THE TEAM

Dr. Jason Cormier

Dr. Cormier is a native of South Louisiana, where he graduated from St Thomas More High School in Lafayette, LA. A former LSU basketball player and graduate of Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, he went on to receive his medical degree from Louisiana State University in New Orleans, LA. He became eligible for the Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor society and served on several committees, including the LSU School of Medicine Admissions Committee, the LSU School of Medicine Dean’s Selection Committee and was the medical school’s representative to the Louisiana Board of Supervisors in 2004. He received a number of scholarships and was a member of many different societies. Dr. Cormier also dedicated his time on a monthly basis to the Student Run Homeless clinic in New Orleans, LA. Dr. Cormier joined Acadiana Neurosurgery and its founder Dr. Alan Appley after his internship in general surgery and neurosurgery at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, NC and the completion of his training at the University of Alabama at Birmingham in Birmingham AL. During his training, he gained extensive experience in complex spinal surgery under the direction of Dr. Mark N. Hadley and associates. He also received special training in minimally invasive spinal surgery as well as open and endoscopic brain surgery. He has published articles in national journals involving several publications in the fields of Pediatric and Adult Neurosurgery. In 2005, he served on the Council of State Neurological Society in 2005 as a representative of Alabama to the American Association of Neurological Surgeons. He received the Resident Leadership Award from the Division of Neurological Surgery at the University of Alabama at Birmingham for “his dedication to promoting the art and science of Neurosurgery, demonstrating outstanding clinical skills, offering leadership by word and example and providing mentorship to junior residents.” Dr. Cormier maintains his interests to train Neurosurgeons of tomorrow and will be teaching both medical students and residents many innovative neurosurgical techniques including endoscopic pituitary and image-guided surgery, and minimally invasive complex spinal surgery. Dr. Cormier was named as one of “America’s Top Surgeons,” in the field of Neurosurgery, by the Consumers Research Council of America, Guide to America’s top surgeons and currently listed as one of the leading physicians in the world for Neurosurgery. He was recently selected as a Castle Connolly Top Doctor, a physician nominated listing that is followed by a physician-led team of researchers, that conduct a very rigorous screening process to select the top doctors on both the national and regional level. Dr. Cormier is a member of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons and the Congress of Neurological Surgeons and is board certified by the American Board of Neurological Surgery. His busy practice involves performing complex intracranial and complex spinal operations on patients from around the country that seek out his surgical acumen.

Acknowledged as one of the country’s leading neurosurgeons, Dr. Jason Cormier, crafted his strategic partnership with the ARCA racing series’ safety initiative Program to form a “Motorsports Healthcare Education Plan” Medical car- a high profile, interactive activation designed to reach millions of race fans throughout the country. Utilizing the strength and demographic reach of Nascar and the ARCA racing series, their mission is to provide a comprehensive, grassroots marketing campaign focused on preventative health care education and wellness training. With an emphasis to educate and engage race fans in their growing role as healthcare consumers, their objective is to influence behavioral changes, to provide racing’s brand-loyal audience with the medical knowledge to make informed, preventative decisions which directly affect the wellness of their families. Through his work in the field of Traumatic Brain Injury(TBI), his expertise have now expanded to many other fields that suffer from TBI, including horse racing and equestrian events, Formula One Racing, National Hot Rod Association(NHRA), National Collegiate Athletic Association(NCAA), National Football League(NFL), National Hockey League(NHL), Professional Rodeo Associations, Several branches of the Military and more.

DIRECTOR

DIRECTOR/DEPT HEAD - DEPT OF NEUROSURGERY AND SPINE SUGERY LSSH

DIRECTOR - NEUROSURGICAL ONCOLOGY AND CEREBROVASCULAR SURGERY OLOL

BOARD CERTIFICATION Certified Diplomate, American Board of Neurological Surgery

FDA  CONSULTANT to the Neurological Devices Panel, Panels of the Medical Devices Advisory Committee and to the Center for Devices and Radiological Health. 

