DISC SPORTS & SPINE CENTER

Dr. Robert S. Bray, Jr. broke new ground in Southern California when he launched DISC Sports & Spine Center in 2006 and completely reimagined spine care in the outpatient setting. After previously founding the spine program at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, he recognized that minimally invasive techniques, patient-centered care and rigorous protocols would not only eliminate the lengthy hospital stays, but would also make spine surgery safer and produce better outcomes.

Since then, Dr. Bray has curated a dream team of surgeons who share his commitment to motion preservation, utilizing leading-edge tools and techniques that return patients to action more quickly and restore quality of life. DISC’s surgeons – four of whom are Physicians of Excellence honorees –regularly perform complex spine cases as outpatient procedures, with patients up and walking within hours of their surgeries. As a result, DISC attracts and helps a wide range of patients, from elite athletes and A-list celebrities to weekend warriors and community members of all backgrounds.

Today, DISC is very proud of its four surgeons being honored among OCMA’s 2023 Physicians of Excellence (left to right):

• Robert S. Bray, Jr., MD is a boardcertified neurological spine surgeon known for his pioneering work in high-acuity, minimally invasive spine surgery, where he has established new techniques and developed game-changing instruments, such as the Zeiss operating microscope.

• Rojeh Melikian, MD is a Harvard and Emory University-trained orthopedic spine surgeon specializing in minimally-invasive, microscopic decompression for cervical and lumbar stenosis, microscopic discectomy for disk herniations, anterior cervical fusion and disc replacement, lateral-access and anterior surgery (XLIF and ALIF), spine trauma and spinal tumors.

• Ali H. Mesiwala, MD is a boardcertified, fellowship-trained neurosurgeon specializing in the development of novel technologies and minimally invasive techniques for both spinal and cranial surgery.

He is an expert in complex spinal procedures, including deformity correction and revision surgery, as well as disc replacement operations.

• Grant D. Shifflett, MD is a boardcertified, fellowship-trained orthopedic spine surgeon with extensive experience in treating conditions, disorders and injuries of the back and neck. Highly skilled in both minimally invasive and complex reconstructive surgery, he always considers each patient’s individual needs, as well as the latest evidence.