Dr. Wetzel is a member of numerous professional organizations, Including the North American Spine Society (NASS), Cervical Spine Research Society (CSRS) and the American Orthopaedic Association (AOA). He is Chair of the Residency and Fellowship Education Committee of NASS. For his contributions to the fields of spinal biomechanics and conservative care, he received the Henry Farfan Award from NASS in 2001.

In addition, Dr. Wetzel has served as an oral examiner for the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgeons for over a decade, and is on the editorial or associate editorial boards of many peer reviewed scientific journals, including Spine, Pain Management, The Spine Journal, Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research, The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery and The Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. He has authored, co authored or edited over 100 peer reviewed publications, textbook and textbook chapters and abstracts.

At Temple, Dr Wetzel serves as a Professor of both Orthopaedic Surgery and Neurosurgery. He also is Vice-Chairman of Clinical & Administrative Affairs and is Director of the Temple Spine Center.

Office Address

Medical School
University of Pennsylvania – Philadelphia, PA

Residency
Orthopaedic Surgery – Yale University – New Haven, CT

Fellowship
Spinal Surgery - Tulane University – New Orleans, LA

Board Certification
Board Certified – American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery

Clinical Interests
Minimally invasive spine surgery
Cervical spine
Pain management

Research Interests
Biomechanics of degnerative disc disease
Intradiscal diagnostics
Interventional pain management
Spinal implants

Select Publications 

Wetzel FT, Donelson R, The role of repeated end-range/pain response assessment in the management of symptomatic lumbar discs. Spine J 3:2(146-54)2003 Mar-Apr

Wetzel FT, McNally TA, Treatment of chronic discogenic low back pain with intradiskal electrothermal therapy. J Am Acad Orthop Surg 11:1(6-11)2003 Jan-Feb

Wetzel FT, McNally TA, Phillips FM, Intradiscal electrothermal therapy used to manage chronic discogenic low back pain: new directions and interventions. Spine 27:22(2621-6)2002 Nov 15

Phillips FM, Reuben J, Wetzel FT, Intervertebral disc degeneration adjacent to a lumbar fusion. An experimental rabbit model. J Bone Joint Surg Br 84:2(289-94)2002 Mar

Wetzel FT, McCracken L, Robbins RA, Lahey DM, Carnegie M, Phillips FM, Temporal stability of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) in patients undergoing lumbar fusion: a poor predictor of surgical outcome. Am J Orthop 30:6(469-74)2001 Jun