by Kirsten Brown

“This is where it all started for me,” said Daryl Sybert, D.O. (’86), gesturing around Irvine 194.

Sybert, an orthopedic surgeon, went on to say he doesn’t know much about anything — except spinal reconstruction. In the first speech of this year’s Career Medical Specialties Week, Sybert gave OU-COM students a glimpse into the field of spinal surgery.

As he has had more and more training in his field, his knowledge became more specialized, Sybert said.

“This is one of those topics where you learn so much about one thing that it’s all you really know about,” he explained. “I don’t know much about anything other than spinal injury. So when one of our kids has a rash, my wife calls my friend who’s a general practitioner; she doesn’t even bother to ask me.”

However, Sybert’s expertise in his field more than atones for these shortcomings.

“I fix spinal deformities caused by scoliosis and your garden variety disc problems,” he said. “It sounds odd, and it’s peculiar, but it’s amazing. We’re very busy. People are coming in with these problems all the time.”

Sybert’s career continues to be one set apart by several remarkable achievements. He began his career with a general surgical residency at Sinai Hospital in Detroit, where he learned many of the techniques he applies today.

“I use the surgical knowledge and experience that I had in that year,” Sybert said. “One thing I am a firm believer in is that this is not a race. All the training you can get is great, and you are always going to use that knowledge later in life. Don’t be in a hurry.”

After his residency, Sybert was mentored by renowned orthopedic surgeon Arthur Steffee, M.D., who invented the pedicle screw. This spinal fixation system virtually revolutionized the treatment of spinal injury, Sybert said.

“He literally changed spinal surgery forever,” he said. “You go to any hospital these days, and they will know who you are talking about. They still use his techniques.”

Despite many advancements, spinal medicine remains similar in at least one aspect, Sybert said.

“This is still a very rapidly evolving field,” he said. “Disc replacements are just everywhere now, but there wasn’t any of that 15 years ago. There was a lot of risk. But I enjoy things that are maybe a little riskier.”

These days, Sybert sees cases such as paralysis caused by spinal cord compressions. One patient regained his ability to walk, thanks to Sybert’s team.

“We made an incision in his neck and removed the two vertebrae that were causing the problem,” Sybert said. “Then we bolted them together, to allow the spinal cord to improve. We — OrthoNeuro — do a lot of that kind of work.”

OrthoNeuro was founded 60 years ago by Ohio’s first orthopedic surgeons. Now, it has grown into a multi-disciplinary practice with physicians specializing in neurology, neurosurgery, pain management and physical rehabilitation.

“Our group lives on and now we have encompassed other specialties,” he explained. “We have two neurosurgeons, three neurologists, and five spinal surgeons, so we have the “ortho” and the “neuro” part of our group’s name.”

However, five years ago, OrthoNeuro realized that the need for these surgeries demanded a hospital be built. As a result, the group joined with more than a dozen other orthopedic surgeons to build the New Albany Surgical Hospital in New Albany.

“We do about 8,000 orthopedic surgeries a year,” he said. “Also, there’s hip-and-knee reconstruction and probably 1400 spinal surgeries. So we’re busy.”

This lecture proved a departure from other ones he has given, Sybert said.

“This is odd for me,” he said. “I never really have had the chance to talk about me. I don’t mean to sound like an egomaniac, but it was actually very reflective for me to go through this and figure out what brought me to where I am now.”

Sybert was the first speaker in the Career Medical Specialties Week series.  Three of the remaining presentations will take place noon to 1 p.m. in Irvine 194, which will take place Thursday, April 13; Friday, April 14; and Wednesday, April 19. On Wednesday, April 12, neonatologist Carl Backes, D.O., made the second presentation of the week.

Dermatologist John Hibler, D.O., a graduate of West Virginia College of Osteopathic Medicine, will speak to students twice Thursday, April 13. He is a board-certified dermatologist working in Zanesville and the dermatology residency director at O’Bleness Memorial Hospital.

In the afternoon, Hibler will talk with students about what it takes to specialize in dermatology. He will present with Dawn Sammons, D.O. (’03), who is completing her dermatology residency at O’Bleness.

“I chose dermatology because I found it fun and very interesting,” Hibler says, adding he has spent 18 years in the field.

In the evening, he will discuss the business side of medicine with David Geiss, D.O. (’89). They will discuss the positive and negative aspects of owning a private practice compared to a group practice, as well as how to run a successful medical office. Zimmerman agrees, adding that success in medical school does not guarantee becoming the successful administrator of a medical practice.

“We want Dr. Hibler to talk about the business side,” says Sharon Zimmerman, director of alumni affairs. “Why is it important to have a CPT code? Why is it important to have a good billing administrator?”

Back by popular demand, Robert S. Houser, D.O. (’97), will speak about his plastic surgery practice. Houser spoke to students last year, and many requested his return to learn more about his practice in Westerville. He is in practice with father, Robert G. Houser, M.D.

“For the most part, I will talk about the day in the life of a plastic surgeon,” Houser says. “I want to focus on the necessary training. I want to inform about aspects of plastic surgery of which students may not be aware, and as the other presenters, what it’s like day to day in my specialty.”

Although much of his practice does focus on cosmetic surgery, Houser says he has a passion for reconstructive surgery. In his third year in practice, he says he wants to help students understand there are other fields of medicine available to them. Houser completed a internship at Doctors Hospital and a residency at Mount Carmel Health System and the Ohio State University Medical Center.

Cardiologist H. Paul Kim, D.O. (’94), will speak Wednesday, April 19. After a residency at Riverside Methodist Hospital, Kim completed a fellowship at Geisinger Medical Center in Pennsylvania. Kim is board certified and is currently practicing in Columbus.