Our Team
Eugene Carragee, MD
Director, Spine Center
Orthopaedic Surgeon
Dr. Carragee has been the Director of the Orthopaedic Spine Center at Stanford since 1990 and head of the Spinal Surgery Section in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery.
He is full Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery with specialty interest in adult spine care. His areas of expertise focus are:
- spinal reconstructive surgery
- cervical and lumbar disc and fusion surgery
- spinal tumor and infections
- spinal deformities
Dr. Carragee received his undergraduate degree in Biology, graduating Summa Cum Laude from State University of New York, Albany. He received his medical degree from Stanford University School of Medicine. He had residency training at Stanford in both Internal Medicine and Orthopaedic Surgery. Dr. Carragee completed his fellowship in spine and pediatric surgery at the University of Hong Kong, Duchess of Kent Children's Hospital. He has also trained in the US Army Medical Corps and served as an orthopaedic surgeon, public health office, Battalion and Command Surgeon and a Forward Surgical Team Commander.
His research interests lie in outcomes assessment of surgical and rehabilitative treatment for cervical and lumbar intervertebral disk herniation; diagnosis and treatment of spine infections, instrumentation of the degenerative spine and spinal deformities and low back pain syndromes, pain and pain management.
His research is internationally recognized as among the best world-wide in the field of Spinal Disorders. He and his associates have received the Outstanding Research Award from the North American Spine Society in 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003 and 2004. In 2000 he received the prestigious Volvo Award for Clinical Research and in 2005 the "œBest Paper Award"ť from the International Society for the Study of the Lumbar Spine.
Dr. Carragee is an active member of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, an active member of the North American Spine Society (NASS), and an active member of the International Society for the Study of the Lumbar Spine (ISSLS). He has published numerous book chapters and articles in orthopaedic and spine medical journals over the course of his career.
Todd Alamin, MD
Orthopaedic Surgeon
Dr. Alamin is an adult spine care specialist. He is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at Stanford University School of Medicine and has a special interest in minimally invasive techniques to achieve definitive results in the care of patients with spinal problems.
His areas of expertise focus on minimally invasive spine surgery, complex spinal reconstructive surgery, new techniques of cervical and lumbar fusion, spinal tumors and infections, spinal trauma, and spinal joint replacement.
He grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio, and traveled west to receive his bachelor's degrees in Biological Sciences and Philosophy from Stanford University. He received his medical degree from Yale University School of Medicine. He performed his residency training in orthopaedic surgery at the University of California, San Diego, and completed his fellowship in spinal surgery at Stanford University and St. Mary's Medical Centers. He has been on the faculty at Stanford since 2001.
Dr. Alamin's research interests lie in minimally invasive spine surgery, alternative treatments for low back pain, the validity of discography as a diagnostic test, osteoporotic spinal fractures, and new techniques for fusion surgery. He has developed a new test for the diagnosis of chronic low back pain, the Functional Anaesthetic Discogram, which promises to resolve the issue as to who will benefit from surgery for chronic low back pain, and who will not. This test is currently in clinical trials here at Stanford Medicine.
There has been much praise for his publications: he and his colleagues have received the Outstanding Paper Award from the North American Spine Society in 2001 and 2004, Outstanding Poster Award from the North American Spine Society in 2001, and the Best Paper Award from the International Society for the Study of the Lumbar Spine in 2005.
Dr. Alamin is an active member of the North American Spine Society. He has published numerous articles in orthopaedic and spine medical journals over the course of his career.
Ivan Cheng, MD
Orthopaedic Surgeon
Dr. Cheng is an adult and pediatric spine care specialist. His areas of expertise focus on spinal reconstructive surgery, cervical spine surgery, and spinal trauma, including repair of spinal deformities associated with scoliosis, multiple surgeries and severe spine problems.
His research interests lie in the biologic enhancement of spinal fusions, molecular techniques of intervertebral disc regeneration, and techniques of spinal instrumentation.
Dr. Cheng is an active member of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons and currently serves on the Education Committee in the Stanford Department of Orthopaedic Surgery helping to shape the training of future Orthopaedic surgeons.
He was born in San Francisco, California and grew up in the East Bay. He attended U.C. Berkeley for his undergraduate degree in Molecular and Cell Biology, graduating with highest honors. He graduated cum laude from Harvard Medical School. Dr. Cheng trained in Orthopaedic Surgery at the U.C. Davis Medical Center, winning the Timothy J. Bray Award for excellence in Orthopaedic Trauma. He completed his fellowship in spine surgery at the world-renowned spine center at Washington University in St. Louis.
