Dr. Rooney is a nationally recognized, board certified, fellowship-trained orthopaedic spine surgeon specializing in cervical and lumbar spinal fusions, decompressions, and non-operative spine care utilizing regenerative medicine/stem cell therapy. He is dedicated to providing a patient-focused, family-centered approach to medical care, believing that patient education and understanding are paramo
unt to medical decision-making. Graduating from the United States Military Academy, where he was an All-army athlete, Dr. Rooney obtained his Bachelor of Science in Nuclear Engineering. He then attended medical school at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, OH. He completed his Orthopaedic Surgery training in the Army and a Spine Surgery Fellowship at U.C. After fellowship, he was chosen to create the first ever spine surgery service at Fort Hood at Darnall Army Medical Center. In only a few short years, Dr. Rooney single-handedly built, from the ground up, one of the busiest and most successful spine programs in the Department of Defense. He was subsequently transferred to William Beaumont Army Medical Center where he served as Chief of the Scoliosis and Spine Surgery service until his retirement from the Army and relocation to the Seattle area in 2010. Dr. Rooney is an innovator in spine surgery. He was among the first surgeons in the Northwest to perform many complex surgical operations with the use of computer-navigated and computer-assisted surgery. And he was the first spine surgeon in Washington to perform and integrate the ScoliScore genetic testing into his practice, allowing adolescent scoliosis patients to avoid x-rays, bracing, and in some cases spine fusion surgery. He is also an expert and mentor in the field of regenerative medicine and stem cell science. He was the first surgeon in the Northwest to use stem cells routinely to optimize spine surgery outcomes and when possible, avoid surgery altogether. In fact, Congress recognized Dr. Rooney’s contributions in this field by appointing him as a Peer Reviewer for Congressional Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP) in 2009 and 2011, where he evaluated and recommended the most promising research projects for Congressional funding. Dr. Rooney has made profound contributions to the fields of orthopedic and spine surgery, authoring over 40 manuscripts, presentations, and book chapters. He is the only surgeon ever to be awarded all three prestigious Clinical Travelling Fellowships by the Scoliosis Research Society, the North American Spine Society and the Cervical Spine Research Society. Since establishing his spine practice in the Seattle area in 2010, Dr. Rooney was repeatedly recognized as a Seattle Superdoctor in 2011, 2012, and 2013, and voted a 2012 Seattle Met ‘Top Doctor’ by his peers.
