Baylor Scoliosis Center at Baylor Regional Medical Center at Plano Announces Director of Medical Research

Contact: Susan Hall, (214) 820-1817 or Janeen Browning, (469) 814-2107
Email: susanh@baylorhealth.edu or janeenbr@baylorhealth.edu

(PLANO, TEXAS – March 24, 2008) – Richard Hostin, M.D., orthopaedic spine surgeon, has been named director of medical research of the Baylor Scoliosis Center at Baylor Regional Medical Center at Plano. Dr. Hostin will oversee all scoliosis and complex spine deformity research efforts and studies, including efforts with other scoliosis and deformity institutions. He will guide the research team and help determine future research opportunities as well as present findings at local, national, and international association meetings. Dr. Hostin's research will be used to help determine new treatment options for scoliosis and spine deformity.

As director of medical research, Dr. Hostin will work with Dr. Alexis Shelokov, medical director of the Baylor Scoliosis Center. "We are lucky to have a physician of his caliber to further enhance our ability to discover advanced treatment alternatives for complex spinal deformities," said Dr. Shelokov.

Dr. Hostin focuses on caring for patients with complex adolescent and adult spinal deformities including scoliosis, kyphosis, post-traumatic deformity and complex revision surgery. After receiving his medical degree from the University of Oklahoma, Dr. Hostin completed an orthopedic surgery residency at the University of California at Davis. He received additional sub-specialty training in spine surgery during his fellowship at the Twin Cities Spine Center in Minneapolis. He is a member of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, the North American Spine Society, the Texas Orthopedic Association, the American Medical Association as well as the medical honor society Alpha Omega Alpha.

"We hope that under the leadership of Dr. Hostin, the development of patient focused research will lead to improved, surgical outcomes for our patients with spinal deformities," said Jerri Garison, president, Baylor Regional Medical Center at Plano.

The Baylor Scoliosis Center, a national referral center that focuses on the care of adolescent and adult scoliosis, is located on the campus of Baylor Regional Medical Center at Plano. It is the first center of its kind in the Dallas/Fort Worth area devoted to treatment, surgery and care of advanced spinal curvature. The center provides care to people living with the pain and disfigurement of scoliosis - even those who were previously told their condition was untreatable.

Baylor Regional Medical Center at Plano is a 128-bed acute care hospital committed to serving North Texas residents with personalized care and advanced technology with hotel-like amenities and all private rooms. Services include treatment for advanced spine deformities at the Baylor Scoliosis Center, neurosciences, orthopaedics, medical and radiation oncology, surgical weight loss, women's services, gynecology, urology, gastroenterology, pulmonary, sleep disorders, pain management, diabetes management and more. Baylor Plano offers patients access to digital imaging and is the first hospital in north Dallas and Collin County to offer minimally invasive robotic surgery for gynecology and prostate procedures through the FDA approved da Vinci^® S Surgical System. The hospital has won several quality awards including the Texas Health Care Quality Improvement Award of Excellence and is designated a Nurse-Friendly^T hospital by Texas Nurses Association.

As part of Baylor Health Care System, Baylor Plano offers patients access to innovative treatments and clinical trials performed through Baylor Research Institute in such areas as oncology and cardiovascular services. For fiscal year 2007, Baylor Health Care System will report $390 million in community benefit, which includes providing care for charity patients and patients enrolled in government programs such as Medicare and Medicaid, as well as the un-reimbursed costs of medical education, research and community programs.