Most recently, Dr. Cheng won the 2005 Saul Halpern, MD Orthopaedic Educator Award for most outstanding teacher in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery.
Matthew Smuck, MD
Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
Dr. Smuck has been Director of the Stanford Interventional Spine Center since his arrival in 2008. He is an Assistant Professor in the department of Orthopaedic Surgery at Stanford. He specializes in precision diagnosis and comprehensive non-surgical treatment of cervical, thoracic and lumbar spine disorders. His research is focused on improving the effectiveness and safety of commonly used percutaneous spine interventions, developing new technologies and techniques for minimally invasive treatment of spine disease, and investigating the mechanisms behind spine injury and pain.
Dr. Smuck was born and raised in central Indiana. He graduated Magna Cum Laude with a double major in Biology and Humanities from Milligan College in Tennessee. From there he returned to Indiana for his medical education at the Indiana University School of Medicine. He then completed his residency training in Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation at Stanford University, followed by a one-year fellowship in Interventional Spine also at Stanford. He is board certified in PM&R and Pain Medicine.
After completing his medical training, Dr. Smuck joined the faculty of the University of Michigan where he built an active spine research program and served as director of the University of Michigan Interventional Spine Fellowship and multidisciplinary University of Michigan Spine Program. From there, Dr. Smuck returned to Stanford University to lead the Interventional Spine Center’s clinical, educational and research programs.
Dr. Smuck is an active member of the American Academy of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation (AAPM&R), the North American Spine Society (NASS), and the International Spine Intervention Society (ISIS). He has published numerous book chapters and scientific articles in spine and sports medicine journals over the course of his career. He has been invited to lecture and present his research across the country and around the world.
David J. (D.J.) Kennedy, M.D.
Clinical Assistant Professor
Associate Director – PM&R Interventional Spine Fellowship
Dr. Kennedy specializes in comprehensive non-operative treatment and precision diagnosis of lumbar, thoracic, cervical spine, and musculoskeletal disorders. His clinical and research interests focus on the efficacy and safety of common interventional therapies.
Dr. Kennedy was born and raised in rural north Florida. He graduated Magna Cum Laude and with Honors from Florida State University with a degree in Biology. He received his medical degree from the University of Florida. He then completed his transitional internship at Tulane University, followed by his residency in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the University of Washington in Seattle where he served as Chief Resident, and then a Spine and Sports Fellowship at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago. He is board certified in PM&R and Sports Medicine.
After completing his medical training he joined the faculty at the University of Florida where he directed the Interventional Spine Program in the Department of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation. While there he also served as the Associate Director of the PM&R spine fellowship and built and active research program. In 2012 he relocated to Stanford University to become part of the PM&R and Spine Divisions.
He has authored numerous book chapters and peer reviewed journal articles. He is on the editorial board for both the PM&R Journal and Pain Medicine. He has also been an editor for the PM&R Clinics of North America issue on radiculopathy and the PM&R Journal Supplement on Osteoarthritis. He is an active leader in the field at a national level with numerous board and committee positions in the International Spine Intervention Society (ISIS), the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (AAPM&R), the Association of Academic Physiatrists (AAP), and the North American Spine Society (NASS). He has been invited to lecture at numerous national and international conferences. Dr. Kennedy has also worked as a Strength and Conditioning coach for the Florida State Seminole football team during the 1990’s, and currently works as a medical doctor for Racing the Planet.
Zoya Benjamin, PA-C
Physician Assistant
Born and raised in Tehran, Iran, Zoya moved to the U.S. in 1977.
She received her Bachelors of Science in Dietetics and Nutrition from San Jose State University in 1986. She worked as a Dietician at Community Hospital of Monterey until 1990, receiving her Respiratory Therapist license in 1993.
After spending five years as a Respiratory Therapist with Stanford Hospital & Clinics, Zoya graduated from the Physician Assistant program at Stanford University.
As a PA-C, Zoya has worked in Planned Parenthood as well as Family Practice settings. She has also volunteered her time with the Urgent Care clinic in Half Moon Bay, serving low income patients and those without medical insurance.
Zoya joined the Orthopaedic Spine Center in 2001. She evaluates and examines new patients as well as pre- and post-operative patients. She enjoys learning things each day from both patients and physicians. She derives great satisfaction from seeing patients recover from debilitating conditions.
When she is not at work, Zoya enjoys long hikes with her husband Jimmy, and their rescued Rottweiler, Dolcé.