Orthopedic Surgery News Archive Featured in the Media JeffNEWS

Spine specialist Todd J. Albert, M.D., has been appointed as the James Edwards professor and chair of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at Jefferson Medical College and Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia. He was previously vice chair of the department and is President of the Rothman Institute.

Thomas J. Nasca, M.D., MACP, senior vice president, Academic Affairs, Thomas Jefferson University, and dean of Jefferson Medical College said, “We could not be more pleased to welcome Dr. Albert to the helm of Jefferson Orthopaedics. He shares the University and Hospital’s mission to provide patients with the highest quality care while working to develop the treatments, technologies, and leaders of tomorrow.”

Thomas J. Lewis, president and CEO of Thomas Jefferson University Hospital concurred. “Dr. Albert’s standing as a top clinician, researcher, and teacher, coupled with his demonstrated leadership capabilities will undeniably add to Jefferson’s distinguished reputation as one of the finest institutions for orthopaedic care in the United States,” he said.

Named one of “America’s Top Doctors” for Orthopaedics in 2006 by Castle Connelly and selected numerous times as “Top Doc” by Philadelphia Magazine, Dr. Albert is also a professor of Neurological Surgery at Jefferson Medical College, Thomas Jefferson University, and serves as co-director of both the Reconstructive Spine Service and the Spine Fellowship Program at Jefferson Hospital.

Dr. Albert will assume his new position and title from renowned orthopaedic surgeon and field pioneer Richard H. Rothman, M.D. Though Dr. Rothman will step down as chairman, he will continue to pursue his academic and clinical interests within the department.

“I am honored to be taking over this prestigious position from Dr. Richard Rothman, a true leader in the field of orthopaedics, at this world renowned university and hospital,” said Dr. Albert upon accepting his chairmanship. “Jefferson is one of the foremost institutions in orthopaedic clinical productivity and musculoskeletal, clinical and basic research, and I look forward to enhancing the relationship between three tremendous institutions – the Rothman Institute, Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University, and Thomas Jefferson University Hospital – to continue to shape the future of orthopaedic medicine while delivering exceptional care to our patients each and every day.”

After graduating magna cum laude with a bachelor of arts in neuroscience from Amherst College in 1983, Dr. Albert obtained his doctor of medicine from the University of Virginia in 1987. He completed an internship in orthopaedic surgery at Pennsylvania Hospital in 1988 and fulfilled an orthopaedic surgery residency at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in 1992. These were followed by an additional year of fellowship training in spinal surgery at the Minnesota Spine Center, completed in 1993.

Dr. Albert returned to Philadelphia, joining the Jefferson faculty after his fellowship training in 1993, and has been a member of the Jefferson community ever since. He began as assistant professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at Jefferson Medical College while working as an attending surgeon at Pennsylvania Hospital and the Rothman Institute. In 1997, he was promoted to associate professor and, in 2001, to full professor. In 2005, Dr. Albert also became professor of Neurological Surgery.

It was in 1997 that Dr. Albert joined the staff of Thomas Jefferson University Hospital. He was named co-director of the Reconstructive Spine Service and the Spine Fellowship Program, two titles he holds to this day. One year later, Dr. Albert was designated as the vice chairman of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery.

As a board certified orthopaedic surgeon specializing in patients with disorders of the spine, Dr. Albert’s clinical research interests focus on cervical and reconstructive spine surgery. Currently, he is involved in NIH-funded basic research investigating stem cell regeneration of the disc, while also serving as a co-primary investigator in the $15 million, NIH-funded National Spine Patient Outcomes Research Trial (SPORT), which compares the clinical outcomes of lumbar spine patients.

Dedicated to many professional organizations, Dr. Albert serves as vice president of the Cervical Spine Research Society, and is an active member of the Scoliosis Research Society, International Society for the Study of the Lumbar Spine, The American Spinal Injury Association, American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, and the American Orthopaedic Association.

Dr. Albert has presented his research nationally and internationally and is the author of over 200 original papers and abstracts, 80 book chapters and five books. He serves on the Editorial Boards for the medical journal Spine, the Journal of Spinal Disorders and Techniques, The Spine Journal, Orthopaedic Technology Review, and SpineUniverse.com.

Also involved in the community outside of his profession, Dr. Albert is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Philadelphia Zoo, has served on the advisory committee of STRIVE Philadelphia, a program which helps under skilled and economically disadvantaged Philadelphians train for employment, and has built a house in Kenya, in honor of his wife, for young orphans of the HIV/AIDS pandemic through America Share.