My childhood affliction with polio, drove me to pursue orthopedics and also fueled my desire to find creative ways of solving problems. When you are unable to run with other children, but want to participate with them in sports and other youthful activities, you have to be resourceful and creative. My initial efforts to apply my inventive inclinations to my orthopedic discipline, included patenting a sliding compression screw paired with an IM nail. I had no understanding of patent language and relied upon a budget constrained trademark specialist, to craft the claims language. Unfortunately the claims were excessively narrow and this misstep prevented me from realizing the potential of the innovation. Another poorly executed effort of mine, involved attempting to commercialize a patent on isovolumic methyl-methacrylate mixing apparatus.As an orthopedic surgeon, my early days involved working closely with patients struggling with acute and chronic lower back pain. I saw firsthand the challenges and risks posed by highly invasive procedures. Driven by the desire to improve these methods, I founded NuVasive in 1997. Here, I developed a number of founding innovations, including advancing a prone transpsoas approach to the lumbar spine. I also helped advance techniques for guided MIS lumbar procedures with automated nerve monitoring. While at NuVasive, I conceived of a means for harvesting cancellous bone with an MIS instrument. This method evolved to become the COREX device. In 2004, I founded Trinity Orthopedics, focusing even more on the development of surgical solutions that were efficient and cost-effective, always keeping patient well-being at the forefront. Since then, I've also kicked off HipNav Technologies, another venture in the orthopedic space.In recent years I moved into retirement from clinical practice, focusing my professional time and experience on developing low-cost technologies that center on value-based processes. Some of these endeavors include precision-driven C-arm navigation, and low cost hip navigation that avoids complex computer modeling and antennae based navigation. I remain involved with Trinity Orthopedics efforts to advocate for percutaneous autologous bone harvesting as a primary option in bone growth surgery.