Spinal Cord Injury and Disease Expert Witnesses: 12

Shawn A. Hayden MD, PhD, MBA, President and CEO of ONTO Orthopedics, has over 25 years of experience as an Orthopedic Spine, Trauma and Sports Medicine Surgeon in the Dallas Fort Worth area. Dr. Hayden’s focus has always been in providing high-tech, high-quality care to his patients. For this reason, he is constantly training on some of the latest diagnostic and operative technologies. 

Litigation Support - Dr. Hayden assists medical doctors, scientists, lawyers and law firms with civil matters, malpractice cases, business guidance, and idea generation. His services include medical record review, thorough reporting of causation, depositions, and trial testimony as needed.

Areas of Expertise:

Orthopedic Surgery Spine Surgery Sports Medicine and Surgery Endoscopic Surgery Minimally Invasive Surgery Sports Injury Back Injury Neck Injury

Whiplash Sports Concussion Case Valuation Impairment Medical Devices Innovation Understanding EMR Vehicle Injury Evaluation

Dr. Hayden graduated from Harvard College. He received his medical degree from the University of Massachusetts Medical School and his orthopedic training at the Harvard Combined Orthopedics Residency Program. Dr. Hayden is also fellowship trained in orthopedic trauma and spine surgery at The Massachusetts General Hospital and The Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. Diplomate of the American Board of Orthopedic Surgery and a Fellow in the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons. Dr. Hayden is board certified in Orthopedic Surgery. 

Mr. John F. Schulte, is an accomplished Orthotic and Prosthetic practitioner with 40 plus years of experience consulting and treating Body and External powered upper and lower extremity prosthetics for all age groups.

Mr. Schulte has vast knowledge and experience in clinical practice prosthetic and orthotic component development, design, and manufacturing. A Clinician, Patient Care Consultant, and Senior Manager of 27 offices throughout 5 states, he is considered an expert in his field. Mr. Schulte continues to be asked to consult on Clinical ‘Best Practices’ by physicians, third party payors, peers, and patient users on the most appropriate component utilization and outcome measurements.

A published author, consultant, and Clinical Board Examiner, Mr. Schulte has treated and been involved with the treatment of persons of all ages with congenital birth defects, limb weakness and loss, and spinal cord injury.

Litigation Support - John Schulte's intimate knowledge in prosthetic and orthotic clinical practice and management, component prescription recommendation, and selection and utilization for all patient ages and levels of function make him an excellent expert witness resource. His services are available to attorneys representing plaintiff and defendant and include medical record review, second opinions, written reports, depositions, and trial testimony.

Areas of Expertise:

• Appropriate Prosthetic / Orthotic Component Selection Recommendation
• Utilization and Failures Due to Improper Manufacturing Processes
• Prescription Appropriateness
• Clinical Applications and Negligence Directly Related to Limb Weakness and Loss
• Spinal Cord Injury and Treatment
• Wrongful Death Investigation and Determination
• Limb Damage and Loss in Diabetics as Related to Footwear
• LifeCare Plan Consultation and Preparation as Related to Orthotics and Prosthetics

Education:

• New York University Medical School Orthotics and Prosthetics Certificate Program, Certification as Certified Prosthetist, 1973
• Northwestern University Medical School Orthotics and Prosthetics Certificate Program, Certification as Certified Orthotist, 1973

Tobias A. Mattei, MD, is a academic Neurosurgeon specialized in Complex Spine / Deformity Surgery. Dr. Mattei is currently practices as an Assistant Professor of the Division of Neurosurgery of St. Louis University. He has been an active member of the North American Spine Society, American Association of Neurological Surgeons, Congress of Neurological Surgeons, World Federation of Neurosurgical Societies, as well as many other international societies. 

Dr. Mattei is a member of the editorial board of The Spine Journal and Deputy Editor of the North American Spine Society Journal, the new open access initiative of the North American Spine Society. He is an active reviewer of several other neurosurgical journals including World Neurosurgery, Clinical Neurology & Neurosurgery, Journal of Clinical Neuroscience, Osteoarthritis & Cartilage, Journal of Engineering in Medicine: Part H, British Journal of Neurosurgery and Neurological Sciences.

As a researcher, Dr. Mattei has published more than 130 original research articles, having been cited more than 1400 times. He holds an unrestricted medical license in the states of Ohio, Missouri, New York, and Maine, and has never been submitted to any sanction or disciplinary action by any medical boards.

Litigation Support: Dr. Mattei provides expert witness services in the field of Spinal Injuries, Spine Surgery, Spinal Care, and Neurosurgery. He has provided expert review services for several scientific funding agencies in the U.S. (including the NIH Panel for Clinical Neurophysiology, Devices, Neuroprosthetics, and Biosensors) as well as abroad (including the Innovation and Technology Commission/ Hong Kong SAR Government and The Brain Tumor Charity - New Ideas Award/UK). 

