Dr. Gary Shapiro is a board-certified orthopedic surgeon who specializes in treating spine problems in adults and children. He has particular interest in sports related spinal injuries and has treated professional athletes from around the world, including serving for three years as the official spine surgeon for the Chicago Bears. In many cases, Dr. Shapiro is able to treat patients with non-surgical methods. When surgery is needed, he often is able to perform minimally invasive procedures, which decrease patient discomfort and speed recovery times. The combination of his interest in science and his desire to help people led Dr. Shapiro to become a doctor. His care is marked by his empathy for patients and true commitment to their best interests. His dedication to excellence is reflected in Dr. Shapiro’s work as the chairman of the professional staff risk management committee and Spine Division quality committee representative at NorthShore University HealthSystem. Dr. Shapiro is a clinical assistant professor of orthopaedics at the University of Chicago’s Pritzker School of Medicine. He is conducting research studying factors that could shorten the length of a patient’s hospital stay following surgery and is participating in a multi-center study assessing the effectiveness of a technique in lumbar spinal fusion. Dr. Shapiro also has been involved in the development of new medical products, and holds a patent for a cage used for spinal reconstruction.