The surgeons at the Spine Institute are board-certified and fellowship-trained and have pioneered important breakthroughs in spinal treatment that are utilized around the world.

Spine Institute physicians are internationally recognized as leaders in clinical research of spinal disease, injury and deformity, and are constantly seeking new methods to improve the effectiveness of spine surgery. Award-winning research, combined with a leadership role in the University of Louisville's Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, have set new standards in how physicians care for patients with spine problems.

Spine Institute physicians have gained wide recognition for the development of innovative systems for spinal instrumentation that are used by physicians worldwide. As founding members of the National Spine Network, Spine Institute physicians work with other leading spine centers to improve quality and efficiency in the care of spinal disorders.

Patients from as far away as South America, Southeast Asia and Europe turn to Spine Institute physicians for surgical techniques that help restore physical function. Our physicians are strong proponents of patient-based outcome studies that emphasize the patient's perspective in analyzing quality-of-life issues.

John R. Johnson, M.D.

Board Certified in Orthopaedic Surgery

Dr. Johnson is the founder and president of the Spine Institute. A native of Pikeville, Kentucky, Dr. Johnson earned a B.A. from the University of Kentucky, and graduated from the University of Louisville School of Medicine where he also completed his residency training. Dr. Johnson completed two post graduate training programs in spine surgery: one in Louisville under Kenton D. Leatherman, M.D., and one in Buffalo, New York under Edward H. Simmons, M.D.
Clinically, Dr. Johnson is a subspecialist in spinal surgery with particular interest in scoliosis treatment; he helped introduce the Cotrel-Dubousset rodding technique to the United States. Dr. Johnson has also achieved national recognition for pacesetting anterior/posterior surgery, and works to constructively narrow the parameters for its use.
Dr. Johnson currently serves as Chair, K. Armand Fischer Professor of Orthopaedics at  the University of Louisville School of Medicine. An active member of the University community, Dr. Johnson serves on the Graduate Medical Education Committee, Medical Council, Executive Committee and Executive Faculty.
Dr. Johnson is also the director of the Residency Training Program and co-director of the Norton Hospital Leatherman Spine Center.
Dr. Johnson has traveled extensively as a visiting guest professor throughout the world, making presentations to orthopaedic groups regarding the treatment methods of various spinal disorders. Importantly, he continues to research new rodding techniques and devices, sharing his expertise at workshops and conferences internationally.

Steven D. Glassman, M.D.

Board Certified in Orthopaedic Surgery

Dr. Glassman received his B.A. in chemistry from Princeton University in Princeton, New Jersey. He attended medical school at the College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University in New York, where he graduated with Alpha Omega Alpha honors. He subsequently completed his orthopaedic residency training at the Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center, New York. Dr. Glassman then moved to Louisville, where he finished his training with a spine fellowship with the Leatherman Spine Fellowship Program.
Dr. Glassman is an associate professor of orthopaedic surgery and an assistant professor (associate) of neurological surgery at the University of Louisville School of Medicine. He also serves as Chairman of the Education Committee  for the Scoliosis Research Society. Dr. Glassman has received several national honors for his work in spinal surgery, including the 1994 North American Spine Society Outstanding Paper Award. In 1996, he was one of only four orthopaedic surgeons in the United States selected as an American Orthopaedic Association traveling fellow.
Dr. Glassman has published extensively in the field of spinal surgery. He has authored multiple book chapters and journal articles with particular emphasis on techniques for improving safety and efficacy of surgical procedures. He has also pursued an interest in the development of patient based outcome studies for spinal surgery.

Rolando M. Puno, M.D.