Dr. Mattei's  litigation support services are available to attorneys for plaintiff and defense and include review of hospital records, medical reports, imaging results, operative reports, patient's evolution, depositions, and trial testimony.

Areas of Expertise:

Lumbar Disc Herniation Cervical Disc Herniation Spinal Stenosis Laminectomy Spinal Fusion Spinal Fracture Spinal Injuries

Kyphoplasty Vertebroplasty Artificial Disc Spinal Cord Injury Spinal Tumors Scoliosis Back pain

Arnold J. Weil, MD has over 29 years of experience specializing in Non-Surgical Orthopaedics and Pain Management. A Diplomat of the American Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and Chief Executive Officer of Non-Surgical Orthopaedics, P.C., one of the premier orthopaedic practices in the metro Atlanta area. 

Dr. Weil's practice focuses on conservative, non-surgical care of orthopaedic injuries, including the spine and extremities, with emphasis on spine rehabilitation, functional restoration, pain management, and ergonomic modifications. He treats patients with back and neck pain and a variety of other orthopaedic conditions. Managing acute and chronic pain through an advanced Non-Surgical approach, Dr. Weil has become one of the leading experts on Spine Care and Disability Management.

 

Video: Non-Surgical Orthopaedics, P.C. | The Overview

Litigation Support - Arnold Weil provides litigation support services to attorneys representing plaintiffs and defendants. He has maintained an unbiased reputation in the medical and legal community. Dr. Weil's experience includes over 300 depositions, medical-legal reviews, peer reviews, and trial appearances. 

Areas of Expertise:

Back, Neck, Spine Injuries Disability Management Pain Management Physical Medicine Workers' Compensation Injuries

Disc Herniation, Bulge, Rupture Independent Medical Evaluations Peer Review Physical Rehabilitation Sports Injuries

View Dr. Weil's Consulting Profile.

Dr. Farr Ajir, MD, MBA, FACS, CIME, is a Board Certified Neurosurgeon with more than 35 years of experience in the treatment of disorders of the Brain and Spine. He is also Certified by the American Board of Independent Medical Examiners (CIME).

Dr. Ajir has been staff neurosurgeon at Mayo Clinic and Kaiser Permanente Healthcare Systems.

He is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons (FACS),  Congress of Neurological Surgeons, and California Association of Neurological Surgeons. He is a Certified Physician Executive (CPE) with many years of leadership and administrative experience in healthcare delivery.

Litigation Support - As an expert neurosurgeon with decades of experience, Dr. Ajir offers services to attorneys representing plaintiff and defendant. He performs Independent Medical Exammination, and provides expert reviews and medical-legal opinions. Dr. Ajir holds medical licenses in California, Montana, New York, Pennsylvania, Washington, Wisconsin, and Utah. 

Areas of Expertise: 

Brain

Brain Abscesses & Infections Brain Concussions Brain Contusions Brain Edema Brain Hemorrhages Brain Injuries Brain Tumors Cerebral Aneurysms Cerebral Vascular Diseases Cranioplasty

Craniotomy Head Traumas Hydrocephalus Microneurosurgery Pituitary Tumors Skull Fractures Stereotactic Neurosurgery Vascular Malformations Ventriculoperitoneal Shunts

Spine

Back Pain & Injuries Back Pain & Injuries Cervical Disc Diseases Cervical & Lumbar Disc Surgeries Cervical & Lumbar Laminectomy Lumbar Disc Diseases Microdiscectomy

Neck Pain & Injuries Spinal Abscesses & Infections Spinal Cord Injuries Spinal Cord Tumors Spinal Stenosis & Spondylosis Spine Fractures Spine Injuries

             

MRK Medical Consultants provides Medical-Legal Evaluations to help legal and insurance professionals reach appropriate conclusions about their client's situations. MRK provides a wide array of medical experts that offer objective review and analysis of personal injuries. Each stage of the process—research to review, analysis to opinion—is addressed in a comprehensive manner in order to help legal and insurance professionals reach appropriate conclusions about their client’s situations. MRK's prestigious list of more than forty consultants are active clinicians and surgeons, who are all board-certified or eligible in one or more specialties. MRK provides physician experts to the entire State of California, the Reno/Lake Tahoe area, and Las Vegas, and we travel to many areas of the United States. Physical therapy, registered nurses, physician assistant, and billing review consultants are available services MRK provides. Our office physicians are available for telephone review of the merits of your case before you decide to proceed.  

