Failed Back Surgery Expert Witnesses

Sacramento, California

Physical Medicine & Rehab, Pain Management - Medicine - Spinal cord injury, Disc herniation, Lumbar injury, Neuropathic pain, CRPS, Degenerative Disc Disease, Spinal stenosis, Thoracic injury, Amputation, Disability, Failed back surgery, Whiplash, Cervical injury, Interventional pain procedures, Brain injury, Motor vehicle accident, Concussion, Radiculopathy, Falls, Opioids

Merna Naji, MD is a dual-board-certified physician in Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation (PM&R) and Pain Medicine, offering a unique, function-focused and evidence-based perspective in medical-legal cases involving pain, injury, and disability. Her dual certification allows her to evaluate not only pain generation and treatment, but also functional impairment, recovery trajectory, and long-term outcomes—an expertise combination particularly valuable in complex personal injury, workers’ compensation, and disability matters. Dr. Naji completed her Interventional Pain Medicine fellowship at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, where she served as Chief Fellow, and her PM&R residency at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. She is currently an Assistant Clinical Professor in the Department of Anesthesiology at the University of California, Davis, where she is actively involved in teaching pain fellows and PM&R residents. Her PM&R background provides a strong foundati...

Southborough, Massachusetts

Pain Management - Medicine, Anesthesiology - opioids, spinal cord stimulator, radiofrequency procedures, spinal injections, complex regional pain syndrome, Persistent pain after injuries, interventional pain, criminal, fraud, CRPS, ablations, nerve injury, chronic pain, failed back surgery, over dose, personal injury, RSD, disc herniation

Thomas T. Simopoulos, MD, MA, is a Harvard trained and faculty pain management specialist at the Arnold Pain Management Center and an anesthesiologist in the Department of Anesthesia, Critical Care and Pain Medicine at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC). He is also an Associate Professor in Anesthesia at the Harvard Medical School. He has multiple teaching awards by fellows in training and recognized as "Top Doctor" in the Boston area since 2017. Dr. Simopoulos attended medical school at the University of Massachusetts Medical School in Worcester. He completed his postdoctoral training at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Faulkner Hospital in Boston. Dr. Simopoulos holds a Masters of Arts degree in Biochemistry from Brandeis University in Waltham. He is board-certified in Anesthesiology with a Pain Medicine subspecialty. Dr. Simopoulos has strong clinical interests that include radiofrequency technology, intradiscal therapies and e...

Lawrenceville, New Jersey

Spine Surgery & Spine Care, Orthopedic Surgery - Lumbar Spine Surgery, Cervical Spine Surgery, Spinal Cord Stimulation, Spinal Trauma, Spinal Stenosis, Sacroiliac Joint Fusion, Failed Back Surgery, Spinal Instrumentation, Workers Compensation

I am a board certified, fellowship trained orthopaedic spinal surgeon in practice since 1990. I am familiar with all aspects of spinal surgery including the cervical, thoracic, and lumbar spine from a variety of approaches, both with and without instrumentation. I have been performing sacroiliac fusions since 1990. I have been implanting spinal cord stimulators since 1991. My practice predominantly involves Workers Compensation patients and patients injured as the result of motor vehicle accidents. I regularly perform Independent Medical Evaluations and I have testified numerous times as an expert witness.

HARTSDALE, New York

Orthopedic Surgery, Artificial Intelligence - Adult spinal deformity, Degenerative, Thoracolumbar, Cervical, Biomechanics, Spine surgery, Standards of care, Surgical indications, Postoperative complications, Failed back surgery, Spinal instrumentation, Medical record review, Expert medical opinion, Pseudarthrosis, Complex spine cases, Evidence-based medicine, Trauma, Fracture, AI

I am an orthopedic spine specialist with extensive experience in adult spinal deformity, degenerative spine disease, and spinal biomechanics. I completed my medical training and orthopedic surgery residency at Hanyang University Hospital in Korea, followed by advanced spine fellowship training and research fellowships in the United States, including Twin Cities Spine Center, Washington University in St. Louis, the University of Virginia, and the Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) in New York. My professional background includes academic and clinical appointments in both Korea and the United States, as well as years of experience in spine research, education, and complex case management. I have served as a faculty member and research director in an academic spine center and have been actively involved in peer-reviewed publications, clinical research, and medical education. My areas of expertise include adult spinal deformity, thoracolumbar and cervical spine disorders, spinal biome...