Prof. Yoon HASouth Korea
Yonsei University, College of Medicine, Department of Neurosurgery
Current Position
2015 to present Professor of Neurosurgery
2019 to present Adjunct professor of Biomedical Institute, Pohang Institute of Science and Technology
2023 to present Adjunct Professor of Brain Korea21, Department of Electric Engineering, Yonsei University
Academic Experiences
1998 - 2002PhD, Yonsei Univ.
1995 - 1997MSc, Yonsei Univ.
1987 - 1994MD, Yonsei Univ.
Professional Experiences
2023 - 2024President of Korean Spine Research Society
2017 - 2022Chief Editor of Neurospine
2015 - 2024Secretary General of Asia Pacific Cervical Spine Society
2017 - 2018President- 1st Korea-Canada Science, Technology and Innovation Forum
2015 - 2019President of Aerospace Medical Association of Korea, Seoul, Korea
Specialty & Expertise
Spine deformity, cervical spine, spine tumor, spinal cord injury
About Me
Dr. Yoon Ha, MD, PhD, received his medical degree and PhD from Yonsei University. He completed his internship and neurosurgery residency at Severance Hospital, Yonsei University in 1999. In 2015, he was appointed Professor of Neurological Surgery at Yonsei University, where he is board certified in the field of Neurological Surgery.
Dr. Ha has an active research interest in spinal surgery and basic research, particularly in numerous multicenter outcome research studies of spinal deformities, cervical OPLL, spinal cord injury, spinal trauma, and tumors involving the spinal column. He has served as an Editor in Chief of "Neurospine" (2018-2022) and editor on the Editorial Boards of "Neurosurgery" (2016), "Neurosurgery Focus" (2017), and "Asian Spine Journal" (2017~) and Journal of Neurosurgery-Spine (2023~).
During his career in Neurosurgery, Dr. Ha has won numerous awards for his work. He received the Synthes Award for Research in Spinal Cord Injury and Spinal Column Injury at the Congress of Neurological Surgeons in 2004 (San Francisco). He also received basic science research awards in Cervical Spine Research Societies in 2004 (Boston) and 2009 (Salt Lake City).
He has served as the Editor in Chief of Neurospine (2018 ~ ), Academic Program Chair of Korean Spinal Neurosurgery Society (2022-2023), Section editor of Yonsei Medical Journal (2020~ ), The President of Korean Spine Research Society (2023~ ), The President of Korean Aerospace Medical Association (2015~2019), The President of Korea-Canada Science, Technology and Innovation Forum (2017), Vice president of Korean Cervical Spine Research Society (2023 ~ ), Secretary General of Asia Pacific Cervical Spine Society (2015 - ), Director of Research –Korean Spinal Deformity Research Society (2015- ), Director of Academic Program – Korean Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine (2016- ) and Director of Spine and Spinal Cord injury – Korean Society of Neurotrauma (2016~ ).

Dr. Ha's clinical fields of interest include Adult Spinal Deformity Surgery, Cervical Deformity and Correction Surgery, Cervical OPLL and spondylotic myelopathy, Lumbar Degenerative Disease in aged population, Robotic Spinal Surgery for Spine Tumor Resection, and Biologic Therapy for Malignant Spinal Cord Tumor.
Presentation Information
Risk stratification in spinal surgery for geriatric patients
1109 13:25-13:35
Spine/304A
The safety and efficacy of spinal surgery in the elderly population remains uncertain with conflicting data. Consequent to recent advances in surgical techniques and management, surgical treatment for elderly patients has increased substantially. However, post-operative morbidity and mortality from spine surgery vary widely across the country. Therefore, standardized methods for risk stratification are emphasized not only for providing professional appropriate treatment options, but also for predicting the surgical outcomes and complications. We proposed a comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) for elderly patients who are indicated to spine surgery. CGA comprises 7 sections with more than 100 questionnaires including physical activities, ADL, depression and MMSE. CGA measures physiological parameters including hand grip power and Walking velocity. We also discuss the characteristics of elderly population including frailty, postoperative delirium, as well as sarcopenia. From this presentation, attendees could have information about the way of risk stratification, important points in informed consent and choice of surgical methods in elderly population.
Presentation Information
Management of spinal deformity in Parkinson’s disease
1109 09:10-09:25
Spine/304A
Spinal deformities are frequent and disabling complications of movement disorders such as Parkinson disease. The most distinct spinal deformities include camptocormia, antecollis, Pisa syndrome, and scoliosis. Spinal surgery has become lower risk and more efficacious for complex spinal deformities, and thus more appealing to patients, particularly those for whom conservative treatment is inappropriate or ineffective. Recent innovations and advances in spinal surgery have revolutionized the management of spinal deformities in elderly patients. However, spinal deformity surgeries in patients with Parkinson disease remain challenging. High rates of mechanical complications can necessitate revision surgery. The success of spinal surgery in patients with Parkinson disease depends on an interdisciplinary approach, including both surgeons and movement disorder specialists, to select appropriate surgical patients and manage postoperative movement in order to decrease mechanical failures. Achieving appropriate correction of sagittal alignment with strong biomechanical instrumentation and bone fusion is the key determinant of satisfactory results.