Dr. Weinstein and his co-investigator Lori Dolan, PhD were recognized for a lifetime of clinical research into adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS). Decades of their work culminated in the landmark BrAIST trial, a randomized/preference-cohort study that compared bracing to watchful waiting in 242 patients with AIS. That study found a treatment success rate of 72% in the bracing group, compared with a rate of 48% in the watchful-waiting group. BrAIST delivered Level I evidence that bracing can substantially reduce the risk of curvature progression to the surgical threshold of 50° or greater, and it has already started to change the way pediatric orthopaedists practice.
“Our research….has given patients and parents a solid evidence base upon which to make informed, patient-centered choices,” Dr. Weinstein told AAOS Now recently.