MUSC spine surgeon earns top national honor

Two men are on stage with a blue background. — Dr. Charles Reitman, right, receives his award from North American Spine Society Board of Directors Administrative Council Chair Dr. Chris Kauffman. Photo courtesy of NASS.

CHARLESTON, S.C. (Oct. 1, 2024) - Charles Reitman, M.D., a board-certified orthopedic and spine surgeon at MUSC, was awarded the prestigious David Selby Award by the North American Spine Society (NASS) for his contributions in the field of spine health.

The award, presented Sept. 26 at the annual NASS conference in Chicago, Illinois, recognizes those who have made significant contributions to the art and science of spinal disorder management through service to NASS. Reitman is the first MUSC physician to receive this honor.

“Charlie Reitman is truly remarkable. He’s one of the most dedicated physicians and surgeons to patients. Whatever the right thing for the patient is, that is what he’s going to do,” said Lee Leddy, M.D., MSCR, chair of the Department of Orthopaedics and Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation and chief of the Musculoskeletal Integrated Centers of Clinical Excellence (ICCE).

Recruited to MUSC in 2015, Reitman is a professor and vice chairman of the Department of Orthopaedics and Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation and ICCE chief of Specialty Surgery and Spine. He previously served as the co-director of the MUSC Health Spine Center, where he developed its comprehensive program that provides services ranging from non-operative evaluation to advanced imaging and complex surgical care.

Some of Reitman’s clinical areas of interest include processes that optimize the patient’s experience with their episode of care as well as all aspects of spine surgery.

“My first priority is the patient. If you always put the patient first, anything you do is going to be the right thing,” Reitman said.

Reitman received a bachelor’s degree in physiology at the University of California, Davis followed by a certificate in physical therapy at the University of California, San Francisco. He worked in private practice in Sacramento, California, for 12 years. He attended medical school at Baylor College of Medicine in the Texas Medical Center, where he also completed his residency in orthopedic surgery and fellowship training in spine surgery.

Reitman has been a member of NASS since 2001 and served on the board of directors from 2009-2022. The NASS is an organization that promotes ethical and evidence-based spine care through education, research and advocacy.

The David Selby Award is named in memory of Dr. David K. Selby, a trailblazer in spinal medicine and surgery.

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About MUSC

Founded in 1824 in Charleston, MUSC is the state’s only comprehensive academic health system, with a mission to preserve and optimize human life in South Carolina through education, research and patient care. Each year, MUSC educates over 3,100 students in six colleges and trains 950+ residents and fellows across its health system. MUSC leads the state in federal and National Institutes of Health and research funding. For information on our academic programs, visit musc.edu.

As the health care system of the Medical University of South Carolina, MUSC Health is dedicated to delivering the highest-quality and safest patient care while educating and training generations of outstanding health care providers and leaders to serve the people of South Carolina and beyond. In 2024, for the 10th consecutive year, U.S. News & World Report named MUSC Health University Medical Center in Charleston the No. 1 hospital in South Carolina. To learn more about clinical patient services, visit muschealth.org.

MUSC has a total enterprise annual operating budget of $7.1 billion. The 31,000 MUSC members include world-class faculty, physicians, specialty providers, scientists, contract employees, affiliates and care team members who deliver groundbreaking education, research, and patient care.