Game Changers
Dr. Richard A. Kaul
Dr. Richard A. Kaul is the founder and President of The Spine Africa Project. Dr. Kaul, a Board Certified Minimally Invasive Spine Specialist by profession, founded this initiative after a trip to the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2008. This trip was prompted by a speech regarding the sexual violence against women in the Congo by Dr. Roger Luhiriri of The Panzi Hospital. Upon his visit, Dr. Kaul was confronted by the shocking lack of protocol for spinal injuries at the hospitals and clinics throughout the Congo. Despite the alarmingly high rate of spinal injuries due to the laborious working conditions, the injuries from the civil war that has permeated the Congo from Rwanda and the lack of pre-natal care, no protocols existed for spine injuries. Consequently, the life expectancy for someone afflicted with a spine injury is less than two years.
Dr. Kaul has long been lauded as a pioneer in Minimally Invasive Spine Surgeries and performed the first outpatient spinal fusion in New Jersey. Kaul is the Medical Director at NJSR Surgical Center, an outpatient Ambulatory Surgical Center, where he has been revolutionizing Minimally Invasive Spine Surgeries. Dr. Kaul has performed over 500 procedures, including many that no other physician has yet to attempt. His cases have been featured in several international newspapers, magazines and several national television appearances.
Dr. Kaul medical training is as extensive as it is impressive. Dually trained in both the United Kingdom and the United States, after his graduation from The Royal Free Hospital School of Medicine in London in 1988 he maintained positions as both the Surgical House Officer and Medical House Officer at both Lister Hospital and The Royal Free Hospital in the UK. After coming to America, Dr. Kaul held several Attending and Residency positions at hospitals including Columbus Hospital, St. Claire’s Hospital and Hackensack University Medical Center. In 2007, Dr. Kaul began his private practice of New Jersey Spine and Rehabilitation. Throughout his career, Dr. Kaul has traveled across the world educating doctors on his methods and instituting several new protocols for hospitals internationally.
Dr. Kaul has also made international headlines for his philanthropic ventures, most notably, Project Backbone. This initiative provided no cost spine care and spine surgery to veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan and was coupled with a $500,000 donation to The Spine Foundation, a charity focused on financial assistance for those who can not afford their necessary spine treatments. This $500,000 donation was made toward The Spine Foundation’s account for veterans.
To find out more about Dr. Kaul and The Spine Africa Project, please visit www.spineafricaproject.org