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS

• Founder and CEO of Motorsports Safety Group

• Founder and CEO of Motorsports Brain and Spine Foundation

• Society for Brain Mapping and Therapeutics - 19th President

• International Council of Motorsports Sciences

• American Board of Neurological Surgery

• American Association of Neurological Surgery

• Congress of Neurological Surgery

• American College of Surgeons

• Castle Connolly Top Doctors

• Acadiana Neurosurgery - CEO

• North American Spine Society

• International Neuromodulation Society

• Louisiana State Medical Society

• Lafayette Parish Medical Society

• Pituitary Network Association

• North American Neuro-modulation Society

• Society of Lateral Access Surgery

• Subcortical Surgery Group

• After The Impact Fund

• Think First Foundation (NIPF)

• Neurolign Dx100

• Q30 Innovations (Q-collar/Q30 Sports Science)

• Brain Armor Inc., A Trident Brands Incorporated Company

• University of Louisiana at Lafayette Board of Directors

• University of Louisiana Lafayette Athletics

• Louisiana State University Athletics

• National Skull Base Foundation

• Society for Brain Mapping & Therapeutics (SBMT)

• Institute of Musculoskeletal Science and Education

• SOLAS (Society of Lateral Access Surgery)

• Head Health Network

• Formula One Racing

• American Cowboy Showdown

• National Football League(NFL)

• Professional Rodeo

• Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA)

• National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR )

• National Hot Rod Association (NHRA)

• United States Auto Club (USAC)

INTERNATIONAL RECOGNITION

• 2007 - Listed in the “Consumer Research Council of America’s Guide to Americas Top Surgeons”

• 2014 - Present Listed in the “Leading Physicians of the World” for Neurosurgery

• 2018 - Marquis Who's Who for Excellence in Neurosurgery

• 2020-present Castle Connolly Top Doctors

Dr. ALAN Appley

Dr. Appley is a native of southern California, where he graduated from Beverly Hills High School in 1975. He graduated with honors from Franklin and Marshall College in Lancaster, PA in 1979, and received his medical degree at Tulane Medical School in 1983. He was elected to the Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society and received the Norman Rogers Award for Meritorious Undergraduate Cancer Research. Dr. Appley completed his Neurosurgery Internship and Residency at Los Angeles County/USC Medical Center, one of the largest and most highly respected teaching hospitals in the United States. After finishing his training in 1989, he spent two years as Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery at the Medical College of Virginia in Richmond, VA. He was responsible for helping improve and refine the skills of neurosurgical residents. In March of 1991, Dr. Appley and his family moved to Orlando, FL to begin private practice. During that time, Dr. Appley gained extensive experience with a wide array of neurosurgical techniques including complex spinal instrumentation, stereotactic image-guided surgery and radiosurgery. He was the main driving force responsible for many neurosurgical advances in Orlando. In October of 2000, Dr. Appley was named one of “The Best Doctors in Orlando” by Orlando Magazine. In 2001 Dr. Appley, with his wife Cindy, a Louisiana native, moved to Lafayette to be close to their extended family. He founded Acadiana Neurosurgery and has been named one of “The Best Doctors in Louisiana” by Louisiana Life Magazine every year since 2009. Listed yearly in Who’s Who in American Medicine and Healthcare as well as Who’s Who in America, his accomplishments include:

• Founding Medical Director of the Florida Hospital Neuroscience Institute (1998-1999).

• Started, with the help of the American Cancer Society and others, H.O.P.E. (Helping Other Patients Endure), the first brain tumor support group in Central Florida.

• Introduced the Gamma Knife® to Orlando and the CyberKnife® to Lafayette. These are highly specialized tools used to precisely focus high doses of radiation to intracranial and, in the case of the CyberKnife, spinal targets. He served as the founding Medical Director of the Florida Hospital Gamma Knife Center for almost five years (1996-2000) and performed over 400 of the Center’s 700 procedures.

