Samantha Spencer, MD
Surgical Director, Skeletal Health Center; Director, Lower Extremity and Deformity Program; Orthopedic Surgeon, Orthopedics and Sports Medicine Department
Assistant Professor of Orthopedic Surgery, Harvard Medical School
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Samantha Spencer, MD
Surgical Director, Skeletal Health Center; Director, Lower Extremity and Deformity Program; Orthopedic Surgeon, Orthopedics and Sports Medicine Department
Assistant Professor of Orthopedic Surgery, Harvard Medical School
Medical Services
Languages
English
Education
Undergraduate School
Northwestern University
1996
Evanston
IL
Medical School
University of Michigan Medical School
2000
Ann Arbor
MI
Residency
Orthopedic Surgery
Harvard Combined Orthopedic Residency Program
2005
Boston
MA
Fellowship
Pediatric Orthopedic Surgery
Boston Children's Hospital
2006
Boston
MA
Certifications
American Board of Orthopedic Surgery (General)
Professional History
Dr. Samantha Spencer has been a pediatric orthopedic surgeon on staff at Boston Children’s Hospital since August, 2006. She treats patients from birth to adult for a wide range of congenital and traumatic conditions, both surgically and non-surgically. Her particular interests include lower extremity disorders such as clubfeet and congenital limb differences, osteogenesis imperfecta and other bone dysplasias as well as vascular anomalies.
Dr. Spencer works with our multidisciplinary programs in Osteogenesis Imperfecta, Ehlers Danlos, and extensively with the Vascular Anomalies Center. Her clinical research focuses on congenital lower extremity, bone dysplasias and vascular anomalies. She also participates in the Lower Extremity Team research group meetings and projects.
Approach to Care
Outside of Boston Children’s Hospital, I provide community outreach and teaching at a national level through the following condition specific patient organizations:
Little People of America (participation in the yearly national meetings with invited talks and meetings with their medical advisory board);
Osteogenesis Imperfecta Foundation (participation in Walk for OI yearly fundraiser event as medical expert, participation in scientific invited meeting);
CLOVES Foundation (on medical advisory board).
Little People of America (participation in the yearly national meetings with invited talks and meetings with their medical advisory board);
Osteogenesis Imperfecta Foundation (participation in Walk for OI yearly fundraiser event as medical expert, participation in scientific invited meeting);
CLOVES Foundation (on medical advisory board).
Publications
Radiographic Measurements of Pes Planovalgus Do Not Predict Clinical Outcomes in Tarsal Coalition Excision. View Abstract
Hazard of Failed Nonoperative Management for Symptomatic Accessory Navicular in Children and Adolescents: A Population-Based Case-Cohort Study. View Abstract
Polyomavirus Wakes Up and Chooses Neurovirulence. View Abstract
Lysophosphatidic acid signaling via LPA6 : A negative modulator of developmental oligodendrocyte maturation. View Abstract
Prospective Evaluation of Tarsal Coalition Excision Show Significant Improvements in Pain and Function. View Abstract
Surgical Treatment of Solitary Periarticular Osteochondromas About the Knee in Pediatric and Adolescent Patients: Complications and Functional Outcomes. View Abstract
Best practice guidelines in managing the craniofacial aspects of skeletal dysplasia. View Abstract
The MITF paralog tfec is required in neural crest development for fate specification of the iridophore lineage from a multipotent pigment cell progenitor. View Abstract
Classification of lower extremity venous malformations and risk of knee involvement: A retrospective cohort study. View Abstract
College of American Pathologists Cancer Protocols: From Optimizing Cancer Patient Care to Facilitating Interoperable Reporting and Downstream Data Use. View Abstract
Epiphysiodesis for Leg Length Discrepancy: A Cost Analysis of Drill Versus Screw Technique. View Abstract
Orthopedic issues in vascular anomalies. View Abstract