Edward W. Younger, III, M.D., Medical Director of MRK Medical Consultants, specializes in Orthopedic Surgery. He has extensive experience in total joint replacement, as well as reconstructive surgery of the knee, hip, and shoulder. He was instrumental in bringing computer navigation technology to his hospital. He served on the orthopedic trauma staff at Mercy San Juan Medical Center in Carmichael, California, for more than fifteen years and was instrumental in bringing computer navigation technology to that institution. He is a member of Alpha Omega Alpha National Honor Society and is a Diplomate of the American Board of Orthopedic Surgery, a member of the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, and the California Orthopedic Association.

Dr. Michael R. Klein, Jr., M.D., specializes in Orthopedic Surgery and is a founding member and the first Medical Director of Northern California Orthopedic Centers. He was involved with the development of the orthopedic section of the Level II Trauma Center at Mercy San Juan Medical Center. He served as a clinical professor at the University of California, Davis, Medical Center for more than thirty years. He has been a member of the North American Spine Society since 2009 and was awarded the David O. Selby Award in 2020 for his contributions. He is a fellow of the American College of Surgeons and American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, and a member of the American Medical Association and the California Medical Association. He retired from the USAF in 1998 after being on active duty during the Vietnam War, and he was activated for Operation Desert Storm in 1991. 

MRK's Areas of Expertise:

Orthopedics Neurosurgery / Neurology Anesthesiology / Pain Management Bariatric Surgery Cardiology Chiropractic Orthopedics Covid-19 Critical Care/ICU Chronic Pain  Dermatology Emergency Medicine Endocrinology Gastroenterology General Surgery / Trauma Geriatrics Family Practice IME Life Care Planning Medical Billing / Bill Auditing Medical Malpractice

Medical Record Review Metallurgical Engineering Neuropsychology Neuroradiology Obstetrics / Gynecology / OB/GYN Ophthalmology Optometry Orthopedic Implants Otolaryngology Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Physical Therapy Plastic Surgery Podiatry Pulmonary Medicine Radiology Sports Medicine Thoracic Surgery  Traumatic Brain Injury Vascular Surgery Vocational Rehabilitation

Spine Surgery and Spine Medicine Consultant

The concepts of evidence-based medicine have been the cornerstone of Dr. Dillin’s education during his spine surgery fellowship in Neurosurgery and Orthopaedic Surgery and the format for decision-making in his subsequent practice. The critical analytic features inherent in the ‘best evidence’ approach to patients have permeated his writing and his lectures, allowing flexible adaptation as the science has changed. Since July 1985, Dr. Dillin has been exclusively devoted to clinical spine, interventional spine, and spine surgery practice. The combination of clinical critical thinking in conjunction with evidence-based medicine practice, allows spine specialty focus on any Independent Medical Evaluations or Medical-Legal Reviews. He is in clinical practice performing spine surgery, spine interventions, and evaluating patients with spine conditions. He is licensed in California, Texas, Arizona, Florida and Nevada. Dr. Dillin was a former partner at the Kerlan-Jobe Orthopaedic Clinic. I spent 2022-2023 in clinical practice and at the Effective Writing in Health Care program sponsored by Harvard Medical School. The program encompassed online and onsite (Boston) attendance. My study subject was the history of the expert witness in general, and more specifically, the medical expert witness. My capstone project, from the ‘Writing for the Public’, division is attached. This is the narrative account of “The Trial of the Medical Expert Witness.”

Litigation Support - For over 35 years, Dr. Dillin has traveled to refine and acquire the technical skills invested in Spine Surgery and Spine Interventions. His expert witness activity is embodied in his Harvard Capstone, "The Trial of the Medical Expert Witness." Dr. Dillin offers Independent Medical Evaluations and/or Medical-Legal Review, thorough reporting, depositions, and trial testimony as needed.

Areas of Expertise:

Spine Surgery Spine Interventions Cervical Spine Surgery Thoracic Spine Surgery Lumbar Spine Surgery Failed Back Surgery Scoliosis Kyphosis Minimally Invasive Surgery

Spine Fusion Cervical Fusion Lumbar Fusion Artificial Disc Replacement Microsurgery Spinal Product Liability Spine Medical Malpractice Spine IMEs Spine IMRs

Dr. Kelly S. Harvey, MS, PT, DPT, TPS, CLCP, CFCE, is a Medical Legal consultant with 27 years of clinical leadership experience and acute, rehabilitation, and concierge practice expertise. Dr. Harvey has been recognized for demonstrating a natural aptitude for Forensic Analysis and Catastrophic Case Management as well as for creating Medical Cost Projections and Life Care Plans.

Dr. Harvey founded Harvey Medical Legal Consulting in 2012 to offer her orthopedic trauma, spinal cord injury, and traumatic brain injury expertise. She maintains a private practice, as well as certifications as a Life Care Planner, Industrial Ergonomist, Functional Capacity Evaluator, Return to Work, Work Readiness, and Work Hardening Evaluator.  Dr. Harvey holds Therapeutic Pain Science Specialty certification that allows her to autonomously evaluate and treat Pain Management patients.

