Hamid Abbasi is among the first neurosurgeons in the world to adopt oblique lateral lumbar interbody fusion (OLLIF). This faster spinal surgery requires a smaller incision, leading to shorter recovery. It’s also a method that has resulted in zero fatalities to date, compared to more than 800,000 patient deaths between 2003 and 2012 from traditional spine surgery, according to the National Library of Medicine. Abbasi has performed more than 1,500 OLLIF procedures in Minnesota and across the country and the world; he’s also trained nearly half of the 35 surgeons globally who perform OLLIF. As the founder of Inspired Spine in Burnsville, Abbasi is a flag bearer for modern technique and patient advocacy. Having survived and escaped human rights conflicts in his home of Tehran, Abbasi learned to challenge norms and considers himself an outlier and disruptor in the static spine surgery sector.