Collin County Living Well Magazine September/October 2018 | Page 11

S tephen P. Courtney, M.D. is a board-certified, fellowship trained orthopedic spine surgeon by the American Board of Orthopedic Surgery. He has been practicing medicine and providing exceptional patient care in Plano since 1995 and has worked tirelessly to develop superior oper- ative techniques to treat neck and back disorders. He has earned a distinguished reputation among his professional colleagues, medi- cal peers and patients. Dr. Courtney was born and raised in Louisiana learning early about some of the most reward- ing things in life: basketball, Cajun cooking and most importantly, hard work. He graduated high school as Salutatorian of his class and was selected for Louisiana Boys State. He was also a member of the Louisiana All-State basketball team. In college, he graduated summa cum laude from Northeast Louisiana University and later received his medical degree from Loui- siana State University Medical School where he was awarded the Howmedica Biomechanic Award and the Louisiana Orthopedic Association Award. He also placed fourth in the World Congress for Student Research Competition. His residency was at Texas A&M University Med- ical Center and completed further specialty training through a fellowship at Florida Neck & Back Institute in Gainesville, FL. He continues to attend many professional conferences to en- sure he remains at the cutting edge of his field. Dr. Courtney has been Chief of Orthopedic Surgery at the Medical Center of Plano and a member of the Hospital’s Executive and Operating Room Committees. Dr. Courtney shares, “Having practiced medicine for the better part of two decades, I’ve not only gained a unique insight into the strengths of useful tools available in the field, I’ve discovered opportunities for improvement.” Dr. Courtney is at the forefront of cutting-edge medical technology, and travels the country training other physicians on how to utilize the products. In recent years, he has expanded his reach and has improved the quality of life for patients across the United States. Dr. Courtney has developed 9 product lines, and has obtained 9 patents and 14 trademarks on spine re- lated products. Dr. Courtney is dedicated to educating not just himself and his colleagues but his patients as well. Dr. Courtney is known for his straight-forward, honest approach which puts his patients at ease, trusting him to perform highly technical operations that will help them restore their quality of life. He knows the single most important person in the treatment process is the pa- tient. Well-informed patients are more successful in following through on their rehabilitation and have better outcomes. Dr. Courtney believes the first step to a patient’s successful proce- dure is in them knowing what to expect. Judy Jones, a lumbar fusion patient of Dr. Courtney shares, “You don’t want to trust [your back] to just somebody that has their name on a door. You have to go to people that you trust. I talked to people and everybody trusted Dr. Stephen Courtney and I do too and I’d highly recommend him.” Continued, page 10 COLLIN COUNTY Living Well Magazine | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2018 9