Vertical Health Editorial Board
Vertical Health is committed to ensuring that all information on its sites is trustworthy and of the highest quality.
To maintain the sites’ quality, Vertical Health relies on its exceptional Editorial Boards. The Editorial Boards are a "Who's Who" of leading medical professionals, including surgeons, pain management specialists, chiropractors, nurses, physical therapists, rheumatologists, and endocrinologists.
The Vertical Health Editorial Boards represent medical professionals at many of America’s leading institutions, including: Harvard University, the Mayo Clinic, the Cleveland Clinic, Johns Hopkins, and Northwestern University.
The Editorial Boards play an integral role in the content approval process on Vertical Health websites. Every article is reviewed by at least one member of the Board. Articles that are not of sufficient quality are rejected, with only the best articles being presented on the sites.
Select Editorial Board Members
For full list of each site’s Editorial Board, please visit EndocrineWeb, SpineUniverse, DLDR, and SpineCME.
SpineUniverse
Richard G. Fessler, MD, PhD - Neurosurgeon
Professor of Neurological Surgery
Northwestern University - Chicago, IL
A prolific author, Dr. Fessler has written 13 books and contributed almost 90 book chapters to medical texts. He has published 87 articles in peer-reviewed journals and presented numerous papers at peer-reviewed symposiums. Dr. Fessler lends his expertise to the Editorial Boards of Neurosurgery and Neuro-Orthopaedics.
Keith Bridwell, MD - Orthopaedic Surgeon
Chief, Orthopaedic Surgery
Washington University School of Medicine - St. Louis, MO
Dr. Keith Bridwell is Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at Washington University School of Medicine. He is the founder and Director of the Washington University (St. Louis) Spine Fellowship program, which was initiated in 1991. Since 1982, Dr. Bridwell has been an active researcher in the spine field. He has contributed 40 chapters to medical textbooks, 130 articles to scientific peer-reviewed journals, and 200 scientific abstracts/ presentations. He is a deputy editor for Spine. Dr. Bridwell is co-editor-in-chief with Ronald L. DeWald, MD of The Textbook of Spinal Surgery, editions 1 and 2. The third edition of The Textbook of Spinal Surgery is currently under development.
Chairman
Cleveland Clinic Spine Institute - Cleveland, OH
Dr. Benzel has 7 US patents in the area of spine surgery. Dr. Benzel is on the Editorial Review Board of numerous scientific journals in the field of spine and neurosurgery. A prolific author of scientific research, Dr. Benzel has authored 6 books. In addition to writing full books, he has contributed 109 chapters to medical texts and edited 13 books. Dr. Benzel also writes commentaries, letters, and reviews for various professional spine journals. Articles written by Dr. Benzel for peer-reviewed journals amount to 127. His research is published in over 272 abstracts. The American Academy of Neurological and Orthopaedic Surgeons awarded Dr. Benzel the Lifetime Achievement Award in 1996.
Doctor of Chiropractic
Miglis Back and Neck Care Center - Melbourne, FL
Dr. Miglis completed his professional training at the Los Angeles College of Chiropractic. Upon graduation, Dr. Miglis practiced in Los Angeles. During this time, he co-founded a special training program to teach advanced diagnostic and treatment techniques to senior students at the Los Angeles College of Chiropractic, lecturing at the college on numerous occasions.
His post-graduate work includes studies with some of the world leaders of chiropractic: spinal diagnosis and treatment with European pioneers, Drs. Gillet and Pletain, radiology with Dr. Howe, and treatment techniques with Dr. Faye of Santa Monica, CA. In addition, Dr. Miglis is certified in the internationally recognized McKenzie Method, and is the only chiropractor in Florida with this certification.
Chief, Division of Pain Medicine
Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California - Los Angeles, CA
Dr. Richeimer holds the academic position of Associate Professor of Anesthesiology and Psychiatry at the University of Southern California at Davis. Dr. Richeimer is the Chief, Division of Pain Medicine, Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California, and Director, Norris Cancer Hospital Pain Management. He is Board Certified in the fields of anesthesiology and psychiatry, and in the sub-specialty of pain management.
Dr. Richeimer is a member of the American Pain Society, American Society of Regional Anesthesia, American Society of Anesthesiologists, International Association for the Study of Pain, and the American Medical Association.
Mary Rodts, DNP, CNP, ONC, FAAN - Orthopaedic Nurse
Associate Professor
Rush College of Nursing - Chicago, IL
Board certified as an Orthopaedic Nurse, Mary Rodts, DNP, CNP, ONC, FAAN, is a Surgical Nursing Practitioner/Teacher of Surgical Nursing at Rush University Medical Center. She is part of the medical practice Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush. In addition to nursing, education is a major part of Mary's work. Mary holds a faculty appointment at Rush College of Nursing, Rush University, where she is currently an Associate Professor.
In addition to nursing associations, Mary is one of very few nurses who is a member of the Scoliosis Research Society. She is a recipient of the Scoliosis Research Society's Walter P. Blount award. Mary has presented her extensive medical research at international and national speaking engagements, contributing 24 articles in peer-reviewed scientific publications and eight chapters to medical books.
