Dr. Evalina Burger

Dr. Evalina Burger graduated medical school in South Africa at the University of the Free State with honors in General Surgery, Pediatrics and Psychiatry. She became the first woman to receive the Cornelius Wessels Medallion in Surgery. She continued her career and became a Captain in the South African Defense Force Medical Corp where she worked and acquired surgical skills in Orthopedics, treating injuries of war and land mine explosions. She completed her internship in the Military Hospital before joining the Defense Force. She completed her residency over the next six years, received the G.F. Dommisse Award for the best resident and also won the prize for the best resident research paper at the University of Pretoria. Following her residency, which included almost two years of spine training, she dedicated her career to spine surgery. She became the first female surgeon in South Africa to become an ABC Fellow and traveled to North America and Canada in 2000 as a visiting professor to several large institutions. She was recruited to Louisiana State University in 2001 where she established an Adult Spine Unit. In 2006, she was recruited to the University of Colorado Denver Anschutz Medical Campus where she propelled her career, held several leadership positions including Chair of the Orthopedic Finance Committee, Executive Vice Chair and Vice Chair of Clinical Affairs for the Department of Orthopedics and established herself in the field of research. She has international recognition for her work on the thermoplastic behavior of metal rods and also received the prestigious White Cloud Award with her research group, showing the advantages of disc replacement.

Dr. Burger is currently a full professor at the University of Colorado Department of Orthopedics and assumed the role of Chair of the Department. She is the first recipient of the Robert D’Ambrosia Endowed Chair in Orthopedics. She continues to work diligently in a very complex spine practice and was the recipient of a SPARK Innovations Award in 2018.