Gary K. Michelson

Gary K. Michelson, born in 1949, is an American orthopedic surgeon, medical inventor and philanthropist. He trained in orthopedic surgery at Hahnemann Medical Hospital, finished in 1979, and then completed a fellowship in spinal surgery. He practiced as a spinal surgeon for more than twenty-five years before leaving private practice in 2001. Seeing low success rates in early spinal procedures, he developed new implants, instruments and procedures for spinal surgery, and he is the sole credited inventor on over 950 issued or pending patents worldwide. He later turned to philanthropy through medical research, animal welfare and education foundations.