Dr Karin Wuertz-Kozak
eccElearning Spine Surgery Education Programme Faculty
Dr Karin Wuertz-Kozak is a highly experienced member of the eccElearning Spine Surgery Education Programme faculty. The Spine Surgery Education Programme contains 180 Spine Surgery Lectures, and contains Specialist Certificates and the full Postgraduate Diploma in Spine Surgery. The eccElearning Faculty is made up of over 140 expert spine surgeons and educators. They have collectively supported the development of the world’s first comprehensive, online postgraduate education programme in a medical sub-speciality, spine surgery.
Dr Karin Wuertz-Kozak, MD
- Kate Gleason Endowed Full Professorship in the Department of Biomedical Engineering of the Rochester Institute of Technology, NY
- ETH Zurich Institute für Biomechanics, Zürich
Contributions of Dr Karin Wuertz-Kozak
Lecture: Cell Biology of the Spine
This spine surgery lecture covers cell and tissue biology of the spine. The main focus is on intervertebral disc biology and other spinal tissues. Each spinal structure contains cells with a distinct phenotype. Under healthy conditions, these cells maintain the specific, functional extracellular matrix. Cells can respond to internal/external signals by adjusting their metabolic function. The intervertebral disc is a highly complex tissue with three distinct zones (AF, NP, EP) and three specific cell types. The cellularity in the disc is very low. Vertebrae, facet joints, muscles and ligaments all have distinct functions, appropriate extracellular matrix and specific cell types.
Lecture: Age-Related Changes of the Spine
In this spine surgery lecture written and narrated by Karin Würtz-Kozak, age-related changes of the spine are discussed.