In Memoriam: Professor Gunnar B.J. Andersson, MD, PhD (1942–2026)
Pioneering Clinician-Researcher, Educator, and International Leader in Spinal Medicine
It is with profound sadness that the International Society for the Study of the Lumbar Spine mourns the passing of past president Professor Gunnar B.J. Andersson, MD, PhD.
Dr. Andersson devoted more than five decades of distinguished service to ISSLS. He served as Society President in 1989, hosted the 1992 Annual Meeting in Chicago, served as longtime Chair of the ISSLS Prize Committee, and was honoured with the ISSLS Wiltse Lifetime Achievement Award in 2002. Beyond his tireless leadership within the Society, Dr. Andersson was Chairman Emeritus of the Department of Orthopedic Surgery at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, where he led for nearly three decades.
His pioneering biomechanical investigations and hundreds of scientific publications fundamentally shaped modern spinal care and inspired generations of clinician-scientists. On behalf of the entire Society, the Executive Committee extends our heartfelt condolences to Professor Andersson’s family, friends, colleagues, and former fellows.
Read the Full Obituary by Dino Samartzis et al. in the European Spine Journal here.
Call for Submissions: 2027 ISSLS Prize for Lumbar Spine Research (US$20,000 Awards)
Submissions are now open for the prestigious 2027 ISSLS Prize for Lumbar Spine Research, proudly sponsored by the European Spine Journal (Springer Nature). Up to three competitive awards of US$20,000 each will be presented to outstanding, unpublished scientific manuscripts across three categories:
Basic Science
Bioengineering Science
Clinical Science
Winning papers will be presented during the scientific programme of the 53rd ISSLS Annual Meeting at SpineWeek 2027 in Montréal (16–20 May 2027) and are guaranteed publication in the European Spine Journal.
Submission Deadline: Thursday, 15 October 2026 (23:59 Hawaii Time)
(Dual submission is required: to the European Spine Journal Editorial Manager and by email to the ISSLS Secretariat).
2026/27 ISSLS Slate Announcement
We are pleased to confirm the 2026/27 Slate as follows:
Second Vice President: Ashish Diwan
Treasurer: Fabio Zaina
Fellowship Committee: Paul Licina
Program Committee: Arnold Wong
Membership Committee: Zorica Buser
Scientific Representative: Stefan Dudli
Regional Representative, Eastern US: Ram Haddas
Congratulations!
We thank those who are vacating their positions for their wonderful contributions to ISSLS and look forward to welcoming the new Slate.
ISSLS Announces 2026 ISSLS Prize Winners
The International Society for the Study of the Lumbar Spine (ISSLS) is pleased to announce the 2026 ISSLS Prize recipients, selected by the ISSLS Prize Committee under the leadership of Professor Helena Brisby (Chair) from a strong field of submissions across Basic, Clinical, and Bioengineering Science.
Join us in congratulating the 2026 ISSLS Prize winners:
Basic Science
Early Markers of Mechanical Intervertebral Disc Degeneration of Whole Bovine Discs Loaded in a Multiaxial Bioreactor
Barbora Kubincova (1,2), Marcia Muerner (1,3), Junxuan Ma (1), Jeannine Mueller (1,3), Amra Šećerović (1), Mazda Farshad (2,4), Sibylle Grad (1,3)
Clinical Science
Data-driven classification of lumbar spine degeneration trajectories in chronic low back pain
Terence P. McSweeney [1], Zehra Akkaya [2], Jiamin Zhou [3], Po-Hung Wu [3,5], Noah B. Bonnheim [4], Thomas M. Link [5], Jaro Karppinen [1,6], Jeffrey C. Lotz [3], Simo Saarakkala [1,7], Aaron J. Fields [3], Aleksei Tiulpin [1,8]
Bioengineering Science
Hidden in Plain Sight: Machine Learning–Assisted MRI Reveals Novel Vertebral Body Biomarkers of Chronic Low Back Pain in Humans
Jeffrey CY Ng [1], Nathan Armani [2], Xijun Sun [1], Sabina M Pinto [1,3], Dino Samartzis [4], Arnold YL Wong [1,5]
The prize-winning research will be presented at the ISSLS 2026 Annual Meeting - don’t miss the opportunity to hear directly from the authors.
ISSLS congratulates all award recipients, thanks all applicants for their high-quality submissions, and expresses its gratitude to the European Spine Journal for sponsoring the 2026 ISSLS Prize.
2026 ISSLS Research Grant Award Winners
Congratulations to Takuhei Kozaki and Sonja Haeckel who have won, respectively, the Clinical Science Research Grant (sponsored by Medtronic) and the Basic Science Research Grant (sponsored by Cerapedics). The awards were announced at the ISSLS Fellowship Awards Ceremony, during the annual conference in Cape Town, South Africa May 11-15, 2026.
Learn more about the Basic Science Research Grant here.
Learn more about the Clinical Science Research Grant here.
2026 ISSLS Clinical Travelling Fellowship
Congratulations to Dr Yiqi Zhang, winner of the 2026 ISSLS Clinical Travelling Fellowship.
Dr Zhang will visit Professor. Dino Samartzis and Dr. Nathan J. Lee at Rush University Medical Center, USA to undertake his Fellowship.
Learn more about the Clinical Travelling Fellowship here.
Professor Stuart McGill is Honoured with 2026 Wiltse Lifetime Achievement Award
We are delighted to announce that Professor Stuart McGill, has been named recipient of the esteemed 2026 ISSLS Wiltse Lifetime Achievement Award.
This prestigious honour was presented during the ISSLS Fellowship Awards Ceremony, held as part of the annual conference in Cape Town, South Africa, May 11–15, 2026.
Learn more about their remarkable contributions to spine research and clinical practice by reading his biography in the European Spine Journal.
Click here for more information.
ISSLS Social Media
The ISSLS Social Media Committee needs your input!
We're building a database of recent and upcoming member publications to help promote your research and maximize its visibility. Submit your publication details through this form and let us help boost your Altmetric score and scientific impact.
Be sure to follow us on:
Let’s showcase your work to the world!