The Happenings on Dr. Happ
By Melissa Moorman
By Melissa Moorman
PA R K E R C O U N T Y T O D AY
ever since.
He and his wife, a radiologist, met in medical
school. They knew from their weekend jaunts that they
favored the western part of the Metroplex, spending more
time in Fort Worth than Dallas. Together, they have three
young children. His wife was finishing a fellowship in
Chicago where she and the children have lived for the
past year, with Dr. Happ flying in over the weekends. The
family, now permanently reunited, moved to Benbrook in
July. They are enjoying getting to know Weatherford, the
doctor said.
Dr. Happ was introduced to his partner, Jason Tinley,
MD, by a medical representative who sold implants. Their
practice is called the DFW Center for Spinal Disorders.
They have eight locations, including one in Weatherford
at 1105 Santa Fe Drive.
Treatments to help patients increase their mobility are
different today, and these advancements continue to
improve patient outcomes. According to Dr. Happ, “A
minimally invasive technique allows us to do the job with
less muscle dissection and surgeries. [Patients are] in and
out of the hospital quicker. Better results overall. Better
fusion rates. The advancements in spinal medicine are
more prolific than in other orthopedics. There is continu-
AUGUST 2015
Christopher M. Happ, DO, knew he wanted to be a doctor
since the age of five but was unaware that his life’s work
would be to help people straighten up and walk out of his
office.
“When I got to medical school, I said I didn’t want to
do [spinal work] and then when I did my spine rotation, I
really liked it,” Dr. Happ said. “People come in, they can’t
walk, [they] wake up from surgery and [they] are better.
Sometimes they’re not, but [the work] is very rewarding.
High risk — high reward. So it’s very gratifying. Chronic
pain patients are a little tougher to deal with, but overall
we can help a lot of people… . It’s satisfying to know at
the end of the day that somebody is up walking or back
up doing what they want to do fairly quickly.”
Dr. Happ grew up in Peru, Ill., two hours from
Chicago. He attended college at Loyola University in
Chicago and, after graduation, studied medicine at the
Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine (CCOM)
at Midwestern University. He continued his studies at
the Texas Back Institute.
At first, Dr. Happ was not originally matched with
a group to continue his medical education; however,
a personal interview changed everything for him. The
group offered him a position, and he’s been in the area
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