As a spine surgeon specializing in neck and lower back pain, Kenneth Nwosu, MD, MBA, is skilled in the cutting-edge techniques to address chronic pain and mobility issues caused by underlying spinal disease or injury. Dr. Nwosu believes in the many benefits that minimally invasive surgical techniques can offer his patients, including minimal hospitalization and expedient pain relief and return to an active lifestyle. He offers a variety of surgical options at his multidisciplinary spine practices in Burien and Puyallup, Washington.
After graduating from the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA), Dr. Nwosu completed his orthopedic surgery residency at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center followed by a spine surgery fellowship at the Harvard Combined Spine Fellowship Program, affiliated with Harvard Medical School in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Dr. Nwosu is an active member of the North American Spine Society and the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.
Dr. Nwosu continues to perform extensive research in spinal surgery. He is a published author who also speaks about his surgical research at presentations within the medical community.
Dr. Nwosu’s personal philosophy focuses on working closely with each patient towards developing a tailored treatment plan to ensure the best outcome. His focus on utilizing cutting-edge minimally invasive techniques is paramount in helping patients feel better faster, allowing return to a physically active lifestyle as soon as possible.
Richard Wohns, MD, JD, MBA, is founder and president of NeoSpine which provides comprehensive spine care including surgery, pain management, and imaging, with locations throughout the Puget Sound Region of Washington. Board certified in Neurological Surgery, Dr. Wohns has been in practice for over 30 years.
After earning degrees from Harvard College, Yale Medical School, and completing his neurosurgery residency at the University of Washington, Dr. Wohns started business school at the University of Washington. As a result of a business plan writing exercise, NeoSpine, a concept for a national network of outpatient spine surgery centers, quickly turned into a reality when it received $20 million in venture capital funding. 15 years and many centers later, NeoSpine has continued to be at the forefront of developing and executing innovative outpatient spinal surgery and pain management techniques. NeoSpine was acquired by Symbion which was in turn acquired by Surgical Partners, Inc. Today, Dr. Wohns leads the NeoSpine practice and Microsurgical Spine Center, its partner surgery center, in Washington State.
Prior to NeoSpine, Dr. Wohns organized and co-founded Neurosurgical Consultants of Washington, involving 12 neurosurgeons in the Puget Sound area. He also developed South Sound Gamma Knife Center, a partnership between neurosurgeons, radiation oncologists, and St. Joseph Hospital to provide Gamma Knife Radiosurgery for patients in South Puget Sound.Dr. Wohns co-founded U.S. Radiosurgery to develop additional radiosurgical centers nationwide with either CyberKnife or Gamma Knife technology. Alliance Oncology acquired U.S. Radiosurgery in 2015.
Dr. Wohns is a leader in high altitude medicine and is the former Vice President of the International Society of Mountain Medicine. He has been both a physician and a climber during expeditions on Mount Kilimanjaro and Mount Everest. He served as the Medical Director during the 1984 Ultima Thule Everest Expedition during which time he performed high altitude brain research on Mount Everest. He also performed the first high altitude emergency appendectomy on a porter during an expedition to K2, the second highest mountain in the world. During the summer of 2013, Dr. Wohns returned to Nepalto teach minimally invasive spine surgery techniques to the staff at Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital. During this trip he also performed pro bono surgery with medical implants and instruments graciously donated by leading medical device companies. His enduring commitment to the country, its people, and to the field of medicine has compelled him to return annually to continue lecturing and leading spine surgery workshops in Kathmandu, where he is now Visiting Professor of Neurological Surgery. Dr. Wohns has established the Nepal Spine Foundation, a non-profit 501(c)3 organization, to promote neurosurgery education and care for indigent patients in Nepal. Dr. Wohns also has lectured and operated in the Maldives and performed several “firsts” including cervical disc replacement, lumbar disc replacement, anterior lumbar interbody fusion and sacroiliac joint fusion.
Dr. Wohns is the founder of the Mazama Spine Summit, an annual minimally invasive and outpatient spine surgery conference that brings together top spine surgeons and technique innovators from across the country. Held in Winthrop, WA, the conference consists of educational panel sessions and a keynote speaker and focuses on new developments in minimally invasive and outpatient spine surgery. May 2022 marked the 18th anniversary of this important educational event.
Dr. Wohns was also Chief Medical Officer for angelMD, a technology platform and marketplace that connects leading medical startups from all over the world with life science investors, industry and physicians/scientists, creating a more efficient path from start to funding to exit and de-risking investments in the process. He was Director on the Board of Aqueduct Critical Care, Director on the Board of SeaMed, and also on the Scientific Advisory Board of Ranier Technology. Dr. Wohns was recently appointed by Governor Jay Inslee of Washington to be a Commissioner on the Washington Medical Commission.
Dr. Wohns is an alumnus of the Seattle University School of Law and utilizes his legal knowledge as an expert witness in the realms of patent litigation, credentialing, and medical negligence. He has held positions at professional societies including serving on both the Ethics Committee and the Professional Conduct Committee for the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) and Vice President and President of the Western Neurosurgical Society. Dr. Wohns is a member of multiple medical and climbing associations, an expert consultant to several organizations, and has authored many articles in peer-reviewed scientific journals plus chapters in medical textbooks. Several of the articles include “firsts” in outpatient spine surgery. In February 2011, he was rated one of the 100 Best Spine Surgeons and Specialists in America and in February 2010, one of the 50 Best Spine Specialists in the United States by Becker’s Orthopedic & Spine Review. In 2014, Dr. Wohns was listed as one of the “40 Smartest People in Healthcare.” Dr. Wohns has taken his expertise worldwide, sharing knowledge with fellow physicians and helping thousands of patients to return to their daily life and activities throughout his career in spine surgery.
