St. Vincent Charity Medical Center spine surgeon named president of Mid-America Orthopedic Association

St. Vincent Charity Medical Center spine surgeon Robert McLain, M.D., was named president of the Mid-America Orthopaedic Association at the organization’s annual meeting in April in San Antonio, Texas. Dr. McLain will help guide the organization’s mission in 2018-2019 to provide educational and fellowship opportunities for its 1,400 orthopedic surgeon members in 20 states.

A fellowship-trained spine surgeon with 25 years of expertise in complex spine care, Dr. McLain is a recognized expert in the treatment of degenerative conditions of the neck and back, spine and trauma, and instability of the spinal column. The author of more than 200 peer-reviewed papers and chapters, Dr. McLain joined St. Vincent Charity Medical Center in 2015 to fully devote his time to clinical care. Dr. McLain’s specialties of interest include artificial disc and disc replacement surgery for the cervical and lumbar spine; surgical treatment of degenerative diseases of the spine, disc herniation and stenosis, and spinal instability; kyphoplasty; and treatment of neck and arm pain due to degeneration or disc herniation in the cervical spine.

Prior to joining St. Vincent Charity’s renowned Spine and Orthopedic Institute, Dr. McLain served 17 years as a Cleveland Clinic staff surgeon and educator with appointments in the Departments of Orthopaedic Surgery and Neurosurgery, Professor of Surgery within the Lerner College of Medicine, and as director of the Cleveland Clinic’s Spine Surgery Fellowship Program.

Dr. McLain has been a member of the Mid-America Orthopeadic Association for 16 years and has served in numerous leadership roles, including his most recent position as first vice president. Dr. McLain joins orthopedic surgeon Dr. Bernard Stulberg, who served as president 2012-2013, as one of two St. Vincent Charity surgeons to head the association in just the last five years. To learn more about the association, visit www.maoa.org.