Changing Lives through Spine Surgery with Weill Cornell Medicine

While building traditional homes in rural Ethiopia, two brothers suffered devastating spinal injuries after a fall. Four days later, they were carried on stretchers by eight men for more than 600 km to the capital for urgent medical care. The younger brother had a thoracic fracture-dislocation with complete loss of motor, sensory, and autonomic function in his lower body. His older brother suffered a lumbar fracture-dislocation. Three years post-surgery, the older brother recovered smoothly, but tragically, the younger brother is permanently wheelchair bound.

This was the case presented by Dr. Fisiha Gebeyehu Shiferaw, who was one of 37 fellows from 29 countries, during the Neurosurgery (Spine) seminar held from September 20 to 26, 2026. In his home country of Ethiopia, injuries from falls such as these are common but difficult to treat due to shortages of modern facilities and medical instruments such as pedicle screws, fixation sets, and microscopes. The young surgeon explained that the hands-on lab this week provided an invaluable opportunity for him. He was able to insert screws using the O-arm surgical imaging system for the first time after having only read about the device in books. Dr. Shiferaw believes that he can make a real difference in his patients’ lives with the knowledge and skills he learned in Salzburg, which he plans to share with his colleagues back home. Stories like this one highlight the impact that OMI seminars can have.

The course was led by the power duo of course director Dr. Roger Härtl from Weill Cornell Medicine and co-course director Dr. Claudius Thomé from the Medical University of Innsbruck. While Dr. Härtl was present in Salzburg for the 19th time this week, Dr. Thomé taught in Salzburg for the 23rd time. Both experts have also served at our hub in Mexico three times.

The remainder of the cohort was made up of seven international members from five different countries. From the USA, we were joined by Dr. Kai-Ming Fu and Dr. Justiss A. Kallos (both Weill Cornell Medicine), as well as Dr. Lawrence G. Lenke (Columbia University) who taught remotely via Zoom. Dr. Harry H. Gebhard from Switzerland (Rehaklinik Dussnang), Dr. Marisa Gandía from Spain (University Hospital La Paz), Dr. Massimo Balsano from Italy (University Hospital, Verona), and Dr. Bernhard Meyer from Germany (Technical University of Munich) also joined the teaching effort.

The course covered the full spectrum of modern spine care, from evidence-based outcomes, patient examination, and surgical decision-making to degenerative disease, trauma, infection, tumors, spinal cord injury, and adult deformity. Minimally invasive and endoscopic techniques, lumbar fusion strategies, and the management of cervical radiculopathy and myelopathy were a particular focus, together with how to build a multidisciplinary spine center. Two wet labs and the fellows’ case presentations gave everyone the chance to translate these principles into hands-on skills and practical clinical judgment.

A highlight of the seminar was without a doubt the hands-on training workshops. The lab sessions offered fellows a valuable opportunity to refine their surgical techniques while gaining practical experience with state-of-the-art equipment under the guidance of world-renowned faculty and experienced Medtronic vendors (Igor Belusic, Oleg Khadzinov, Pavelas Vounisius, Mikus Vinters, and Fanika Lukacevic) and Zeiss vendors (Rene Stanke and Philipp Le Duff). Across three different stations, fellows tested their skills in O-arm spinal 3D navigation, microscopic lumbar decompression, and cervical decompression and fusion.

Thanks to Medtronic and Zeiss for once again supporting the lab sessions!

Course director Dr. Roger Härtl has been a long-time OMI supporter. We asked him what exactly, in his opinion, makes the Open Medical Institute unique and why he keeps returning to Salzburg to share his expertise.

“What makes the Open Medical Institute unique is that it brings together young surgeons from many countries for a full week of teaching, discussion, and exchange with faculty who come not to lecture and leave, but to live and work alongside them. Every year I learn as much from the fellows as they learn from us. They take what they learn in Salzburg back to their hospitals and their trainees, and over time that has a real impact on the global community of spine surgeons. That is why I keep returning to Salzburg. This is my 19th participation, and it remains one of the most meaningful teaching weeks of my year,” he explained meaningfully.