11th Annual Safety in Spine Surgery Summit welcomed an expert faculty for a fresh look at optimizing safety in spine surgery. We explored topics including: Human Factors and Cognitive Safety, Two Leaders in One Room: Benefits and Pitfalls, Nightmare Cases: What Went Wrong, Hemodynamic Management and Wound Closure Optimization, and Before the Cut: The Performance of Participation.

DATE/LOCATION: Friday, June 5, 2026 | New York City

COURSE CHAIR: Michael G. Vitale, MD, MPH

COURSE CO-CHAIRS: Lawrence G. Lenke, MD; Rajiv K. Sethi, MD

PROGRAM CHAIRS: David Polly, MD; Eduardo Beauchamp, MD

Course Objectives: At the completion of the program, participants should be able to:

1. Describe specific strategies to enhance safety in spine surgery, including the role of human factors and cognitive processes in patient safety and surgical decision-making, dual-attending surgical approach, preoperative planning and patient optimization, blood management, and evidence-based wound closure strategies.
2. Discuss ways to optimize spine surgeon performance and standardize the execution of spine cases to improve outcomes.
3. Describe best practices for adopting technology to enhance patient safety, including AI, navigation, and robotics.

Congratulations to Dr. O’Connor on receiving the Best Paper Award for her work on optimizing MAP goals following IONM changes during pediatric spine surgery.