Category: Physicians

Kenneth Renkens, M.D. provides treatment for common spine complications in the neck and back, including pinched nerves, herniated discs and degenerative disc disease. He also treats more complex problems such as spine and spinal cord tumors. As a Neurosurgeon who specializes in spinal surgery at Indiana Spine Group, he treats a variety of complications and spinal cord disorders with spinal cord decompressions and/or fusions.

Dr. Renkens received his medical degree from Boston University School of Medicine in Boston, Massachusetts. After an internship in General Surgery at Boston University Hospital, he completed a residency in Neurosurgery at Tufts-New England Medical Center in Boston. Dr. Renkens received additional training in spinal instrumentation in Paris, France.

He is Board Certified in Neurological Surgery by the American Board of Neurological Surgery, a Diplomat of the American Board of Neurological Surgery, and a Clinical Instructor for Orthopaedic Surgery at the Indiana University School of Medicine.

Dr. Renkens’ professional memberships include the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, Congress of Neurological Surgeons, North American Spine Society, and the Indiana State Medical Association.

Dr. Renkens retired in May 2021.

Dan Robinson, M.D. is a fellowship trained Orthopedic Spine Surgeon who specializes in the comprehensive care of adult and adolescent spine surgery. He has interests in minimally invasive spine surgery and complex revision surgery.

Dr. Robinson is passionate about patient centered care and evidence-based treatments through continued learning and research, providing the best possible clinical solutions to his patients. He has had extensive training in cutting edge surgical techniques ranging from minimally invasive surgery to complex revision surgery.

He specializes in spinal disorders, ranging from disc herniations, spinal stenosis, and reconstruction of spinal deformities. Dr. Robinson believes that avoiding surgery, in many cases, is the smartest path to achieving the most successful result. When non-operative treatment methods do fail, recommendations for surgery are only made when the predicted results are expected to dramatically improve the patient’s quality of life. His approach to surgical treatment of spinal disease is to select the least invasive, most effective, and scientifically proven treatment available tailored to each individual patient and their needs.

 

Rick Sasso, M.D., is a founding member, and the president of Indiana Spine Group. He is a board-certified orthopaedic surgeon, specializing in spine surgery. Additionally, he is a professor and chief of spine surgery at the Indiana University School of Medicine, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery. Dr. Sasso has dedicated his medical career to the comprehensive treatment and surgery of spinal disorders and abnormalities and is actively involved in spine surgery research including the research and development of spinal implants and techniques of minimally invasive spine surgery, as well as the development of instrumentation technology used to treat spinal disorders.

 

Joseph D. Smucker, M.D. is a fellowship-trained, board certified orthopedic surgeon who provides expertise in the surgical care of spinal disorders.  Dr. Smucker has special training in complex cervical, thoracic, and lumbar surgery, having trained with the top programs in the nation and subsequently practicing in a tertiary setting for almost a decade.  His subspecialty interests include cervical spine conditions, care of spinal injuries in athletes, and spinal navigation technologies.

Dr. Smucker completed his secondary education in Northern Indiana and his undergraduate degree at Goshen College.  He earned his medical degree from Indiana University School of Medicine in Indianapolis and pursued his residency at Case Western Reserve University, where he trained with the late Dr. Henry Bohlman – a world-recognized spinal surgeon who pioneered many of the most commonly used surgical techniques in spinal care.  Following residency he completed an adult spine surgery fellowship at Emory University with Dr. John Heller and Dr. Scott Boden where he refined his skills in the surgical care of complex spinal disorders and honed his research interests.  He began his career at the University of Iowa where he practiced full-time clinical and operative spine care and became a tenured member of the faculty.  During this time he completed numerous research studies as Director of the Bone Healing Research Laboratory.  He returned to Indiana to continue to advance these interests and contribute to the team at Indiana Spine Group.

As an active member of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, he has been honored with a term in the Leadership Fellows Program, which recognizes future leaders in the profession of Orthopaedic Surgery.  He is also a member of the North American Spine Society and the prestigious American Orthopaedic Association.  The “Best Doctors in America” program has frequently recognized him due to his tradition of clinical care.  Dr. Smucker has authored numerous manuscripts and textbook chapters and has focused many of his investigations on the science of bone healing and cervical spine motion.

