The Empty Chair

Howard B. Cotler, MD, FACS, FAAOS is board certified and recertified in Orthopedic Surgery. He is a fellow of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgery and the American College of Surgeons. He received his medical degree in 1979 from Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia. In 1980, Dr. Cotler completed his surgical internship at Grady Memorial Hospital/Emory Univ. in Atlanta. In 1984, he completed his orthopedic residency at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital. Dr. Cotler subsequently pursued advanced training in spine through two fellowships: one in acute spinal cord injury surgery with Northwestern University in Chicago in 1984 and another in Orthopedic Traumatology with Harborview Medical Center/University of Washington in Seattle in 1985. From 1985 to 1990, Dr. Cotler had both a clinical practice and an academic appointment at the University of Texas Medical School in Houston. In 1990, he became a founding partner and medical director for the Texas Back Institute of Houston. He was clinical associate professor of Orthopedic Surgery at the University of Texas Medical School in Houston. In 1995 Dr. Cotler founded Gulf Coast Spine Care Limited PA."