Board Certified in Orthopaedic Surgery

Dr. Puno received his medical degree at the University of the East. He completed two full residency training programs at the University of the Philippines and at the University of Louisville. He is fellowship trained in trauma and joint replacement at the Hennepin County Medical Center and in spine surgery at the Twin Cities Scoliosis Center, both in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Dr. Puno is currently a faculty member of the Leatherman Spine Center and of the University of Louisville’s Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, and medical director of the Department’s Orthopaedics Biomechanics laboratory.
Dr. Puno has great interest in the reconstruction of complex spinal deformity for both pediatric and adult patients as well as in degenerative conditions of the spine. He is the principal developer of the world’s first poly-axial spinal pedicle screw, currently the industry standard for most spinal fixation implants used around the world. His innovative designs, for which he has been awarded U.S. and European patents, have resulted in the development of anterior inter-body devices and three posterior spinal systems currently in the marketplace, improving treatment methodology of these problems.
Dr. Puno is widely published, with numerous articles in peer-reviewed journals, an author of several book chapters, and a reviewer for the journal Spine. He is invited to give lectures and demonstrate spine surgery all over the world. He has been awarded a Traveling Fellowship with the Scoliosis Research Society, nominated for the Russell Hibbs Award, awarded by the American Orthopaedic Association and the North American Spine Society for his research in Spine Surgery.

John R. Dimar, II, M.D.

Board Certified in Orthopaedic Surgery

Having received his B.A. with honors from Otterbein College in Westerville, Ohio, Dr. Dimar received his medical degree from Wright State University School of Medicine of Dayton, Ohio. His residency training in orthopaedics was completed through the Lutheran Hospital Orthopaedic Residency Program in Ft. Wayne, Indiana, followed by a six month chief resident externship with the Leatherman Spine Center. Dr. Dimar then served in the United States Air Force at the Regional Hospital in Minot, North Dakota, serving as Chief of Surgery and Assistant Chief of Hospital Services. He then returned to Louisville to complete a spine fellowship with the Leatherman Spine Center.
Dr. Dimar is a clinical assistant professor with the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Director of Resident Basic Science Education at the University of Louisville. He is active in instructing orthopaedic surgeons and residents in the treatment of deformities, tumors, degenerative disease and trauma involving the spine. His particular areas of interest are the treatment of spinal trauma, bone physiology, scoliosis, and adult degenerative spinal disease.
Dr. Dimar is actively involved with research involving spinal cord injury, bone graft healing and spine tumor fractures. He has published numerous articles on the treatment of spinal problems and has spoken widely at many national spine meetings.

Mitchell J. Campbell, M.D.

Board Certified in Orthopaedic Surgery

Dr. Campbell received his BS in chemistry from Auburn University in Auburn, Alabama and also earned a masters degree in pharmacology/ physiology from Auburn University. He then received his medical degree and completed his residency training in Orthopaedic Surgery at the University of Louisville School of Medicine, graduating in the top percent of his class. From there, Dr. Campbell completed his spine fellowship at the renowned Minnesota Spine Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Dr. Campbell is an assistant clinical professor with the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at the University of Louisville and is a staff member of the Leatherman Spine Center. He instructs orthopaedic surgeons, residents and fellows in conservative and surgical management of adult and pediatric spinal deformities, tumors, trauma and degenerative conditions.
Dr. Campbell has a great interest in the cervical spine and has focused his research on spinal cord dysfunction and the treatment of myelopathy. As a member of several national spine organizations, Dr. Campbell shares his research findings and surgical experiences with spine surgeons from around the world.

Mladen Djurasovic, M.D.

Board Certified in Orthopaedic Surgery

Dr. Djurasovic received his B.A. with honors from the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, and went on to complete his medical degree at the College of Physicians and Surgeons at Columbia University in New York. Dr. Djurasovic completed both his internship and residency at Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center, also in New York. He then moved to Louisville, where he finished his training with a fellowship in spine surgery with the Leatherman Spine Center.
Dr. Djurasovic has authored various book chapters concerning the treatment methods of various spine disorders, and has published and presented extensively in the field of spinal surgery. He has particular interest in minimally invasive spinal surgery and patient based outcomes research. He is a member of the North American Spine Society and the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgery.