Michael J. Mendelow, MD - Moderator

Dr. Mendelow is a board-certified orthopedic surgeon with fellowship training in pediatric orthopedic surgery. His clinical practice, over almost three decades, has emphasized comprehensive care of pediatric spine challenges, including non-surgical and surgical management of idiopathic, neuromuscular, syndromic and congenital presentations in the growing spine.

He is a Fellow of the Scoliosis Research Society, Pediatric Orthopaedic Society of North America, and the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons and a member of the International Society on Scoliosis Orthopaedic and Rehabilitation Treatment (SOSORT).

Paul Sponseller, MD

Presently, Dr. Sponseller has been a member of several medical boards and associations, including the Board of Directors and Research Chair for the Pediatric Orthopaedic Society of North America; Medical Board Member for both the International Rett Syndrome Association; Professional Advisory Board Member of the National Marfan Foundation and Loeys-Dietz Foundation; and President of the Growing Spine Foundation and the Scoliosis Research Society. He is the Deputy Editor for Pediatrics for the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, Deputy Editor of Spine Deformity, and a reviewer for several journals, including the Journal of the American Medical Association, Spine, Journal of Children’s Orthopaedics, and Journal of Pediatric Orthopaedics.

Raul Ferrera, CPO, PT

Raul Ferrera is a CPO with over 25 years of experience and a recognised expert in the Rigo-Chêneau brace. He is also a PT, certified Schroth therapist, and SOSORT member. He served as a collaborative adjunct professor at the University of Zaragoza for 10 years and actively participates as a speaker and instructor in conferences and courses worldwide. Currently, he is the WCR Brace Ambassador in Australia and works as an orthotist at Perth Scoliosis Clinic.

Professor Jane Simmonds MCSP MACP SFHEA

Professor Simmonds combines her academic roles as Director of Education and Lead for the MSc in Paediatric Physiotherapy at UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health with clinical work, as a Consultant Physiotherapist at Central Health Physiotherapy - Hypermobility Unit. Within her clinical role she specialises in working with children and families with Hypermobility Spectrum Disorders (HSD) and Ehlers Danlos Syndromes (hEDS). Professor Simmonds has authored more than 100 research and clinical education publications including peer reviewed journal articles and book chapters. She has delivered more than 100 national and international invited lectures and keynote presentations, webinars, and courses. Professor Simmonds is Chair of the EDS Society International Consortium Allied Health Working group, a member of the EDS Society Medical and Scientific Board and a medical advisor to the HMSA, EDS Support UK and PoTS UK.

Dariusz Czaprowski, PT, PhD

Professor Dariusz Czaprowski, PT, PhD, chair of the Department of Physiotherapy, School of Public Health, Collegium Medicum, University of Warmia and Mazury, Olsztyn, Poland as well as Clinical and Scientific Director of Center of Body Posture, Olsztyn, Poland.

Physiotherapist with 25 years of clinical and scientific experience. His expertise is related to spinal deformities (idiopathic scoliosis, Scheuermann disease), faults of body posture, generalized joint hypermobility, back pain and injuries. Author of 50 papers indexed in the PubMed, which were cited over 1000 times. Dariusz Czaprowski is trained in e.g. Functional Individual Therapy for Scoliosis (FITS); Scientific Exercise Approach to Scoliosis and Scoliosis (SEAS); Barcelona Scoliosis Physical Therapy School (BSPTS); Physiotherapy of ApiFix; McKenzie method; Kinetic Control; Anatomy Trains concept by Thomas Myers.