Meet Dr. Woods: Bringing Advanced Spine Care to our Springfield Market

Meet Kamal Woods, MD!

A graduate from Loma Linda School of Medicine in California, Dr. Woods also completed his neurosurgery residency there. Additionally, he completed a minimally invasive spine fellowship at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, Calif.

As a neurosurgeon, Dr. Woods treats many conditions including head injuries, spine fractures, brain bleeds and brain tumors.

He is internally recognized in the field of minimally invasive spine surgery. In fact, one of his recent accomplishments is pioneering a new minimally invasive back operation called ALLIF, which stands for anterolateral lumbar interbody fusion.

“I was initially trained in robotic surgery in 2012 while practicing in California,” Dr. Woods shares. “One of my dreams has been to offer such advanced spine care in the Springfield and greater Dayton markets.”

Now, in partnership with our team at Mercy Health – Springfield Regional Medical Center, this dream is becoming a reality. This summer, the hospital introduced new technology including the advanced imaging capabilities of Loop-X, a new mobile imaging robot and Cirq, a new robotic arm. Together, these tools allow surgeons to perform precision intraoperative imaging of very large bony structures, like the pelvis, while also being able to narrow the radiation beam to treat very small structures, like the cervical spine.

Overall, these technological advancements provide many benefits compared to traditional surgeries – something Dr. Woods has seen as part of his specialty training as a neurosurgeon.

“Minimally invasive spine surgery can be done through less than one-inch incisions,” He explains. “Such surgery has a lower risk of infection and less bleeding. Often no narcotics are needed after such surgery, and patients may get back to normal life faster.”

Now, these benefits will be available to brain and spine patients in Springfield and surrounding areas. The Springfield Regional Medical Center team is even planning to expand clinical indications to serve broader patient populations as new capabilities are incorporated into the Loop-X mobile imaging robot.

In addition to partnering with our Springfield market, Dr. Woods owns a neurosurgery private practice in Dayton, Ohio called Vertrae, Inc. He currently lives there with his wife and children.

Learn about the health care services we offer at Mercy Health.