EndocrineWeb
Grazia Aleppo, MD, FACE - Endocrinologist
Clinical Practice Director and Director, Glucose Management Service
Northwestern University - Chicago, IL
Dr. Aleppo is the Clinical Practice Director, Glucose Management Service Director, Assistant Professor of Medicine, and Associate Chief for Clinical Affairs in the Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism, and Molecular Medicine at Northwestern University in Chicago. Dr. Aleppo currently teaches in both the internal medicine residency program and endocrinology fellowship program at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine.
She is a fellow of the American College of Endocrinology and member of several organizations, including the Endocrine Society, the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE), and the American Diabetes Association (ADA).She has been accredited in thyroid ultrasound and ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration (FNA) biopsy by the AACE.
James Norman, MD, FACS, FACE - Parathyroid Surgeon
Norman Parathyroid Center
James Norman, MD, FACS, FACE is recognized as one of world's foremost experts on parathyroid disease and the most experienced thyroid/parathyroid surgeon in the world. He is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons (FACS) and one of only a handful of surgeons to also be a Fellow of the American College of Endocrinology (FACE). He is recognized as the inventor of minimally invasive radioguided parathyroid surgery in the mid 1990s and is credited with dramatically changing the way parathyroid surgery is performed.
Dr Norman has held several important academic positions, including Professor of Surgery and Professor of Internal Medicine (with tenure) at the University of South Florida College of Medicine. He also held the position of Director of Endocrine Surgery at USF and the Director of Surgical Core Laboratory for Surgical Research. Dr Norman left USF in 2000 to open the Norman Parathyroid Clinic where he currently limits his practice to parathyroid surgery.
He is a member of more than 20 prestigious medical societies, including the American Association for Endocrine Surgeons, American College of Surgeons, American College of Endocrinology, American Association for Clinical Endocrinology, Endocrine Society, Society of University Surgeons, American Association for Head and Neck Surgeons, Society of Surgical Oncology, AOA medical honor society (top 10% of doctors), and many more. He was the president of his medical school class, been voted 'Faculty of the Year' and 'Teacher of the Year' several times, and served many leadership roles within the societies he belongs. He has been recognized as one of America's Top Surgeons by the Consumer Research Council of America.
Dr Norman has published more than 250 medical journal articles as well as 12 books and/or book chapters and he continues to publish on a near-monthly basis. Dr Norman holds 9 US and foreign patents (with another 3 patents pending), including the patent for the techniques and tools used in radioguided parathyroidectomy which recognize his contributions to minimal parathyroid surgery. Dr Norman has received more than $4.2 million in federal and industry grants to support his research, including grants from the Department of Veteran's Affairs.
J. Michael Gonzalez-Compoy, MD, PhD, FACE - Endocrinologist
Medical Director and Chief Executive Officer
Minnesota Center for Obesity, Metabolism and Endocrinology - Eagan, MN
Dr. Gonzalez-Compoy is medical director and CEO of the Minnesota Center for Obesity, Metabolism and Endocrinology (MNCOME). He is a recognized national expert on diabetes and obesity and a proponent of adiposopathy as a treatment target.
Dr. Gonzalez-Campoy is clinical assistant professor of medicine at the University of Minnesota. He is board certified in Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism, joined the Board of Directors of the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE) in 2005, and has been a member of the Board of Directors of the American College of Endocrinology (ACE).
Dr. Gonzalez-Campoy is dedicated to advance the care of patients with obesity. He has authored the Power of Prevention website content on obesity, co-authored the AACE clinical practice guidelines on bariatric surgery and obesity, and is working diligently to validate the concept that the adipocyte is an endocrine cell and a treatment target for endocrinologists.
Amy Hess-Fischl, MS, RD, LDN, BC-ADM, CDE - Certified Diabetes Educator and Transitional Program Coordinator
Certified Diabetes Educator and Transitional Program Coordinator
The University of Chicago - Chicago, IL
Amy Hess-Fischl, MS, RD, LDN, BC-ADM, CDE is a program coordinator for the Teen and Adolescent Diabetes Transition Program at the University of Chicago’s Kovler Diabetes Center. She is also a certified diabetes educator, nutrition specialist, and certified insulin pump trainer.
Her professional activities include writing CE test items for the American Association of Diabetes Educators, reviewing submissions for the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, and participating on the advisory boards of Nature’s Way, Dreamfields Pasta, and Jolly Time Popcorn.
Kresimira Milas, MD - Endocrinologist
Director of the Thyroid Center and Associate Professor of Surgery
Cleveland Clinic - Cleveland, OH
Dr. Milas is director of the Thyroid Center, associate professor of surgery at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine, and a staff surgeon in the Cleveland Clinic Department of Endocrine Surgery. Dr. Milas’ specialty interests include the entire spectrum of thyroid and parathyroid diseases and surgery, thyroid cancer, and adrenal diseases.
She is a member of the American College of Surgeons, the American Association of Endocrine Surgeons, the American Thyroid Association, and the Endocrine Society.
