From the SSF Anatomical Research Lab
SSF operates a dedicated anatomical research facility producing peer-reviewed discoveries that change how surgery is taught and practiced worldwide. Our research fellows collaborate with clinicians at leading medical centers across six continents.
SSF serves as the editorial office for the Global Spine Journal (GSJ), the official scientific publication of AO Spine, one of the world’s largest orthopedic surgical societies. GSJ is an open-access, peer-reviewed journal focused on spinal disorder diagnosis and treatment.
Published in partnership with SAGE and distributed to AO Spine’s network of clinicians in more than 130 countries, GSJ is the world’s largest open-access spine research journal by readership.
“Open-access publication means the research SSF helps produce reaches surgeons in every country, not only those with institutional subscriptions.”
Official Publication of AO Spine
Peer reviewed · PubMed indexed · AO Spine
SSF serves as the Editorial Office
Visit Global Spine Journal →From cervical nerve mechanics to safer lumbosacral fixation. SSF’s anatomical discoveries carry direct consequences in the operating room.
Finding: Shoulder depression causes significant tension and displacement of the C5 nerve rootlets.
Explains the mechanism of postoperative C5 nerve palsy in cervical spine surgery, a discovery that directly affects surgical positioning technique.
Finding: Clarified the neurovascular anatomy surrounding iliac screw placement compared to traditional methods.
Established a safer surgical technique that reduces risk of neurovascular injury during lumbosacral fixation.
Finding: Validated a far lateral T12-corpectomy approach that avoids major organ injuries.
Enhanced surgical safety for thoracolumbar junction procedures, enabling surgeons to use a specific approach with confidence.
Finding: Webinar-based medical education in cerebrovascular neurosurgery is highly effective and measurably influential. (Frontiers in Surgery, 2023)
Peer-reviewed evidence that SSF’s free series model produces real educational impact, validating the open-access approach at scale.
Read the publication →SSF researchers have authored and contributed to eight medical references used in surgical training programs worldwide, from focused surgical atlases to Gray’s Anatomy. Written for practitioners at the point of care.
Thieme · 2018
Co-edited by SSF’s Rod Oskouian, a definitive surgical atlas of the lumbar plexus for safe anterior and lateral approaches to the spine.
Contributor · Elsevier · 2016
Gray’s Anatomy, 41st Ed.
Elsevier · 2019
Lateral lumbar approach
Springer · 2019
Pediatric neurosurgery
Cambridge Scholars · 2019
Craniocervical anatomy
Elsevier · 2020
Neurovascular surgery
Rhazes · 2018
Brachial plexus atlas
Springer · 2020
Skull base & hindbrain
Our anatomical research spans the full spectrum of surgical neuroscience, from foundational cadaveric study to translational clinical application.
Foundational cadaveric mapping of the spinal column, from the craniocervical junction to the sacrum, that grounds every surgical technique SSF validates.
Safer approaches proven in the anatomy lab before they reach the operating room, with a focus on reducing neurovascular risk.
Tumor biology and peripheral nerve mechanics that inform how surgeons plan resections and protect function.
Translating peer-reviewed findings into training that reaches surgeons on six continents through open-access study.
Engage directly with the latest findings in spine oncology, global spine research, and tumor biology alongside leading surgeons and researchers worldwide.
Spine Oncology Debates
Monthly · 1st Monday · 2:00 PM PT
Expert panelists debate emerging treatment controversies and surgical decision-making in spine oncology, structured for practicing surgeons.
Virtual Global Spine Journal Club
Quarterly · 1st Thursday · 7:00 AM PT
Peer-led discussion of the latest GSJ publications with international contributors from the AO Spine network worldwide.
