About Us | Nemours

First Endowed Chair in Orthopaedics

William G. Mackenzie, MD

Dr. Mackenzie is an internationally recognized expert in skeletal dysplasia and other musculoskeletal conditions of childhood. The endowment helps attract the best surgeons and funds research, clinical care, and professional education.

At Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children

Dr. Shah evaluates X-rays of a spinal deformity

Dr. Suken Shah evaluates X-rays of a spinal deformity.

We know that spinal deformities (curvatures and problems of the spine) can have a major impact on children’s quality of life — how they function and feel, both inside and out.

Conditions like scoliosis can be scary, overwhelming, and upsetting for you and your child. We understand — that’s why we’ve devoted our careers to helping kids, like yours, achieve their dreams, whatever they might be.

When you bring your child to the Spine and Scoliosis Center at Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children, you can rest assured that you’ll get top-notch care for your child’s spinal deformity. We’re part of one of the largest and most widely respected pediatric orthopedic practices in the country — and the world.

Our Team of Experts

PA Kudlick examines patient's spine six months after surgery

Physician assistant Theresa Kudlick looks at Alice's spine six months after surgery for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis.

Here at duPont Hospital for Children, we have a legacy of excellence in providing general and subspecialty pediatric orthopedic care. Families like yours come from all around the country and the globe to get the very best care for their kids with spinal deformities. In fact, our physicians have been named among the "Best Doctors in America®."

Our highly respected experts include:

J. Richard Bowen, MD
Peter G. Gabos, MD (pediatric spine and chest wall surgeon)
Theresa L. Kudlick, PA-C (physician assistant)
William G. Mackenzie, MD (chairman, Dept. of Orthopedics)
Suken A. Shah, MD (division chief, Spine and Scoliosis Center)
Melanie S. Uebele, PA-C (physician assistant)

Get detailed information about our doctors (PDF).

Our Entire Care Team

In addition to our renowned surgeons, our collaborative approach to care offers the combined expertise of our:

rehabilitation physicians
physical therapists
radiologists
nurses
orthotists (who fabricate and fit braces and other supports)
neurophysiologists (who monitor brain activity and nervous system function)
neurosurgeons

The Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children is adding a five-story expansion to enhance our quality of care for our patients and families.

Our Location

Along with expert spinal deformity care, one of the things parents appreciate most is our location at the duPont Hospital for Children with its:

beautiful campus setting in a park of huge oaks and inviting green lawns
free parking — in fact, free valet parking — and shuttle service from lots
little red wagons available for escorting young children in style
playground
gift shop
cafeteria and café
on-site pharmacy
access to every specialist and subspecialist your child might need — all in one place

If your child needs surgical or overnight care in the hospital, we’ll help make your family's experience as easy and stress-free as possible.

Our Research & Education

In addition to offering top-notch patient care, our Spine and Scoliosis Center surgeons are experts in spinal deformity who also:

Train tomorrow’s surgeons (residents, fellows, and visiting surgeons) in advanced spinal deformity correction and instrumentation techniques.

Actively participate in national and international faculty lectures, presentations, and prospective outcomes research aimed at improving care for kids everywhere with spinal deformities. We’re part of the Harms Study Group Foundation, Scoliosis Research Society, and the Chest Wall and Spine Deformity Research Foundation.

Work with our Center for Orthopedics Research and Development (CORD) to develop devices and methods that directly impact children all over the world. The Center's efforts are focused within the Pediatric Engineering Research Laboratory (PERL), where we work with biomedical engineers and students to research new devices that can assist and rehabilitate children with neuromuscular disabilities and orthopedic disorders.

Comprehensive Spinal Care for Kids

At the Spine and Scoliosis Center, we're experts in spinal surgery, but we’re also a leader in the non-operative treatment of scoliosis, often using special bracing techniques (including the Wilmington brace, developed right here at the hospital) to help keep spinal curves from getting worse as kids grow.

We offer groundbreaking ultra-low-dose 3-D X-ray techniques to monitor scoliosis and plan for surgery, if necessary. Those are just a few of the reasons why U.S. News & World Report named us one of the “Best Children’s Hospitals” for pediatric orthopedics.