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Richard L. Skolasky, Jr., M.A., Sc.D.

Richard Leroy Skolasky, Jr., M.A., Sc.D.

Photo of Dr. Richard L. Skolasky, Jr., M.A., Sc.D.
  • Director, Spine Outcomes Research Center
  • Associate Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery

Research Interests

Spine biomechanics; Psycho-social determinates of health; Health disparities; Health services research; Functional outcomes of spine surgery ...read more

Tomorrow's Discoveries: Treating Back Pain - Richard Skolasky, M.A., Sc.D.

Background

Dr. Richard Skolasky is an associate professor of orthopaedic surgery at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. His research focuses on functional outcomes of spine surgery, psycho-social determinates of health and spine biomechanics. Dr. Skolasky serves as the director of the Spine Outcomes Research Center, which is dedicated to improving patient safety and outcomes through furthering knowledge and increasing the efficiency of spine care.

Dr. Skolasky received his undergraduate degree at the Johns Hopkins University School of Arts and Sciences and a master’s in psychology from Towson University. He earned a Sc.D. from the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health Department of Health Policy Management.

Dr. Skolasky is a member of a number of professional societies including the Cervical Spine Research Society, the North American Spine Society, and the American Public Health Association. He is an associate editor of Quality of Life Research and serves on the editorial board of the Spine Journal.

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CV

Titles

  • Director, Spine Outcomes Research Center
  • Associate Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery
  • Associate Professor of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation

Departments / Divisions

Centers & Institutes

Education

Degrees

  • Sc.D., Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health (Maryland) (2008)
  • M.A., Towson University (Maryland) (1998)

Research & Publications

Research Summary

Dr. Skolasky focuses his research on theories and projects that have the potential to improve function and to reduce disability for persons with degenerative spine conditions.

Selected Publications

View all on Pubmed

Raad M, Donaldson CJ, El Dafrawy MH, Sciubba DM, Riley LH 3rd, Neuman BJ, Kebaish KM, Skolasky RL. Trends in isolated lumbar spinal stenosis surgery among working US adults aged 40-64 years, 2010-2014. J Neurosurg Spine. 2018 Aug;29(2):169-175. doi: 10.3171/2018.1.SPINE17964. Epub 2018 May 25. PMID: 29799337

Purvis TE, Neuman BJ, Riley LH 3rd, Skolasky RL. Discriminant Ability, Concurrent Validity, and Responsiveness of PROMIS Health Domains Among Patients With Lumbar Degenerative Disease Undergoing Decompression With or Without Arthrodesis. Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 2018 Apr 4. doi: 10.1097/BRS.0000000000002661. PMID: 29621093

Skolasky RL, Maggard AM, Wegener ST, Riley LH 3rd. Telephone-Based Intervention to Improve Rehabilitation Engagement After Spinal Stenosis Surgery: A Prospective Lagged Controlled Trial. J Bone Joint Surg Am. 2018 Jan 3;100(1):21-30. doi: 10.2106/JBJS.17.00418. PMID: 29298257

Skolasky RL, Scherer EA, Wegener ST, Tosteson TD. Does reduction in sciatica symptoms precede improvement in disability and physical health among those treated surgically for intervertebral disc herniation? Analysis of temporal patterns in data from the Spine Patient Outcomes Research Trial. Spine J. 2017 Dec 12. pii: S1529-9430(17)31191-9. doi: 10.1016/j.spinee.2017.11.016. PMID: 29246848

Purvis TE, Neuman BJ, Riley LH 3rd, Skolasky RL. Can Early Patient-reported Outcomes Be Used to Identify Patients at Risk for Poor 1-Year Health Outcomes After Lumbar Laminectomy With Arthrodesis? Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 2018 Aug 1;43(15):1067-1073. doi: 10.1097/BRS.0000000000002522. PMID: 29215506

PubMed

Activities & Honors

Honors

  • Young Investigator's Award for work on "Variation in Clinical Progressions of HIV-associated Dementia,", XI International Conference on AIDS, 1996

Memberships

  • Academy Health, 2005
  • American Psychological Association, 2002
  • American Public Health Association, 2005
  • American Statistical Association, 2002
  • Cervical Spine Research Society, 2005
  • North American Spine Society, 2005

Professional Activities

  • Reviewer, Quality of Life Research, 2010
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