About Richard G. Fessler, MD, PhD
Dr. Richard G. Fessler is a Professor in the Department of Neurosurgery at the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University. Prior to assuming this position, he founded and directed the Institute for Spine Care at the Chicago Institute of Neurosurgery and Neuroresearch (CINN) and was Professor of Neurological Surgery at Rush Medical College in Chicago. Formerly, he was Director of Clinical Services and Education at the University of Florida Brain Institute. Additionally, at the University of Florida, he was a Professor in the Department of Neurological Surgery. In 1994, he was appointed to the Dunspaugh-Dalton Chair of Brain and Spinal Surgery.
Dr. Fessler completed his Medical Doctorate with honors, and he did surgical and neurosurgical residencies at the University of Chicago. In addition to surgical training, Dr. Fessler completed a Doctorate of Philosophy in Pharmacology and Physiology, and a Masters of Science in Psychology. Continuing education after earning doctoral degrees, Dr. Fessler held research fellowships at the University of Chicago Medical Center in Neurological Surgery and Psychiatry. The Chicago Surgical Society honored Dr. Fessler with the Excellence in Surgical Research award.
Dr. Fessler has made significant contributions to endoscopic and microendoscopic surgical developments. The Kambin Foundation awarded Dr. Fessler the annual research award for his research in the field of minimal invasive spinal surgery.
Dr. Fessler is a member of the American Medical Association, Congress of Neurological Surgeons, American Association of Neurological Surgeons, Neurosurgical Society of America, Joint Section on Disorders of the Spine and Peripheral Nerves, North American Skull Base Society, Joint Section on Pain, Joint Section on Trauma and Critical Care, American College of Surgeons, Society of Neurological Surgeons, Southern Neurosurgical Society, North American Spine Society, World Spine Society, and the American Academy of Neurological Surgery. He has held leadership positions for several of these professional organizations, and has been a course director or faculty member for meetings sponsored by these groups. For the Federal Government, Dr. Fessler served on the Advisory Committees for the Food and Drug Administration and the government committees of the Department of Health and Human Services and the National Head Injury Foundation. At the state-level as well, Dr. Fessler has served on several advisory councils for the state of Florida.
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, and he is an editorial reviewer for several other professional journals. He is frequently invited for speaking engagements and visiting professorships worldwide.
This active doctor has five times been listed among the Best Doctors in America and recently in Who's Who in Medicine and Health Care. In addition to all of the above accomplishments, Dr. Fessler is a Medical Specialist and Flight Surgeon for NASA/Space Shuttle.
