Todd Peters is a fellowship-trained orthopaedic spine surgeon recognised nationally for his leadership and innovation in minimally invasive surgical (MIS) techniques and regenerative biologics.
Drawing from more than two decades of experience in top-to-bottom spine, he takes a highly personalised approach to patient care wrapped in a fierce commitment to minimalism. Highly skilled in the most advanced MIS approaches, he is able to use smaller incisions involving a smaller environment, which reduces tissue and muscle damage. His patients, as a result, experience shorter recovery time and better long-term outcomes, all with less pain and a quicker return to their active lives. He recently joined DISC Surgery Center at Newport Beach as physician partner.
OPN: As a specialist in spinal surgery, could you tell us more about your experience and training background in this field?
TP: I grew up on the East Coast, where I attended college and medical school in the Philadelphia area. During my orthopaedic surgery residency, I decided to proceed with a specialty in spine surgery. I attended Hahnemann University School of Medicine, Allegheny University’s Orthopedic Surgery Programme and finally the University of Maryland in Baltimore, where I did my spine surgery fellowship.
I practiced briefly in Allentown, Pennsylvania before moving to Vail, Colorado, where I practiced for 11 years. After Vail, I moved my practice to California (initially in the Inland Empire area), and then to Orange County, where I have been for the last nine years.
OPN: What drove you to choose your career in surgery – and spinal surgery in particular?
TP: Throughout my orthopaedic residency, I initially thought because of my athletic background, that I would choose orthopaedic sports medicine. However, during my training, I was exposed to excellent spine surgeons. With this exposure to spine surgery, I developed an interest in and a liking of spinal surgery. I felt that it was a more intricate and delicate surgery that involved more complex issues than sports medicine, and this was of interest to me.
OPN: It is clear that the healthcare industry has been greatly impacted by the pandemic, what has been the greatest impact for you within your research and the industry as a whole? How has your working practice changed over the past three years?
TP: From a research standpoint, COVID-19 has slowed down much of the research process, especially in areas such as stem cell research. Initially, it also slowed down the amount of meetings and conferences that could be attended to further the research process. My practice overall during Covid was significantly slowed (as were most practices) due to the inability for patients to actually visit physicians and the reluctance of many patients to go forward with procedures during that period.
Since the decrease in COVID-related issues, there has still been a generalized reduction in patients seeking procedures, which has therefore caused some decrease in the practice as a whole.