• As Medical Director of the CyberKnife Center – Louisiana, located at Lafayette General Medical Center (LGMC), Dr. Appley has been involved in hundreds of these procedures and has proctored several other surgeons during their training on this device.

• Has performed over 100 deep brain stimulation (DBS) surgeries with excellent outcomes as well as the first “frameless” DBS surgery for tremor and Parkinson’s disease in Louisiana in 2002.

• Performs the majority of his spinal surgeries through minimally invasive approaches. In addition, he has the region’s most extensive experience with total disc replacement which, for appropriate patients, allows for motion preservation and can be an alternative to spinal fusion.

• Performs many brain tumor resections using an awake minimally invasive approach and uses a multidisciplinary team approach with ENT surgeons for endoscopic removal of pituitary and anterior skull base tumors.

• The first surgeon in Louisiana to use the Nico BrainPath® system for minimally invasive resection of deep-seated tumors and evacuation of intracerebral hematomas. •

• Founding Medical Director for Neurosurgery of the Neuroscience Center of Acadiana at LGMC (2015-present).

• Dr. Appley is board certified by the American Board of Neurological Surgery and has been elected to fellowship in the American College of Surgeons. He has been involved with teaching medical students and neurosurgery residents by serving as Clinical Assistant Professor of Neurological Surgery at the Tulane University School of Medicine. As a Gratis Clinical Faculty member at LSUHSC New Orleans, Dr. Appley is also involved in the education of surgical and medical residents as they rotate through LGMC. He is a member of the Lafayette Parish Medical Society, the Louisiana State Medical Society, Louisiana Neurosurgical Society, AANS and many other national and international specialty societies.

Dr. Dani S. Bidros

Dani S. Bidros, MD, FAANS, FACS - specializes in both brain and spine surgery including minimal access spine therapyDr. Bidros grew up and attended school in Lafayette, Louisiana.  After obtaining top honors at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, he began medical school at the Louisiana State University School of Medicine in New Orleans.  Early in medical school, he became intrigued with neuroscience, and began his pursuit to becoming a neurosurgeon.  He completed his intern year in General Surgery residency at Charity Hospital in New Orleans which provided him with the knowledge and skills to treat critically ill patients.  After completing internship, he began his Neurological Surgery training at Louisiana State University in New Orleans, rotating at both Charity Hospital and at the Ocshner Clinic Foundation.  He was trained by the esteemed Neurosurgeon and Harvey Cushing Medal recipient Dr. David Kline.  His training in his home state was cut short however by Hurricane Katrina.  During the storm, Dr. Bidros spent six days at Charity hospital caring for patients and helping in the relief efforts. 

He resumed and completed his neurosurgical training at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, training under the top professors in the field of Neurosurgery.  He completed a combined Orthopaedic and Neurosurgical Surgery Spine Fellowship at the Cleveland Clinic under the guidance of Drs. Ed Benzel and Richard Schlenk.  During the one year fellowship he gained experience in the latest techniques of complex spine deformity and spine oncology.

Additional training in Pituitary Surgery was completed under Dr. Robert Weil and Stereotactic Brain and Spine Radiosurgery was completed under Dr. Lilyana Angelov.  Stereotactic Spine Radiosurgery, a revolutionary treatment modality, has changed the way we approach and treat metastatic disease of the spine.  During residency, he also received special training in Gamma Knife Radiosurgery.

For two years following completion of residency, Dr. Bidros practiced Neurosurgery in Princeton,  New Jersey before he and his family decided to relocate back to his hometown of Lafayette, Louisiana.  It was always his intention to practice neurosurgery in his hometown of Lafayette and to provide excellent and compassionate care to the people in his community. 

Dr. Bidros has performed hundreds of cranial and Spinal Radiosurgical cases.  He has also conducted clinical research and published several articles and book chapters in the neurosurgical literature.  He has presented at several neurological society meetings.  Dr. Bidros' clinical interests include complex spine surgery, cranial and spinal oncology.

