Shay Bess, MD, received his undergraduate degree from Columbia University and medical doctorate from The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Following medical school, he completed his orthopedic surgery residency at Case Western Reserve University before going on to a fellowship in pediatric and adult spinal surgery at Washington University in St. Louis. Dr. Bess is a member of the Scoliosis Research Society and North American Spine Society, and is the president of the International Spine Study Group Foundation, which is a non-profit, multi-center research foundation that studies scoliosis and spinal deformities in adults and children. Since 2009 the International Spine Study Group has more than 900 national and international abstract presentations, over 120 manuscript publications and is one of the most productive research study groups in the world. Dr. Bess performs charity surgery and is a surgeon for the Ethiopia Project and the Foundation of Orthopaedics and Complex Spine, which are charity organizations that travel to Africa to provide scoliosis and spine surgery for children in need. Dr. Bess devotes a large portion of his professional career to research efforts in hopes of improving treatment for patients with spine conditions and has more than 100 publications, 20 book chapters and travels nationally and internationally to lecture on research findings. With patient health, safety and patient outcomes as his highest priority, he strives to understand how and why people respond to different forms of treatment to better serve them. As a dedicated caregiver, Dr. Bess believes that understanding patient treatment needs and goals are the most important aspect of care. He strives to tailor his care to fit each individual's needs and continually works to return patients to a healthy, active lifestyle.