Our Team
Robert Grossman, MD
1933-2021
Founder of NACTN
Surgeon, Scientist, Mentor, Friend, Gentle Giant
Dr. Grossman was an internationally acclaimed neurosurgeon, who always kept the patient at the center of everything he did. He was one of the most respected and revered physicians at Houston Methodist Hospital. In 1980, Dr. Grossman was appointed Chairman of the Department of Neurosurgery at Houston Methodist Hospital in Houston,Texas where he chair until 2013
In 2004, Dr. Grossman founded North American Clinical Trials Network (NACTN) for Spinal Cord injury (SCI). NACTN’s mission is to continually advance, the quality of care and the quality of life of those living with acute spinal cord injury through clinical trials of new therapy that provide strong evidence of safety and efficacy. (We may want to revise the mission statement)
Dr. Grossman had a keen interest in helping patients with spinal cord injury, epilepsy, traumatic brain injury, Parkinson’s disease and brain tumors. He made an impact in both helping patients as well as making scientific contributions in all of those neurological areas. From 1960 until 2013, Dr. Grossman performed more than 8000 major neurologic operations.
Dr. Grossman was awarded many honors and some of his most cherished were accepting the Cushing Medal from the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, 2007, for service to Neurosurgery; and the Albert Ellen Grass Foundation Prize and Medal from the Society of Neurological Surgeons, 1988, for continuous commitment to research in the neurosciences.
Bizhan Aarabi,MD
University of Maryland Shock Trauma
I have been involved with NACTN since 2008. Besides participation in STASCIS, RISCIS and INTWIN prospective observational and randomized studies, most of my research has been focused on the significance of intramedullary lesion and Intramedullary Lesion length (IMLL) on MRI in the pathogenesis, prognosis and successful management of spinal cord decompression hand in hand with real-time intraoperative ultrasound. The significance of IMLL and the extent of decompression in tSCI and their effect on AIS grade conversion has been in my mind for a the past decade.
Muhammad M. Abd-El-Barr MD, PhD
Duke University
Dr. Muhammad Abd-El-Barr is a Professor of Neurosurgery at Duke University School of Medicine, where he also serves as the Vice Chair of International Affairs and Chief of Endoscopic Spine Surgery. His clinical practice is dedicated to treating complex spinal pathologies, including minimally invasive spine surgery, deformity, trauma, and tumors, with a focus on maximizing patient recovery through advanced endoscopic and robotic techniques.
Beyond the operating room, Dr. Abd-El-Barr leads the Abd-El-Barr Lab, a multidisciplinary research hub focused on the intersection of machine learning, augmented reality, and spine surgery. He is also very passionate about all aspects of spinal cord injury, from detection, clinical care and basic and translation research.
Diana Chow, Ph.D., FNAI
University of Houston
Diana Chow has been with NACTN since 2008, contributing to clinical Pharmacokinetics/Pharmacodynamics investigations in Riluzole Clinical Trials of Phase I and II/III.
Michael Fehlings MD, PhD, FRCSC, FACS
University of Toronto
Dr. Fehlings has been involved with NACTN since it was established in 2004. His research covers the translational neuroscience spectrum, with a focus on engineered neural stem cells, novel neuroprotective approaches and drugs, and clinical trials focused on optimizing outcomes in acute and chronic spinal cord injury. He has led efforts to establish clinical practice guidelines for spinal cord injury, is undertaking knowledge translation projects to promote the concept of "Time is Spine" (i.e. early surgical intervention within 24 hours of the injury is associated with improved outcomes), and recently completely two RCTs examining riluzole as a neuroprotective drug for traumatic and non-traumatic spinal cord injury. Website: www.fehlingslab.com X: @DrFehlings
James Guest MD, PhD
University of Miami
James Guest joined NACTN in 2008, when the Reeve Research consortium was still active, with the goal of developing new therapies that would undergo clinical testing in the Network. He benefited from mentoring from Dr. Robert Grossman and Drs. Charles Tator, working with the latter in the NACTN Therapeutics Selection Committee. Dr. Guest has served as the University of Miami PI for NACTN and, more recently, as co-Chair with Dr. Harrop. Dr. Guest has a career-long commitment to the field of SCI, spanning more than 30 years and largely devoted to advancing a wide range of therapeutics. Clinically, Dr. Guest has a strong interest in chronic problems related to SCI, such as autonomic dysfunction and neuromodulation therapies. Dr. Guest also liaises closely with the European MultiCenter Study of Spinal Cord Injury (EMSCI). NACTN, EMSCI, and other datasets are richly informing the SCI field, increasing the ability to predict outcomes, which is improving the design of clinical trials. Dr. Guest also serves as Chair of the Reeve Scientific Advisory Committee.