PARTNERS

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MEDICAL ADVISORY BOARD

Dr. Julian E. Bailes

 Julian E. Bailes is a Louisiana native who attended Louisiana State University attaining both his B.S. and M.D. degrees, following which he underwent neurosurgery residency training at Northwestern University Medical Center and a cerebrovascular fellowship at the Barrow Neurological Institute. He was Chief of Cerebrovascular Surgery at Allegheny-West Penn Hospital System for ten years, then subsequently served for eleven years as the Professor and Chairman of the Department of Neurosurgery at West Virginia University School of Medicine where he specialized in cerebrovascular disease, stroke, brain tumors, and traumatic brain injury. For last five years he has been the Chairman of the Department of Neurosurgery, Co-Director of the NorthShore Neurological Institute, and Clinical Professor of Neurosurgery at the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine. Dr. Bailes is a recognized leader in the field of neurosurgery and the impact of brain injury on brain function. He is the Chair-Elect of the AANS/CNS Joint Section on Neurotrauma and Critical Care. He has been instrumental in the understanding of the clinical evidence of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a progressive degenerative disease found in individuals who have been subjected to multiple concussions and other forms of head injury. His laboratory research has focused upon mechanisms and treatment of cerebral concussions. Since 1994, he has been a neurological consultant to the NFL Players’ Association (NFLPA), which has supported research on the effects of head injuries on professional athletes. He is the Medical Director of the Center for Study of Retired Athletes based at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. He has been an advisor to the NCAA and also is Chairman of the Medical Advisory Committee for Pop Warner Football, the largest youth sports association in the U.S. In 2010 he was inducted into the Louisiana State University Hall of Distinction, the highest honor awarded to an alumnus. In June of this year, Dr. Bailes was inducted to the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame and received the Dave Dixon Louisiana Sports Leadership Award. Dr. Bailes has over 300 scientific publications concerning various aspects of neurological surgery, including four books on neurological sports medicine, and performs editorial duties for a number of medical journals. Dr. Bailes has been honored as one of the nation’s best surgeons for ten consecutive years in U.S. News & World Report’s “America’s Best Doctors” and was selected by Chicago Magazine as a Chicago top neurosurgeon. He played football for ten years, including in high school and at the collegiate level, was an Louisiana All-Star and All-State player, with his team winning a state championship his senior year. He has been a sideline physician at either the NFL or NCAA level for the last 25 years.

Dr. Mark Norman Hadley

Mark Norman Hadley was born in 1956 and raised in Napa, California.  He was active in sports, scholastics, and student government through high school.  He served as Student Body President his senior year, class Salutatorian, and was nationally ranked in the boy’s mile and half-mile runs.  He accepted a four-year academic-athletic scholarship to run track at Stanford University in 1974. Mark graduated from Stanford in 1978 with a BA in Economics as a four-year varsity letterman. He began his medical education at Albany Medical College in upstate New York in the summer of 1978, where he was profoundly influenced by A. John Popp, MD, Professor of Surgery and Neurosurgery. Dr. Hadley received his MD degree in 1982.

Dr. Hadley completed his general surgery internship at the University of California under F. William Blaisdale, MD, and began his post-graduate neurosurgical training in 1983 at the Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix, Arizona, under mentors Robert F. Spetzler, MD, Volker K.H. Sonntag, MD, Andrew E. Shetter, MD, John R. Green, MD, and others.  Upon graduation in 1988, Dr. Hadley served three years as a neurosurgeon in the United States Air Force.  In 1991 Dr. Hadley accepted the position of Assistant Professor of Neurological Surgery under Richard B. Morawetz, MD, at the University of Alabama, in Birmingham, Alabama.  His main areas of clinical and scientific interest are disorders of the human spine and spinal cord.  He was promoted to Associate Professor in 1993 and Professor in 1997.  He has been actively involved in medical student, resident, and fellow education at UAB and serves as the Director of the Residency Training Program, and the Director of the Neurosurgical Spinal Surgery Fellowship program.  He has served as the Medical Director of an active regional Think First Injury Prevention Program and has served as Team Physician to the University of Alabama and the University of Alabama at Birmingham athletic programs.  In 2005 he was honored by his patients with the Charles A. and Patsy W. Collat Endowed Chair in Neurological Surgery.  He has been named by Castle and Connelly as a Best Doctor in America consecutively from 2001 through 2015. From 2011 through 2015 Dr. Hadley has been recognized as a Neurosurgeon in the “Top 1% in Specialty in the United States” by US News and World Report. In addition to practicing and teaching neurosurgery Dr. Hadley is also appointed as a Professor in the UAB Collat School of Business (2009-present).  He teaches business students in the fall semester each year in medical economics and medical industrial distribution.

