Scott Spann

Spann began swimming at the age of seven and was a championship swimmer during his undergraduate years at Auburn University and the University of Texas. During this time he broke five world records, including one of Mark Spitz’, and was expected to qualify for the 1980 Olympics before the United States boycott of the Moscow games. An alumnus at the University of Texas, he was inducted into the UT Hall of Honor in 1998.

In 2005 Spann began researching stem cells and their effectiveness in treating orthopaedic injuries. As a result he became one of the earliest to adapt stem cells for use in a clinical setting. In April, 2010 an international biopharmaceutical company opened a stem cell harvesting center in Spann's Westlake office.

In September 2005 Spann suffered a severe spinal cord injury, rendering him unable to move from the neck down. After a surgery that included an anterior and posterior fusion, an iliac bone graft and a Harm's Cage insertion, he underwent physical therapy, craniosacral therapy and myofascial release therapy. Then, in January 2006 Spann returned to the operating room as a surgical assistant. With time he returned to a full workload, including surgery.

Finally, in 1997, Spann and his family returned to Austin, Texas, where Spann had earned his undergraduate degree and met and married his college sweetheart. There he founded Westlake Orthopaedics and helped to found Westlake Hospital.

Scott Spann (born April 24, 1958 in Greenville, South Carolina) is an American orthopaedic surgeon, medical device inventor, former world-class swimmer and recovered quadriplegic.