Laurel Blakemore, M.D., earned her medical degree at the University of Alabama in 1991 before completing her residency in Orthopaedic Surgery at the University of Michigan Medical Center and fellowship in Pediatric Orthopaedics at Case Western Reserve University. Dr. Blakemore joined the faculty of the University of Florida College of Medicine Department of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation in January 2014 where she was Division Chief and the first Shriners Endowed Professor in Pediatric Orthopedics. In 2020 she joined Pediatric Specialists of Virginia as a surgeon and CEO. Dr. Blakemore's clinical practice focuses on scoliosis, complex spinal deformity and general pediatric orthopaedics. She has published numerous book chapters and more than 40 peer-reviewed publications in journals such as Journal of Pediatric Orthopaedic Trauma, the Journal of Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery and the Spine. She serves as an editorial reviewer for the Spine Deformity and reviews for several other peer-reviewed journals. Blakemore was elected to membership in the American Orthopaedic Association and the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, and has served on the board of directors for the Scoliosis Research Society and the Pediatric Orthopaedic Society of North America. She participates in several international study groups focusing on pediatric spinal deformity.