Who is Puget Sound Spine Institute?

The origins of the Puget Sound Spine Institute lie somewhere in 1985, when Dr. Kevin Schoenfelder, fresh out of a spine fellowship in Hong Kong and Japan, joined forces with Charles “Chuck” Ray. Although they both also practiced general orthopedic surgery the emphasis shifted more and more towards a spinal surgery practice. The current main building, at 1515 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, was occupied in 1986. In 1990 Drs. Ray and Schoenfelder coined the name “Puget Sound Spine Institute”.

Dan Coffey, our first Physician Assistant, has worked with both Kevin and Chuck since 1988. He received his PA training at the Yale University School of Medicine Physician Associate Program and recently retired as a Brigadier General from the U.S. Army National Guard. Dr Michael Martin joined PSSI in 1993 after finishing a spine fellowship in San Francisco. Since than there has been a significant expansion. In 1996 Dr. Elizabeth Cook and Dr. Carlos Moravek became part of PSSI. Both are physiatrists with a great interest in patients with spinal pathology. Elizabeth came after a fellowship at the Mayo clinic, Carlos joined from UC Davis / Sacramento.

Dr. John Blair filled the gap left by Chuck Rays’ retirement in 1998. John did his spine fellowship training in Minneapolis and practiced for a 2-year period in Scottsdale, Arizona, before joining PSSI. In 2001 Dr. Jos Cové joined the practice, after a 4-year stay in Minnesota. Jos did his spine fellowship training in Nottingham, England. Dr. Jon Geffen is the third phsiatrist to join our group. He finished an interventional spine fellowship in Birmingham, Alabama before joining PSSI in July of 2005.