Our FACULTY
Our faculty are involved with fellowship training and each has their own subspecialty interest and expertise. This provides excellent opportunities for mentorship in all areas of spine surgery.
David W. Polly Jr., MD
Professor, Department of Orthopedic Surgery
Chief of Spine Service, Department of Orthopedic Surgery
Spine Section Leader, Department of Orthopedic Surgery
Adjunct Professor, Department of Neurosurgery
Dr. Polly is a professor and chief of spine surgery in the Department of Orthopedic Surgery. He holds the James W. Ogilvie Chair and Catherine Mills Davis Land Grant Chair in Biomechanical Engineering. He is nationally and internationally recognized for biomechanics and outcomes research. He cares for complex pediatric and adult spine conditions and is well known for scoliosis research.
Dr. Polly's clinical interests include spine (pediatric and adult); scoliosis, spinal tumors, and spine degenerative disease. He has more than 200 publications. Dr. Polly is a past president of the Scoliosis Research Society. He served on the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons Board of Councilors and Board of Specialty Societies, and the Minnesota Orthopaedic Society.
Publications
Nathan Hendrickson, MD, MS
Assistant Professor, Department of Orthopedic Surgery
Dr. Hendrickson is an assistant professor in the Department of Orthopedic Surgery. He is fellowship trained in orthopedic spine surgery and has expertise in cervical, thoracic and lumbar spine including adult spinal deformities, complex revision spine surgery and degenerative spinal conditions. Dr. Hendrickson utilizes technologies including computer-assisted navigation and robotic-assisted spine surgery to achieve the best outcomes with minimally invasive techniques.
He completed medical school at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, followed by orthopedic surgery residency at the University of Iowa. After residency, Dr. Hendrickson completed an orthopedic spine fellowship at the University of Utah.
Dr. Hendrickson is very active in clinical research and is a grant-funded Principal Investigator studying the effect of malnutrition and nutritional supplementation after orthopedic surgery. He and his partners have many active research protocols aimed at improving outcomes after spine surgery.
Kristen Jones, MD, FAANS
Assistant Professor, Department of Neurosurgery
Dr. Jones received her MD from Tulane University School of Medicine in New Orleans and completed her neurosurgery residency at the University of Minnesota. She then completed a unique year-long Complex Spine Fellowship in spinal deformity surgery, working at the U under internationally-renowned spinal deformity surgeon, David Polly, MD, in the Departments of Orthopedic Surgery and Neurosurgery.
Her training in both orthopedic and neurosurgical spine surgery enables her to treat every issue dealing with the spine in both children and adults. Jones specializes in minimally invasive spine surgery, scoliosis, complex spinal deformity, spine tumors, and trauma. “I am grateful for my unique training that enables me to take care of the most difficult, complex spine problems in an environment that’s well equipped to give our patients the best outcomes,” she says.
She participates in the Scoliosis Research Society, the AO Spine Knowledge Forum on Adult Spinal Deformity, the Association of American Neurological Surgeons (AANS); the Congress of Neurological Surgeons (CNS) (Executive Committee, CNS/AANS Joint Section on Disorders of Spine and Peripheral Nerve, Co-chair, Research and Awards Committee, CNS/AANS Joint Section on Disorders of Spine and Peripheral Nerve). Dr. Jones also serves as the Chair of the Spine Quality and Quality Improvement Committee at M Health Fairview.
Publications
Christopher Martin, MD
Assistant Professor, Department of Orthopedic Surgery
After completing his residency at the University of Iowa, Dr. Martin completed the prestigious fellowship program in Spine Surgery at Emory University in Atlanta. He subsequently joined the faculty at the University of Minnesota. His mission is to provide care for patients with spinal conditions that helps to relieve pain and restore function with the least invasive technique available.
Overall, he has authored or co-authored over 40 pubmed citable manuscripts, and has been the PI or Co-PI on four major grants including two from the Orthopaedic Research and Education Foundation, and one each from the Orthopaedic Trauma Association and the Iowa Orthopaedic Society. He also contributed with leadership in orthopedics, serving as a member of the Publications Committee for the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, and as a grant reviewer for the Musculoskeletal Transplant Foundation.
Publications
Jonathan Sembrano, MD
Associate Professor, Department of Orthopedic Surgery
Dr. Sembrano is an associate professor in the Department of Orthopedic Surgery. He attended medical school at University of the Philippines, followed by his orthopedic surgery residency at Philippine General Hospital in Manila, Philippines.
Following his residency, Dr. Sembrano completed three prestigious fellowship positions in spine surgery, pediatric orthopedic surgery, and adult reconstructive surgery. His areas of expertise are pediatric and adult spinal deformities, minimally-invasive spine surgery, computer navigation for spine surgery, spinal degenerative disorders, and cervical spine surgery.
Dr. Sembrano is an active member of the Scoliosis Research Society (SRS), Lumbar Spine Research Society (LSRS), Cervical Spine Research Society (CSRS), American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons (AAOS), AO Spine North America, Society for Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery (SMISS), Mid-America Orthopedic Association (MAOA), Minnesota Orthopedic Society (MOS), Philippine Orthopedic Association (POA) and Philippine Spine Society (PSS). He is also the current President of the Philippine-Minnesotan Medical Association (PMMA).
Publications