\u201cA decade and a half ago, this was a terminal problem for many,\u201d Weber says. \u201cNow this is much more a manageable disease that, with the adjuvant therapies, often immunologics \u2014 a different type of chemotherapeutic agent \u2014 and radiation therapy, these patients are living longer and longer.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
It\u2019s very important, I think, to look at these patients and recognize the longevity that they may have. — Dr. Michael Weber<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/blockquote><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Weber spent nearly 15 years at McGill, which has a reputation as being Canada\u2019s premiere health care network. He is a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of Canada, member of the Canadian Spine Society, and has served on several committees of the 6,500-member global academic AO Spine community.<\/p>\n Weber says about half the metastatic spine patients will present through the clinic, and the other half, the emergency department.<\/p>\n \u201cIf they\u2019re coming through the emergency department, usually what\u2019s happening is, they\u2019re acutely paralyzing, and that\u2019s because the tumor is essentially compressing the spinal cord, or they\u2019ve had what\u2019s called a pathological fracture, meaning the bone has been weakened so much by the disease that it\u2019s just spontaneously broken, or some low-energy trauma, like sitting down in a chair, for example, has essentially fractured the spine,\u201d Weber says. \u201cThat then usually is emergent surgery, if they\u2019re suitable candidates.\u201d<\/p>\n The less emergent cases tend to be referred by oncologists and radiology oncologists when imaging finds a metastatic lesion in the spine.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve actually worked with my international consortium to develop various tools to help them identify when it\u2019s appropriate for them to send these patients on to a surgeon like myself so that we can assess them and figure out if they need surgery or not,\u201d Weber says. \u201cIf we can see these patients in a clinic setting like this, we can get to them before they end up just pitching up into the ED with paralysis and something urgent has to happen for them.\u201d<\/p>\n Weber can treat some cases with minimally invasive surgery, or nonoperatively, with systemic chemotherapy and radiation.<\/p>\n He also is an early adopter of carbon fiber-reinforced polyetheretherketone (CFR-PEEK) implants, which he says offer clearer visualization and more precise radiation therapy planning than traditional titanium implants.<\/p>\n \u201cClinical studies have shown that CFR-PEEK implants provide comparable stability and functional outcomes to titanium, while enhancing post-operative care through improved radiation targeting, superior imaging clarity that aids in early detection of tumor recurrence, and reduced MRI distortion that makes them ideal for ongoing surveillance,\u201d Weber says. \u201cThese innovations reflect a broader shift toward more effective, image-guided, and patient-centered approaches in oncologic spine surgery.\u201d<\/p>\n Each patient has a unique set of factors to consider.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s very important, I think, to look at these patients and recognize the longevity that they may have, in the properly selected patients,\u201d Weber says. \u201cAnd then when you identify those people, helping them with a spine surgery can allow them to effectively put this spine metastasis behind them and move on with their life to do everything and anything that they want.\u201d<\/p>\n Nearly two decades ago, as an orthopedic surgery resident at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Weber got to know another aspiring orthopedic surgeon, who was training at the University of Toronto, named Isaac Moss. Canadian orthopedic surgery residents make up a small enough cohort that most of them know each other, and their paths would cross at conferences.<\/p>\n Moss went on to a spinal and scoliosis fellowship at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, and Weber fellowship trained in spine surgery at the University of California San Francisco. They kept in touch over the years, and Weber stayed tuned in to UConn Health\u2019s spine program as Moss, who arrived at UConn Health in 2011 and today chairs its Department of Orthopaedic Surgery<\/a>, was growing it.<\/p>\n \u201cFrom both a professional and personal standpoint, I had been watching UConn Health from afar for a number of years,\u201d Weber says.<\/p>\n Late last year, the timing was right for Weber to make the move.<\/p>\n \u201cDr. Weber is an MD\/Ph.D. with a phenomenal clinical and academic track record including over 200 peer-reviewed publications and numerous funded research grants,\u201d Moss says. \u201cHe has expertise in complex spinal surgery, particularly regarding management of primary and metastatic tumors. He is also recognized internationally as a tremendous educator. We were very fortunate to recruit Dr. Weber to UConn, as he adds valuable expertise and academic power to our team in the Comprehensive Spine Center and Brain and Spine Institute.\u201d<\/p>\n Weber says several factors made UConn Health appealing to him.<\/p>\n \u201cI think, from an institutional perspective, it\u2019s remarkable,\u201d Weber says. \u201cThe infrastructure we have, from the Brain and Spine Institute that\u2019s brand new to the OR where the surgeries are happening, that\u2019s quite special. And the research aspect is quite interesting; it was very appealing to keep the continuity of my research.\u201d<\/p>\n But he says what drew him to UConn Health most of all was the people.<\/p>\n \u201cTo have someone like Isaac in charge of the orthopedic department, but also the spine program, where you have fundamentally good people and excellent surgeons, I think to immerse myself with a group like this on a daily basis is very attractive,\u201d Weber says.<\/p>\n Spine metastasis has been a focus of Weber\u2019s research. He\u2019s built collaborations that have yielded volumes of published clinical outcomes of spinal metastatic management based on patient data from around the world.<\/p>\n Weber is working on developing a type of implant that would deliver chemotherapeutics where a tumor was resected and reduce recurrence. He\u2019s hoping to start a clinical trial in the foreseeable future.<\/p>\n Separate from oncology, Weber\u2019s interests, both research and clinical, also include a range of spinal conditions, such as lumbar stenosis, cervical myelopathy, and revision cases. He says he enjoys the challenges that come with spinal surgery.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s got this special aspect to it, unlike a lot of orthopedics, in that, we don\u2019t quite have it all figured out just perfectly yet,\u201d Weber says. \u201cSpine, even from when I trained as a resident until now, has evolved dramatically, and I see that only continuing over time. Even here now at my middle career, I\u2019m still excited to try different things and provide improved care to patients.\u201d<\/p>\n Learn more about the Brain and Spine Institute at UConn Health<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n
![\"Dr.](\"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/weber-michael_UCH_2025-01-21_09-crop-800x1000-1-240x300.jpg\")
<\/a>An Early Introduction<\/h2>\n
![\"Dr.](\"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/Moss-Isaac-7-12-2017-Encarnacion-0432-e1565289747258-240x300.jpg\")