Dr. Hadley has authored over 200 scientific articles and chapters in medical textbooks.  He has authored or edited several compilations in Neurological Surgery, including Self Assessment for Neurological Surgeons (SANS) VI for the AANS and CNS in 1997, multiple educational videotapes, Video Perspectives in Neurological Surgery, the comprehensive Guidelines for the Management of Acute Cervical Spine and Spinal Cord Injuries published as a supplement to Neurosurgery in March 2002, and the Guidelines for the Performance of Fusion Procedures for Degenerative Disease of the Lumbar Spine published in the Journal of Neurosurgery: Spine, in June 2005.  He and his colleagues have recently completed an update of the medical evidence-based compendium Guidelines for the Management of Acute Cervical Spine and Spinal Cord Injuries published in Neurosurgery in March 2013.  Dr. Hadley has performed laboratory research on spinal cord injury, spinal cord perfusion, and on genetically engineered rhBMP devices on bone healing and spinal fusion.  He is the recent recipient of a DOD Grant SCIRP SC130237: A Multicenter, Randomized Controlled Trial of Cerebrospinal Fluid Drainage in Acute Spinal Cord Injury ($1,653,933).

Dr. Hadley serves editorial roles for Spine, Nutrition, and several foundations, and serves on the Editorial Boards of Neurosurgery (1999 to present) and Journal of Neurosurgery, Spine (2008 to present).  He has served as Senior Editor for JNS: Spine 2014-15 and 2015-16.  He has been a visiting professor at major universities throughout the United States and has received a variety of honors including the inaugural Frank H. Mayfield Award of the AANS/CNS Spine Section in 1984, the United States Air Force Commendation Medal for Meritorious Service in July 1991, and induction into the honorary medical society, Alpha Omega Alpha in 2004. In September 2013 Dr. Hadley was recognized with a United States Congressional Recognition for his efforts in the arena of spinal cord injury research.

Dr. Hadley has been active in organized Neurosurgery since his residency training.  He has served on the Executive Committees of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons (1994-2004), the AANS/CNS Section on Disorders of the Spine and Peripheral Nerves (1992-1999), and the Academy of Neurological Surgery (2009-present).  He has served in multiple roles for the CNS including Scientific Program Committee Chairman (1996-1997), Annual Meeting Committee Chairman (1997-1998) Secretary (1997-2000) and as the President (2002-2003).  He has served as a member of the AANS/CNS Washington Committee (2001- 2003).  He is actively involved in the Academy of Neurological Surgery and the Society of Neurological Surgeons. He is the current President of the American Academy of Neurological Surgery (2015-2016). He was elected to a six-year term as a Director of the American Board of Neurological Surgery in May 2012 and currently serves as the Chairman of the Primary (Written) Examination Committee.

Dr. Phillip  Surface

A native of Princeton, WV, Dr. Surface completed his pre-medical studies at Concord University in Athens. After graduation from the University of West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine in 1992, he next completed internship at WVU/ Charleston Area Medical Center. Dr. Surface then completed Orthopedic Surgery residency at Oklahoma State University in 1997. Dr. Surface also completed a Pediatric Orthopedic Surgery subspecialty residency at the Shriner's Hospital for Children in Spokane, Washington.

