ROBOTIC Spine Surgeon Uchechi Iweala, of the Adventist White Oak Medical Centre, is among the first surgeons in Maryland, United States, to perform a successfully navigated lumbar spinal fusion using a robot.

Uchechi is the son of the Director-General of the World Trade Centre, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.

His excited mother shared news of his recent achievement on Thursday when she wrote: “Congratulations, Dr. Uchechi Iweala, on being one of the first spinal surgeons in Maryland to perform a successful navigated lumbar spinal fusion using a robot! So proud to be your Mum! Keep it going!”

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Uchechi specialities include Robotic Spine Surgery, Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery, Cervical and Lumbar Disc Replacement, Spinal Fusion/Arthrodesis, Nerve Releases, Spinal Injections, Spinal Deformity, Spinal Stenosis, Degenerative Disc Disease, Spondylolisthesis and Trauma and Fracture Care.

He grew up in Maryland and attended St. Albans in DC. He earned his Bachelor’s degree with honours at Harvard College and received his MD/MBA from Harvard Medical School and Harvard Business School.

Uchechi returned to the DC area to complete his residency training in orthopaedic surgery at George Washington University. Following residency, he completed a fellowship in spine surgery at New York University.

He has published numerous book chapters and peer-reviewed academic papers, including the International Journal of Spine Surgery and the Journal of Orthopaedics.

His elder sister Onyinye Iweala is an assistant professor of medicine in the division of rheumatology, allergy and immunology, while their father, who is also a physician, is a neurosurgery specialist.