Mitf-family transcription factor function is required within cranial neural crest cells to promote choroid fissure closure. View Abstract
Best practice guidelines for management of spinal disorders in skeletal dysplasia. View Abstract
Surgical Management of Fibroadipose Vascular Anomaly of the Lower Extremities. View Abstract
Sodium-Calcium Exchangers of the SLC8 Family in Oligodendrocytes: Functional Properties in Health and Disease. View Abstract
Fibroadipose Vascular Anomaly in the Upper Extremity: A Distinct Entity With Characteristic Clinical, Radiological, and Histopathological Findings. View Abstract
Pulmonary thromboembolic events in patients with congenital lipomatous overgrowth, vascular malformations, epidermal nevi, and spinal/skeletal abnormalities and Klippel-Trénaunay syndrome. View Abstract
Preoperative Embolization of Venous Malformations Using n-Butyl Cyanoacrylate. View Abstract
Subtalar Coalitions: Does the Morphology of the Subtalar Joint Involvement Influence Outcomes After Coalition Excision? View Abstract
Uniplanar Versus Taylor Spatial Frame External Fixation For Pediatric Diaphyseal Tibia Fractures: A Comparison of Cost and Complications. View Abstract
Musculoskeletal Conditions in a Pediatric Population with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. View Abstract
Treatment dilemma in multiple metatarsal fractures: when to operate? View Abstract
Treatment outcomes after insufficiency femoral diaphyseal fractures in nonambulatory children. View Abstract
Cryoablation in fibro-adipose vascular anomaly (FAVA): a minimally invasive treatment option. View Abstract
Response: "Best practices in the evaluation and treatment of foramen magnum stenosis in achondroplasia during infancy" and "Is there a correlation between sleep disordered breathing and foramen magnum stenosis in children with achondroplasia?". View Abstract
Surgical Treatment of Spinal Deformity in Patients With CLOVES Syndrome: A Report of 4 Cases. View Abstract
Best practices in the evaluation and treatment of foramen magnum stenosis in achondroplasia during infancy. View Abstract
Patient-reported Outcomes of Tarsal Coalitions Treated With Surgical Excision. View Abstract
Likelihood of surgery in isolated pediatric fifth metatarsal fractures. View Abstract
Lymphatic and other vascular malformative/overgrowth disorders are caused by somatic mutations in PIK3CA. View Abstract
Cancer biomarkers: the role of structured data reporting. View Abstract
Complications after modified Dunn osteotomy for the treatment of adolescent slipped capital femoral epiphysis. View Abstract
Satisfactory patient-based outcomes after surgical treatment for idiopathic clubfoot: includes surgeon's individualized technique. View Abstract
Orthopedic issues in vascular anomalies. View Abstract
Fibro-adipose vascular anomaly: clinical-radiologic-pathologic features of a newly delineated disorder of the extremity. View Abstract
Prospective evaluation of a prenatal sonographic clubfoot classification system. View Abstract
Introducing new College of American Pathologists reporting templates for cancer biomarkers. View Abstract
Proximal tibial osteotomy and Taylor Spatial Frame application for correction of tibia vara in morbidly obese adolescents. View Abstract
Painful pes planovalgus: an uncommon pediatric orthopedic presentation of Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease. View Abstract
Somatic mosaic activating mutations in PIK3CA cause CLOVES syndrome. View Abstract
Primary lyme arthritis of the pediatric hip. View Abstract
Misdiagnosis of knee venous malformation as juvenile idiopathic arthritis. View Abstract
Complications of talus fractures in children. View Abstract
Prenatally diagnosed clubfeet: comparing ultrasonographic severity with objective clinical outcomes. View Abstract
Capital realignment for moderate and severe SCFE using a modified Dunn procedure. View Abstract
Surgical dislocation in the management of pediatric and adolescent hip deformity. View Abstract
Early results of treatment of hip impingement syndrome in slipped capital femoral epiphysis and pistol grip deformity of the femoral head-neck junction using the surgical dislocation technique. View Abstract
Locations