While in residency Dr. Surface received special recognition for development of Oklahoma State's Orthopedic Surgery Residency Sports Medicine program, served as Chief Resident, and authored scientific papers. During this time, Dr. Surface arranged for, and provided specialized Orthopedic Surgical treatment to pediatric victims of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster,and served as team physician- consultant for several professional, collegiate, and high school teams and organizations.

Dr. Surface is a Board-Certified Orthopedic Surgeon with professional interests in adult reconstructive (total joint replacement) surgery, sports medicine, arthroscopic surgery, hand surgery, trauma, and pediatric orthopedic conditions.While maintaining a busy practice of patient care and surgery, Dr. Surface serves as Associate Clinical Professor at the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine, and Clinical Instructor at Alderson-Broadous' Physician Assistant Program.

Dr. Surface is President of Summit Orthopedics. He is the Medical Director of both Joint Connections, an innovative and award winning joint replacement unit, and Orthopedic Surgical Services at Thomas Memorial Hospital. Dr. Surface has also served as the President of the Medical Staff at Thomas Memorial Hospital. He has been involved in the design of surgical equipment and implants for 15 years, and has special skills in the design, implementation, and maintenance of service line care systems. Dr. Surface is Immediate Past-President of the Sports Medicine Section of the American Osteopathic Academy of Orthopedic Surgery. 

DR. LARA CARLSON DPE., N.D.N.D

Dr. Lara Carlson, Associate Professor in the College of Westbrook College of Health Professions at the University of New England, brings with her not only expertise across the entire landscape of strength conditioning and physiology in both the collegiate and professional ranks, but also studies she's guided that directly affects the performance of racer athletes. Holding positions on a number of prestigious boards, Dr. Carlson has given some of the most intriguing data driven talks across the country, including The International Council of Motorsports Sciences, NASCAR, and many others. She's described the “core-to-shell ratio”, related to body heat and the importance of effectively circulating blood volume. With strong ties to racing in addition to working with notable Indy car driver athletes, it was her relationship with her brother that fostered her initial interest, which has now blossomed in her becoming one of the top most sought after leaders in her specialty. We look forward to her scholarship as Motorsports Safety Group continues its united push in establishing the new standard for the safety in racing.  WELCOME Dr. Carlson!

DR. IMMANUEL TURNER

Dr. Turner, with specialized board certifications is Pediatric & Adult Cardiothoracic Surgery, joins Motorsports Safety Group. His expertise will be heavily relied upon regarding many aspects of cardio pulmonary dynamics as well as the depths of the overall physiology of the driver athletes. As a former collegiate athlete and now renowned heart surgeon, Dr. Turner looks forward to investing his efforts into maximizing the overall performance of athletes at all levels of high contact sports..

EDUCATION
________________________________________
Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC                M.D. – 08/00 – 05/04
    
Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC                Post-baccalaureate. – 05/00

University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan                                                   B.S. Human Physiology – 05/98     

INTERNSHIPS, RESIDENCIES, FELLOWSHIPS
________________________________________
07/13-06/14                   University of Michigan, Congenital Heart Surgery Fellowship

07/11-06/13                   University of Michigan, Cardiothoracic Surgery Fellowship

07/10-06/11                   Duke University Medical Center, General Surgery Chief Resident

07/05-06/11                   Duke University Medical Center, General Surgery Residency

06/04-06/05                  Duke University Medical Center, General Surgery Internship

PROFESSIONAL APPOINTMENTS
________________________________________
03/17-Current        Pediatric and Adult Congenital Cardiac Surgery
                                Memorial Health Care System
                                Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital 

08/14-02/17          Pediatric and Adult Congenital Cardiac Surgeon
                                Sanger Heart and Vascular Institute
                                Levine Children’s Hospital

Academic Appointments:

08/06-07/08         Post-doctoral Fellow, Center for Integrative Genomics and
                                Cardiovascular disease, University of Michigan