Litigation Support - Dr. Harvey serves the legal industry as a Forensic Analyst, Damages Expert, and Medical Consultant. She is an Industry Best Practice Advisor and Expert Witness in the fields of Physical Therapy, Rehabilitation, and Pain Management. Dr. Harvey offers services to attorneys representing plaintiff and defendant. She provides medical chart review, thorough reporting, depositions, arbitration, and trial testimony as needed. Dr. Harvey has been deposed and/or testified in a court of law over 48 times.

Areas of Expertise:

Life Care Plans Future Medical Cost Projections Catastrophic Care Manager Physical Therapy Orthopedic Injuries Traumatic Brain Injury Spinal Cord Injury Amputation Burns

Pain Management Evaluations Rehabilitation Case Management Defense Medical Exam Functional Capacity Evaluations Product Liability Personal Injury Medical Malpractice Home and Site Evaluation

Education / Training:

• Doctorate of Physical Therapy, International Spine and Pain Institute;
• Therapeutic Pain Specialist, International Spine and Pain Institute;
• Master of Physical Therapy, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons; 
• BA in Psychology and Biology, University of California at Santa Barbara

Clive M. Segil, MD, FACS, FRCS is an internationally renowned Orthopedic Surgeon with 45 years of experience in the management of Musculoskeletal Disorders. He practices orthopedic surgery, treating all orthopedic conditions.

Dr. Segil is on the staff of Cedars-Sinai Medical Centre, St Johns Hospital Medical Centre, Valley Presbyterian Hospital.

He is in active practice in the Los Angeles, with offices in Century City, Encino, Lawndale, Glendale, Lancaster, Pomona. He is a past assistant clinical professor of orthopedics at the University of Southern California School of Medicine and a past Clinical Chief of Orthopedics at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.

Dr. Segil completely understands the forensic system, is comfortable and confident in presentation and trial appearance, and is not intimidated by court proceedings. He has experience in all aspects of Orthopaedic Surgery. He is familiar with the new changes in the Workers' Compensation arena, including using the AMA guidelines, the ACOEM guidelines, and the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgery guidelines for spine problems.

Dr. Segil testifies for defense and plaintiff cases with an unbiased, erudite, understandable, and logical argument to support the facts and evidence. He has provided unbiased, detailed, ratable, and credible reports concerning injured workers and has given an honest opinion as to their condition, causation, prognosis, disability, and apportionment in a precise organized manner.

View Dr. Segil's Consulting Profile.

Dr. Lorne Sheldon Label, MD, MBA, FAAN, is a Board Certified Neurologist who has extensive training in the treatment of all neurological diseases of adults and children. The field deals with brain, spinal cord, nerve and muscle disorders. Dr. Label has been recognized by the court as having the education, experience, training, and knowledge to assist in rendering an opinion on the subject of Adult and Pediatric Neurology and Acupuncture. His ability is in explaining complicated methods and procedures, technical medical matters and data, as well as interpreting and rendering opinions about a certain set of facts to the court.

Dr. Label has offered his Expert Witness testimony to the legal industry for over 35 years. He has been retained as an Expert by attorneys for both Plaintiff and Defense over 200 times. His services are available for Medical Record Review and Testimony, Medical Malpractice Cases, and Insurance Questions Regarding Neurological Issues.CV available on website or by email.

Areas of Expertise:

Head Trauma Brain Injury Seizures Encephalitis Acupuncture Dementia

Behavioral Disorders Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Neuromuscular Abnormalities Headaches Attention Deficit Disorder Multiple sclerosis

Dr. Andrew Mark Rodgers, BS, MS, DC, is a National Certifed Chiropractic Expert Witness with over 38 years of experience. He has worked on over 120 malpractice cases on the proper standard of care and has testified in 30 cases in the last 22 years. Dr. Rodgers is available for complimentary verbal evaluations, offers expedient affidavits and cost-effective testimonies and depositions for chiropractic deviation from standard of care cases nationwide. He represents both Defendant and Plaintiff.

Areas of Expertise

• Malpractice cases – proving standard of care and deviationsm, causation, and informed consent issues
• Administrative law, state laws, and honest medical protocols and billing procedures
• Plaintiff/defendant expert witness testimony in trauma cases, motor vehicle cases, workers comp cases and/or slip and fall injuries
• Insurance fraud
• Continues very active clinical practice

We provide comprehensive services in healthcare damage valuation, including life care planning, rebuttals to life care plans, expert witness testimony related to standards of care, and medico-legal consulting. These services are delivered by an experienced Autonomous-Practice Advanced Practice Registered Nurse Practitioner and Certified Life Care Planner. Available to both Plaintiff & Defense firms.

Life Care Planning - Life Care Plan Rebuttals - Litigation Support - Expert Witness Services