René Castelein, MD, PhD is professor emeritus of orthopedic surgery and professor emeritus of pediatric orthopedics at the University Medical Center Utrecht, former Chair of the Department of Orthopedics and of the Surgical Division at the same institution.
He has, throughout his academic career, focused on the care of complex spine patients, as well as on teaching and research, predominantly in the field of biomechanics, aetiology and pathogenesis of idiopathic scoliosis, and improvement of surgical and non-surgical care of scoliosis patients. He is the co-inventor of two patented dynamic spinal implants for the treatment of early onset scoliosis, the Spring Distraction System, (SDS), and the Double Spring Reduction (DSR) that is meant to finally cure the scoliotic spine in 3D with a temporary implant.
He is co-founder of ‘Cresco Spine’, a start-up company that is working on getting these implants to the market, and of the Dutch Scoliosis Center for multi disciplinary conservative scoliosis treatment. He has been visiting professor and guest lecturer at many international institutions and professional meetings, he was the the Nachemson Presidential Lecturer for the NSDS meeting in Kolding in 2018, the Scoliosis Research Society (SRS) Presidential Guest Speaker and Harrington Lecturer at the SRS 2019 Annual Meeting in Montreal, the invited lecturer to the Foundation Cotrel 25th Anniversary Meeting in Paris in 2025 and the senior fellow to the SRS 2021 Traveling Fellowship.
He has supervised over 30 PhD Thesis and published around 300 peer reviewed papers and book chapters. He is presently the Editor in Chief of Spine Deformity Journal, the official journal of the SRS.