1. Prospective randomized trial comparing minimally invasive discectomy vs. standard open discectomy. Outcome measures with minimum 6 month follow up.
 
2. Prospective randomized trial comparing minimally invasive posterior interbody fusion vs. standard open fusion for discogenic back pain. Outcome measures with minimum 1-year follow-up.
 
3. Metastatic cancer to the spinal column: effect of instability and cord edema on outcome.
 
4. Alpha-2 agonists and motor evoked potentials.
 
5. Thoracotomy vs. transpedicular corpectomy for metastatic spinal tumors.
 
6. En bloc vs. piecemeal resection for isolated metastatic spinal tumors.
 
7. Posterior only vs. circumferential surgery for adult degenerative scoliosis.
 
8. Thoracic pedicle subtraction osteotomy vs. vertebral column resection for the correction. of fixed regional deformity.