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Dr. Mooney received his Orthopedic Surgery training at the University of Pittsburgh between 1960 and 1964, after earning his Medical Doctorate in 1957 from Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. Dr. Mooney was Board Certified by the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery in 1967 and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine. From June 1991- to July 1998, Dr. Mooney served as Medical Director of University of California, San Diego (UCSD) OrthoMed Center in La Jolla, CA. From 1977 to 1988, Dr. Mooney was Chief of Orthopedic Surgery at Parkland Hospital in Dallas, where he was also Director of their Orthopedic Training Program. Dr. Mooney currently is a Clinical Professor of Orthopedic Surgery at the UCSD School of Medicine.

Dr. Mooney was named one of the 20 most distinguished Orthopedic Surgeons in the Town & Country Magazine Annual Survey in 1989. He also served an appointment by Governor Pete Wilson to the California Industrial Medical Council and was integral in developing the functional capacity evaluation standards for the state. Dr. Mooney is an internationally recognized leader in clinical work and medical research related to orthopaedics who has conducted groundbreaking studies in many areas of orthopaedics, restorative exercise, and physical medicine. He has written over 200 articles and abstracts in peer reviewed scientific journals, over 30 chapters for medical texts, and in the past 7 years has been invited to speak at over 150 medical conferences throughout the world.  Dr. Mooney is the recipient of the 2008 Wiltse Lifetime Achievement Award in Lumbar Spine Research from the International Society for the Study of Lumbar Spine (ISSLS).

Email address: vertm@spineandsport.com

Dr. Matheson is widely regarded as a pioneer in the field of Occupational Rehabilitation. Beginning with work at Rancho Los Amigos Medical Center in January 1970, he set up the first work hardening and functional capacity evaluation program at Rancho's Work Preparation Center. After completing his doctorate at USC, Dr. Matheson left Rancho to set up similar occupational rehabilitation programs at other hospitals and rehabilitation centers in Southern California. He also founded the Employment and Rehabilitation Institute of California, which he directed until 1996, when he took a faculty position at Washington University in St. Louis. Dr. Matheson works as a consultant and trainer to employers, rehabilitation centers, and governmental agencies in the United States and Canada, and has provided training to more than 20,000 healthcare professionals.

Dr. Matheson has designed many of the tests and treatment protocols that are in use in Occupational Rehabilitation today. His tests have been translated into 14 languages and are used throughout the world. Dr. Matheson is a noted scientist having published more than 25 refereed scientific journal articles, 100 professional papers and 20 book chapters. Dr. Matheson is an Assistant Professor at the Washington University School of Medicine Occupational Therapy Program where he directs the Work Performance Clinical Laboratory. At Washington University, he has worked as a senior scientist in the United States Social Security Administration's Disability Determination Re-Design project. Dr. Matheson is a licensed psychologist, certified rehabilitation counselor, and certified vocational evaluator.

email address: epiclift@aol.com

Mr. Legget has over 12 years experience in the field of orthopedics and rehabilitation. Most notably, he developed and operated the OrthoMed Spine & Joint Conditioning, and WellStrong Centers, for the Department of Orthopaedics at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD). He also managed the Orthopedic Outpatient Practice at UCSD. After his experience at UCSD, Mr. Leggett served in a development role for USOrthopedics, at that time a start up company specializing in the development of orthopedic surgical centers. He is presently the Regional Director for USOrthopedics, now a wholly owned subsidiary of National Surgical Hospitals, Inc., and the Executive Director for C.O.A.S.T. Surgery Center in San Diego and the Orthopaedic Surgery Center of La Jolla. Here, Mr. Leggett has played a leadership role in creating and managing comprehensive treatment programs for musculoskeletal problems utilizing multidisciplinary teams.

Mr. Leggett earned his Masters of Science in Exercise Physiology from the University of Florida (UF) in 1987. After graduation, he joined the faculty of the College of Medicine at UF, serving as Research Coordinator at the Center for Exercise Science. Mr. Leggett's areas of clinical and research expertise include muscle physiology, the aging process, the role of exercise in the treatment of low back pain, neck pain and other soft tissue injuries, and outcomes research. He has worked with top collegiate and professional athletes to design rehabilitation, strength, and conditioning programs. He has co-authored over 80 articles and abstracts in peer reviewed journals and has traveled extensively as a lecturer in the area of musculoskeletal rehabilitation and wellness.