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Peter Swiatek, MD is a fellowship-trained spine surgeon who specializes in diseases and disorders of the spine, including disc herniations, degenerative cervical, thoracic, and lumbar disease, trauma, tumors, and spinal deformity. He also specializes in repairing failed spine surgeries and revision spine procedures. Dr. Swiatek tailors his treatment plans to the needs of each of his patients, with a focus on non-operative management whenever possible. When surgery is necessary, he takes pride in offering patient-specific solutions that minimize the amount of surgery needed to maximize results.

Dr. Swiatek has extensive experience with the latest technology and techniques in spine surgery – from using robotics to enhance precision during surgery to performing motion-preservation (non-fusion) procedures. He is passionate about safety in spine surgery and is a champion for evidence-based surgical practice.

Dr. Swiatek graduated magna cum laude from Harvard University with a degree in neurobiology and experience playing on the men’s Division I basketball team. He graduated with honors from the University of Michigan Medical School in Ann Arbor, MI, and earned the Dean’s commendation for excellence in clinical skills.

He completed his orthopaedic surgery training at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago, Il, which consistently ranks as one of the country’s top orthopaedic and neurosurgical spine centers. After residency, Dr. Swiatek completed spine surgery fellowship at the world-renowned Rothman Institute and Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia, PA.

Dr. Swiatek has over 55 peer-reviewed publications and routinely presents at national and international academic spine conferences. He has been awarded over $20,000 in grant money for his various research endeavors and is actively involved in mentoring medical students, residents, and fellows in their research efforts. He is also involved in the critical evaluation of academic literature prior to publication and has contributed to several prominent textbooks on spine surgery and orthopaedic surgery. In his spare time, Dr. Swiatek enjoys exploring the local food scene with his family, exercising, following college sports, and traveling.

Dr. Swiatek is committed to helping his patients return to the activities they want to perform, and he truly values the opportunity to be a part of his patients’ recovery each step of the way.

To learn more about Dr. Swiatek, visit his website: https://www.swiatekmd.com/

 

 

Jose Vitto, M.D., is an anesthesia and interventional pain management fellowship-trained physician. He completed his residency in anesthesia and preliminary surgery and his fellowship training in anesthesia/pain medicine at Indiana University School of Medicine. Dr. Vitto is board certified in anesthesiology and pain medicine. He comes to ISG after spending several years as the director of a Pain Management Center.

Dr. Vitto is originally from Venezuela and fluent in Spanish. He attended medical school at Universidad de Los Andes in Merida, Venezuela. Dr. Vitto was accepted into medical school in Venezuela at age 17, and he finished at the top of his class at age 24.

His professional memberships include Indianapolis Medical Society and Indiana State Medical Association.

Dr. Vitto has extensive experience performing minimally invasive spine procedures, including spinal cord stimulators, vertebroplasties, cervical, thoracic and lumbar selective nerve root blocks, medial branch nerve blocks, peripheral nerve blocks, occipital nerve blocks, sciatic nerve blocks, facet joint blocks, sympathetic nerve blocks, transforaminal epidural steroid injections, hip injections, coccyx blocks, trigger point injections, intercostal nerve blocks, sacro-iliac joint blocks and many other interventional pain management procedures for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes.

In addition to specializing in spinal cord stimulation and innovation in the field of neuromodulation, Dr. Vitto’s professional interests include non-surgical spinal diagnosis, therapeutics, and spine research.

Jason Ye, MD, MBA is a board-certified, fellowship trained Orthopedic Spine Surgeon. He holds 3 Ivy League degrees and completed prestigious residency and Spine fellowship training programs. Dr. Ye is an Adjunct Clinical Associate Professor at Indiana University School of Medicine. He has been sought out as an expert witness in worker’s compensation cases. Dr. Ye has been asked to give presentations to multiple national and international organizations on spine research.

Dr. Ye is pleased to provide superb spine care to the people of Central and West Central Indiana. In addition to traditional spine surgery techniques, he has special training and interest in total disc replacement, minimally invasive decompression and fusion techniques. He utilizes the newest technologies in spine surgery, such as computer navigation and robotic surgery. By combining proven techniques and the latest technologies, Dr. Ye aims to get patients back to their feet, back to their jobs and back to their lives. Dr. Ye is proud to be a compassionate listener, who will address your concerns and answer your questions.

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