James Harrop, MD MSHQS, FACS
Thomas Jefferson University
I have been actively involved with NACTN since its inception, serving as a site Co-principal investigator and contributor to several of its most impactful prospective observational and randomized trials, including STASCIS, RISCIS, and INTWIN. My career-long research focus has centered on traumatic spinal cord injury, with particular emphasis on improving recovery through clinical trials. Over the past decade, my work has increasingly integrated care with surgical strategy, specifically examining how the extent and adequacy of spinal cord decompression influence neurologic outcomes and AIS grade conversion. I have been especially interested in pairing imaging with real-time intraoperative ultrasound to optimize decompression and directly visualize restoration of spinal cord morphology and perfusion. This concept—linking radiographic biomarkers, surgical decompression quality, and functional recovery—has been a unifying theme of my clinical and research efforts within NACTN. I view NACTN as the ideal collaborative platform to validate these concepts at scale and translate them into evidence-based standards that improve outcomes for patients with traumatic spinal cord injury.
Susan Howley
Susan is the former Director of Research at the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation and has been with NACTN since its 2004 founding by Reeve. She continues to serve NACTN in an administrative capacity.
Shekar Kurpad MD, PhD
Medical College of Wisconsin
I have been involved with NACTN since 2018. It has been a privilege to work with this group and be part of the registry. We have been involved in almost every clinical trial in SCI conducted in North America since 2008. My research interests focus around regenerative treatments for spinal cord injury using stem cell derivatives and a reverse translational approach to develop MRI based biomarkers for spinal cord injury. My lab has been performing peer reviewed and funded SCI research since 2005.
Chris Neal, MD, MHPE
Maine Health, Portland
I have been involved with NACTN since 2015 serving as the PI at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center and now at Maine Medical Center. My previous focus was on the management of spinal cord injury in austere environments, but more recently I am working on outcomes in spinal cord injury throught standardizations of care and the clinical application of intra and post-op management strategies.
Chris Shaffrey MD
Duke University
Dr. Christopher Shaffrey is a distinguished neurosurgeon and orthopaedic surgeon, internationally recognized for his expertise in complex spinal disorders. Since 2018, he has served as Chief of the Spine Division at Duke University, a collaborative program integrating neurosurgery and orthopaedic surgery.
Dr. Shaffrey earned his medical degree from the University of Virginia in 1986, followed by a general surgery internship at Naval Hospital San Diego. He completed dual residencies in neurosurgery and orthopaedic surgery at the University of Virginia, as well as a fellowship in pediatric and adult reconstructive spine surgery at the same institution.
A prolific academic leader, Dr. Shaffrey has authored over 800 publications and delivered more than 1,250 presentations worldwide, advancing evidence‑based care for pediatric and adult scoliosis, spinal trauma, spinal cord injury, and tumors of the spinal column. His most recent work continues to shape the field through multicenter studies on adult spinal deformity, cervical deformity, and biologic factors influencing surgical outcomes. He also has served as a deputy editor for the journals Spine and Spine Deformity and has edited several leading textbooks in spinal surgery.
In recognition of his extraordinary contributions to neurosurgery and spine care, Dr. Shaffrey received the Harvey Cushing Medal, the highest honor bestowed by the AANS, in 2024
Charles Tator, MD, PhD, FRCSCS, FACS
University of Toronto
Charles has been a member of NACTN since 2005, and his major interests are in the Pathophysiology of SCI and in Clinical Trials in SCI.
Elizabeth Toups
Elizabeth has been actively involved in the development of NACTN since 2005, serving as the Project Manager at Houston Methodist Hospital. In this capacity, she played a leading role in clinical trials coordination and operations. She fulfilled the functions of an Academic Research Organization (ARO) on the Phase I Riluzole Trial ensuring the study was conducted with rigor and efficiently. She continues to support the network's administrative functions and is committed to improving patient outcomes following spinal cord injury.