Mr. Leggett is actively involved in the community of San Diego. He serves on the local Board for the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame Foundation as well an active member of the La Jolla Golden Triangle Rotary.

Dr. Dreisinger received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Fairmont State College, his Master of Science degree from University of Wisconsin-LaCrosse, and his Doctoral degree in exercise physiology from the University of Missouri. Currently, Dr. Dreisinger is managing partner for Progressive Spine Care & Rehabilitation in Columbia. From 1987 to 1997, he was research director for the Columbia Spine Center, an affiliate of the Columbia Orthopaedic Group. From 1996 through 2000, he was Vice President for Cumulative Trauma Injury Prevention of Prevention First, Inc. a consulting firm dedicated to the reduction of upper extremity cumulative trauma incidents and low back injuries in industry with clients like United Airlines and Tyson Foods.

Dr. Dreisinger's background spans 28 years of clinical experiences in rehabilitation, orthopedics and physical medicine. He has taught at the university level, presented a number of scientific papers, and published articles in numerous biomedical journals including Spine, Orthopedics, Journal of Rheumatology, Sports Medicine, Paraplegia, and the Journal of Cardiac Rehabilitation. Dr. Dreisinger is a fellow in the North American Spine Society, the American Back Society, and the American College of Sports Medicine. He sits on the Non-Operative Committee for the North American Spine Society, the Practice Board for Clinical exercise Physiology of the American College of Sports Medicine and is past chairman of the Board of Directors of the McKenzie Institute, USA an organization whose mission is the non-operative management of individuals with back pain.

Dr. Mayer earned a Ph.D. in Exercise Science from Syracuse University where he was awarded a "Doctoral Prize" in 2001 for his outstanding research related to his dissertation. He also earned a doctor of chiropractic from National College of Chiropractic. Dr. Mayer has a wide range of clinical expertise in rehabilitation and functional assessment of musculoskeletal disorders, and has extensive experience in research design and data analysis, clinical trials, functional testing, and applied exercise physiology. Dr. Mayer has served as investigator on several projects funded by commercial and federal agencies, including the National Institutes of Health.

Dr. Mayer is on the faculty of University of South Florida where he holds the positions of Lincoln College Endowed Chair in Biomechanical Research in the College of Medicine and Associate Professor in the School of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Sciences. Dr. Mayer also serves on the Board of Practice Standards and Ethics for the International Collegiate Commission of Exercise Science. Prior to being recruited for the research position at the foundation, Dr. Mayer was Clinic Director at U.S. Total Fitness and Rehabilitation, Rochester, NY. While at Syracuse University, he was a research assistant in the Department of Exercise Science, where he worked closely with James E. Graves, Ph.D. in developing innovative methods of functional assessment and treatment models for back pain. Dr. Mayer recently developed a low-tech back extension strength-testing device and an upper body mass measurement system. He has published numerous articles, abstracts, book chapters, and manuals related to applied exercise physiology and rehabilitation.

Email address: johnm@spineandsport.com

Joe Verna, D.C., Member, Board of Directors

Dr. Verna is a chiropractor recognized as an expert in the field of workers' compensation and cost containment related to low back pain and disability. He is a Qualified Medical Evaluator, Certified Industrial Injury Evaluator and an Independent Medical Examiner for the State of California. His professional experience has included consulting in the fields of industrial medicine, functional capacity assessments, spinal rehabilitation, injury prevention and risk management.

Dr. Verna has served as Defensive Tactics Consultant for the Los Angeles Police Department, Arrest and Control Unit. The LAPD's Arrest and Control program has taken a scientific approach to injury prevention for its officers and suspects.  Most recently, Dr. Verna is credited with assessing the efficacy of a variable angle roman chair device known as BackStrong for improved exercise training and increased functional capacity for the treatment of chronic low back pain.  Research was funded through a grant from the National Institutes of Health.

Dr. Verna serves as the Chief Operating Officer for Measurement Driven Rehabilitation Systems, Inc., and also spends considerable time working with the Foundation.

Email address: joev@spineandsport.com