05/01-08/01          Research Associate, Dept. of Hypertension
                                Wayne State University

07/99-07/00         Research Assistant, Dept. of Cardiovascular Physiology
                                Wake Forest University School of Medicine

06/98-06/99        Research Assistant, Department of Physiology
                                University of Michigan

TEACHING ACTIVITIES
________________________________________
Lecturer, Graduate School, University of Michigan, Dept Physiology
Cardiovascular Physiology September 2006

LICENSURE & BOARD CERTIFICATION
________________________________________
06/16-12/26        Congenital Heart Surgery Subspecialty Board Certification

06/14-12/24        American Board of Thoracic Surgery Board Certification

07/11-12/14         Michigan Board of Health License

08/14-12/17         North Carolina Board of Health License 

12/16-Current      Florida Board of Health License

LEADERSHIP POSITIONS
________________________________________
2010-2011          Duke University Medical Center, General Surgery Chief Resident

2004-2006        Resident Mentor Student National Medical Association –Duke
                           University School of Medicine

DR. MOHAMAD ALLAM

Mohamad Allam, MD is a native of Lebanon where he graduated from The College des Freres with full French education. Throughout college and medical school, he was on the varsity soccer team and is an avid sports and Formula 1 fan.  He graduated from the American University of Beirut with a BS in Chemistry with Honors. He received his Medical Degree from the American University of Beirut in 1998. He was on the Dean’s honor list and was elected to the Alpha omega Alpha Honor medical Society. Dr Allam completed a rotating internship at the American University Hospital and elected to pursue further training in the United States. He completed an internship at Emory School of Medicine and subsequently transferred to The University of Iowa where he completed his General Surgery residency which included training at the University of Maryland R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center. He contributed multiple chapters to Dr. Jamal Hobollah’s textbook for General and Vascular Surgery.

 He completed his Cardiothoracic Surgery Fellowship at Iowa trained under pioneers of Cardiothoracic Surgery,  Dr.Douglas Behrendt  and Dr. Mark Iannettoni. He participated in the Heart and Lung Transplant Program with Dr. Wayne Richenbacher, Dr. Jeffery Everett and Dr. Kalpaj Parekh.

After completion of fellowship, Dr. Allam moved with his wife and two children to Lafayette, Louisiana to be close to his wife’s family and has enjoyed living in Cajun culture.

 In 2007, he joined a local private practice group where he has performed a vast array of surgical procedures in the Cardiothoracic and Vascular disciplines.  He has also been very involved in spine exposure surgery where he has assisted many members of the Neurosurgery and Spine Surgery teams. He has mastered procedures of complex aortic reconstructions and surgical treatments of complications of heart, vascular and lung trauma.

 With his partner, Dr. Victor Tedesco, he started the Minimally Invasive Thoracic and Cardiac Valvular Surgery program in Lafayette.

Along with Surgical Oncology, he performed the first portal vein reconstruction in the area.

In 2014, he joined Ochsner Lafayette General Hospital Group where he served as Chief of Surgery and currently serves as the medical director of Cardiovascular Surgery.

Dr. Allam is on the faculty at LSU Medical School and is very involved in training residents and medical students.

He holds certification in the American Board of Thoracic Surgery.

He is active participant in the Society of Thoracic Surgery.

Dr. Allam is fluent in English, French and Arabic.
 

DR. NEIL ROMERO

Dr Neil Romero, joins Motorsports Safety Group, bringing with him fellowship training in both orthopedics and spinal surgery. Dr Romero leads a busy practice while balancing a very supportive and united family life at home. The group is excited to have him on board and look forward to his insight moving forward. 

