[MUSIC PLAYING] MARK ABEL: I'm Dr. Mark Abel, and I'm a division head of pediatric orthopedic surgery within the Department of Orthopedic Surgery. When I came to the University of Virginia 22 years ago, they had just established a motion analysis laboratory and had a large population of children with cerebral palsy. That was key to our understanding of how children affected with neuromuscular conditions moved and how you could improve their movements. 

So I continued to work and manage children with cerebral palsy. And about 70% of my practice is in the management of complex spinal deformity, scoliosis, and other conditions. And that's where my two interests have really converged, because children with neuromuscular conditions also get spinal deformities. So on the one hand, I treat fairly healthy children with spinal deformities. I also treat children with neuromuscular conditions. And so that has really been my focus over the last five years. 

My care philosophy is putting the patient first at all times, listening carefully to complaints, and trying to understand the perspective of the patient. In my case, it's the parent and the child. It's very rewarding. And when we create this bond and this communication link, it makes the care so fulfilling. And I try to instill that in the resident group that works with me. The resident physicians are an integral part of my management team, and I try to stress to them that care is really about communication and listening more than anything else.