AWAKE SPINAL FUSION - Key Persons
Dr. Alok Sharan is an Orthopedic Spine Surgeon who is a pioneer of the Awake Spine Surgery procedure, the latest advancement in minimally invasive spine surgery. He is a leading authority both nationally and internationally on the Awake Spinal Fusion procedure, having been invited to give presentations throughout the United States and many countries around the world. He is the President and Founder of the Spine and Performance Institute, a practice devoted to providing personalized and holistic care for individuals who suffer from spinal disorders.
Dr. Sharan obtained his undergraduate degree after being selected to the highly coveted Seven Year Med Program at Boston University. As part of this program he went on to receive his MD degree from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of NJ. He completed his orthopedic residency at Albany Medical Center and a spine surgery fellowship at NYU-Hospital for Joint Disease. During this fellowship he was selected to be an AO Spine Fellow and an AAOS Washington Health Policy Fellow. In 2015 he completed a healthcare management degree at Dartmouth College titled Masters in Health Care Delivery Science.
Dr. Sharan has held many leadership positions in his career. Previously he served as the Co-Director of the Westmed Spine Center, as well as Chief of the Orthopaedic Spine Service at Montefiore Medical Center.
Dr. Sharan is committed to providing his patients with the highest quality and compassionate spine care. As a result of this commitment he has been recognized as a Best Doctor by Castle Connolly, New York Magazine Best Doctor, along with Westchester Magazine Best Doctor.
He has received numerous academic distinctions for his research with over 100 publications, abstracts, and book chapters. He has co-edited a textbook entitled Basic Science of Spinal Diseases. Dr. Sharan currently serves as a Deputy Editor for the publication Clinical Spine Surgery.
Eck JC, Sharan AD,Ghogawala Z., Resnick DK, Watters WC, M.D., Mummaneni PV, Dailey AT,Choudhri TF, Groff MW,Wang JC, Dhall SS, and Kaiser MG,. Guideline Update for the Performance of Fusion Procedures for Degenerative Disease of the Lumbar Spine. Part 7: Lumbar fusion for intractable low-back pain without stenosis or spondylolisthesis. Journal of Neurosurgery Spine July 2014:21.
Sharan AD, Kaye D, Charles Malveaux W, Riew D. Dropped Head Syndrome: Etiology and Management. Journal of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons December 2012 20:12 766-774
Sharan AD. The Science of Leadership. Journal of Orthopaedic Experience and Innovation Aug 2020.
Sharan AD, Morse L, Tang S. A Novel Therapeutic Agent for Rescuing the Adverse Effects of Advanced Glycation End-products in the Intervertebral Disc. 3 rd World Forum on Spine Research. Helsinki, Finland June 2012.
Sharan AD. Spine Surgery - From the Surgeon's Perspective. MTF R&D Research Retreat. Philadelphia, PA October 2010.
Sharan AD, Qiu X, Chan F, Tang S, Vaccaro A. Anatomy and Structure of the Intervertebral Disc. In Sharan AD, Tang S, Vaccaro A (ed) "Basic Science of Spinal Diseases". Jaypee Publishers 2013.
Job Titles:
- Sharan AD, Tuan RS, Kang JD, an HS, Marone P, Savis P, Hilibrand AH, Abitbol JJ. the Use of Biologic Materials in Spinal Fusion. Orthopaedics February 2001
Wang JC, Dailey AT,Mummaneni PV, Ghogawala Z., Resnick DK, Watters WC, M.D., Groff MW,Choudhri TF, Eck JC, Sharan AD, Dhall SS, and Kaiser MG,. Guideline Update for the Performance of Fusion Procedures for Degenerative Disease of the Lumbar Spine. Part 8: Lumbar fusion for disc herniation and radiculopathy. Journal of Neurosurgery Spine July 2014:21.