Medical Education

Stanford University/San Francisco Combined Spine Surgery Program
    Fellow, Orthopaedic Spine Surgery, August 2008 – July 2009

Medical University of South Carolina – Charleston, SC
    Chief Resident, Orthopaedic Surgery, July 2007 – June 2008
Resident, Orthopaedic Surgery, July 2003 – June 2007
    
Louisiana State University School of Medicine - New Orleans, LA
    Doctor of Medicine, May 2003

Professional Affiliations/Licenses/Certification
American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery – Board Certified
American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons
Louisiana Medical License: MD.203233

Research
Are Routine Radiographs Needed in the First Year After Lumbar Spinal Fusions?, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, MUSC.  Published in Spine July 1, 2009.  Presented at SPINEWEEK congress in Geneva, May 2008.  Presented at NASS annual meeting in Toronto, October 2008.

Comparison of Outcomes of Transforaminal Lumbar Interbody Fusion Using Femoral Allograft vs Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer, Department of Orthopaedic Spine Surgery, Stanford University.  Presented at MUSC Siegling Research Day, April 2007. 

Development of a Weight-bearing Cast for Foot and Ankle Surgery, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, MUSC.  Presented at South Carolina/North Carolina  Orthopaedic Association Annual Meeting, October 2006 – received award for 3rd best resident paper.  Presented at MUSC Siegling Research Day, April 2006 – received Outstanding Basic Science Paper award.

Effects of Motorcycle Riding and Possible Association with Low Back Pain, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, MUSC.  Published in MUSC Orthopaedic Journal, June 2006. 

Modular Stems for Revision THA, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, MUSC.  Served as feature article in Joint Implant Surgery and Research Foundation, February 2005.  Poster presented at New Zealand Orthopaedic Association Annual Meeting, October 2005.  Paper presented at South Carolina Orthopaedic Association Annual Meeting, July 2005 and MUSC Siegling Research Day, April 2005.
 

Safety First. Race Second.

Motorsports Safety Group is the collaboration of forward thinking minds geared towards continuing efforts that serve to foster improvements in the safety of racing. The goals of Motorsports Safety Group embody the interests of the group and its partners, ensuring the safety and health of racing teams and their loyal following.

Motorsports Safety Group will continue to build this network as we work cooperatively with organizations harboring kindred interests. We will rely on the experiences of the motor racing industry, foundations, research organizations and evidence-based data, and will develop educational platforms such as seminars to share this information. This is a dynamic trajectory. Our challenge remains target-centric with regards to strengthening worldwide awareness to create and integrate growing technological advancements with cutting edge science to continue reinforcing SAFETY FIRST, RACE SECOND.

This is not a pit stop, it’s a long term solution.

We invite you to join us and welcome your ideas.

MOTORSPORTS MEDICAL PARTNERSHIP

“Health Care Doesn’t start With Me… It starts With You!” 

This simple yet powerful message is the foundation for our proposed multi-channel motorsports healthcare education marketing plan medical racecar for the 2018 ARCA racing series presented by Menards. One of the countries leading neurosurgeons, Dr. Jason Cormier, crafted his strategic partnership with the ARCA racing series’ safety initiative Program to form a “Motorsports Healthcare education Plan” Medical car- a high profile, interactive activation designed to reach millions of race fans throughout the country. utilizing the strength and demographic reach of nascar and the ARCA racing series, their mission is to provide a comprehensive, grassroots marketing campaign focused on preventative health care education and wellness training. With an emphasis to educate and engage race fans in their growing role as healthcare consumers, their objective is to influence behavioral changes, to provide racing’s brand-loyal audience with the medical knowledge to make informed, preventative decisions which directly affect the wellness of their families. The program, designed to reach a captive audience, will integrate Venturini Motorsports’ racing assets along with ARCA’s targeted demographic footprint and national reach to bring healthcare awareness and education to the race track and beyond. utilizing at-track hospitality, show car and driver appearances, mobile medical screening units, vendor displays, hospital visits, national television exposure and measurable results, this program will provide a unique opportunity to promote healthcare awareness education and partner recognition. The nine-month tour will run from February-October of 2018. It will visit 13 states, a combined population of 1/3 of the united states, 110 million Americans, in Alabama, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Wisconsin.