Dennis Crandall, MD

  Dennis Crandall was born and raised in Arizona. He knew he wanted to be a doctor during a biology class as a sophomore at Westwood High School (Mesa). “I remember being fascinated by human physiology, and especially by the big words used to describe it all.” He began working as an emergency room volunteer, and later as a microbiology technician, learning first hand how disease and trauma could affect the daily lives of people.

  Dr. Crandall was first introduced to 0rthopedic surgery after a football knee injury. As a medical student, he decided to make orthopedics his career after teaming up with medical school faculty members performing research on certain types of bone cancers. As a resident in orthopedic surgery, Dr. Crandall was certain he would become a bone cancer surgeon that is until he began working on the busy spine service at St. Louis University Hospital and Cardinal Glennon Children's Hospital. The challenge and gratification of alleviating pain and restoring function in patients with complex spinal disorders made spinal surgery his preferred career choice. After residency, he pursued spinal fellowship training and served on the faculty of the University of Maryland. There, in addition to treating patients with very complex spinal disorders, he was active in teaching medical students and orthopedic surgery residents about spinal diseases and surgery.

  The attraction of the outstanding Arizona weather, lifestyle, and family ties brought Dr. Crandall and his family back to Phoenix in 1994. He has practiced spinal reconstructive surgery in Phoenix and the East Valley since that time. In 1999, he founded the Sonoran Spine Center, a center of excellence committed to providing quality spine care to children and adults with all types of spinal disorders. In addition to his busy practice, Dr. Crandall has been and continues to be a tireless teacher of orthopedic residents, medical students, and students of allied health fields. He currently serves on the faculty for the Phoenix Orthopedic Surgery Residency Program and serves the underprivileged children of Arizona as an attending spine surgeon in the Children's Rehabilitative Services Scoliosis Clinic at St. Joseph's Hospital. He also serves as the spine consultant for the athletes at Arizona State University.

  Dr. Crandall has continued to make spinal research a focus of his practice. He founded the Sonoran Spine Research and Education Foundation in 2000, a non-profit corporation which funds college scholarships for students with spinal deformities, spinal research projects and educational seminars such as the annual Arizona Spine and Scoliosis Symposium and Fund Raiser for the National Scoliosis Association. He has developed a new spinal instrumentation system to solve certain difficult spinal deformity problems which are not correctable with other technology.

  Dr. Crandall, his wife, and their 5 children currently live in Mesa, Arizona. They enjoy sports, music, theater, and especially watching the kids grow up.

PRESENT POSITIONS

• Medical Director, Sonoran Spine Center
• Chairman, Sonoran Spine Research and Education Foundation
• Attending Spine Surgeon, Phoenix Orthopedic Residency Program
• Attending Spine Surgeon, Scoliosis Clinic (CRS), St. Joseph's Hospital (Phoenix)
• Spine Consultant, Arizona State University Department of Athletics
• Vice Chairman, Dept of Orthopedic Surgery, St. Joseph's Hospital (Phoenix)

EDUCATION

• UNDERGRADUATE - Arizona State University
• GRADUATE - Arizona State University, Johns Hopkins University
• MEDICAL SCHOOL - St. Louis University
• GENERAL SURGERY INTERNSHIP - St. Louis University
• ORTHOPEDIC SURGERY RESIDENCY - St. Louis University
• SPINE SURGERY FELLOWSHIP - University of Maryland

CERTIFICATION

• American Board of Orthopedic Surgery (Board Certified)
• National Board of Medical Examiners

TEACHING APPOINTMENTS

• Attending Spine Surgeon, Phoenix Orthopedic Residency Program
• Spine Attending, Scoliosis Clinic, Children's Rehabilitative Services
• Instructor in Surgery, Department of Orthopedic Surgery, University of Maryland

PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS

• Scoliosis Research Society
• North American Spine Society
• American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons
• American College of Surgeons (FACS)
• Western Orthopedic Association
• American Medical Association
• Arizona Medical Association
• Arizona Orthopedic Society
• Maricopa Medical Association

LOCAL HOSPITAL PRIVILEGES

• St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center
• Banner Desert Medical Center
• Banner Baywood Medical Center
• Scottsdale Healthcare – Osborn Hospital