagues and above all, to be humble.

 

 A colleague of mine, Dr. Rueda, once told me: This is not a residence, this is a LIFESTYLE, and I still believe it.

 

 

 

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Biography

 

Name: Fernando Alvarado Gómez, Bogota, Colombia

Hospital: Santa Fe Foundation and Instituto Roosevelt, both of Bogota, Colombia.

 

• Spine surgeon, Santa Fe Foundation University Hospital and Roosevelt Institute, both in Bogota, Colombia;
• Spine, pelvis and acetabulum surgeon, Nueva Granada Military University, Colombia;
• Orthopedist and traumatology specialist, Javeriana Catholic University, Colombia;
• Clinical epidemiologist, Our Lady of Rosary University, Colombia;
• Clinical professor, Los Andes University and Del Rosario University;
• Ad Honorem professor, Nueva Granada Military University;
• AOSpine Colombia researcher;
• Secretary, Colombian Spine Society.