Dr. Alexander R. Vaccaro, MD, PhD, MBA

Expert Publications

• The use of allograft bone and cages in fractures of the cervical, thoracic, and lumbar spine.
• Halovest dynamic loads: full crossover comparison of three vest types.
• Patient education on the internet: opportunities and pitfalls.
• The role of the osteoconductive scaffold in synthetic bone graft.
• Managing disorders of the cervicothoracic junction.
• Advances in surgical management of lumbar degenerative disease.
• Advances in posterior lumbar interbody fusion.
• Spinal applications of bioabsorbable implants.
• Spinal applications of bioabsorbable implants.
• Adult degenerative lumbar scoliosis.
• What's new in spine surgery.
• The use of bioabsorbable implants in the spine.
• Management of postprocedural discitis.
• Bone graft alternatives for spinal fusion.
• Biomechanical evaluation of contemporary posterior spinal internal fixation configurations in an unstable burst-fracture calf spine model: special references of hook configurations and pedicle screws.

Media Releases

Get to know Orthopaedic Surgeon Dr. Alexander R. Vaccaro, who serves patients in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

With over 25 years of experience, Dr. Vaccaro is a board-certified orthopaedic surgeon and President of Rothman Orthopaedic Institute in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Rothman Orthopaedic Institute is home to world-class orthopaedic specialists, offering bone and joint care from some of the best surgeons and physicians in the country. The mission of  The Rothman Orthopaedic Institute is to provide the community with high quality, compassionate, and affordable musculoskeletal care.

Professionally, Dr. Vaccaro serves in many other roles, including a Richard H. Rothman Professor and Chairman in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Professor of Neurosurgery at Thomas Jefferson University, Co-Director of the Regional Spinal Cord Injury Center of the Delaware Valley, and Co-Director of Spine Surgery and the Spine Fellowship Program at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital. Those academic roles allow him to instruct current fellows and residents in the diagnosis and treatment of various spinal problems and disorders. He is also the President-elect of the Cervical Spine Research Society.

In addition to being a past President of the American Spinal Injury Association and the Association for Collaborative Spine Research, he was the recipient of the Leon Wiltse Award, given for excellence in leadership and clinical research for spine care by the North American Spine Society. 

In regards to his educational background, Dr. Vaccaro earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from Boston College in 1983, graduating summa cum laude. He then went on to attend medical school at Georgetown University School of Medicine, where he was promoted with Distinction. He earned membership in the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society and graduated with honors in 1987.

After completing a year of surgical internship at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, he went on to complete his residency in orthopaedic surgery at Thomas Jefferson University, where he graduated in 1992. Thereafter, he completed his fellowship in spine surgery at the University of San Diego. 

In 2007, Dr. Vaccaro earned his Doctor of Philosophy degree in the field of Spinal Trauma. In 2015, he received his Master of Business Administration degree from Temple University’s Fox School of Business in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and graduated with honors.

Thereafter, he became board-certified in orthopaedic surgery by the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery, an organization with the goal of establishing educational and professional standards for orthopaedic residents and surgeons, as well as evaluating the qualifications and competence of orthopaedic surgeons. 

Orthopaedic surgery or orthopaedics is the branch of surgery concerned with conditions involving the musculoskeletal system. Orthopaedic surgeons use both surgical and nonsurgical means to treat musculoskeletal trauma, spine diseases, sports injuries, degenerative diseases, infections, tumors, and congenital disorders. 

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