First person
About Dr. Rogers
One of my best friends recently described me as “forward-thinking, passionate about making a positive impact on humanity.” He is considered an expert on Precision Oxygen Therapeutics, Brain and Spine Diagnostics, Robotic Orthopedics, and the use of technology to advance the human condition.
Roots in the Appalachian Mountains
I was born and raised by two loving parents, Jack and Bridget Rogers, in a remote area of the United States known as the Appalachian Mountains. My first dominant adult influence was that of my Native American grandmother.
From the tribe known as Crowatan, she was a midwife and herbologist. Her role was that of a healer and teacher for those around her. She and my grandfather rode through the mountains of North Carolina helping women give birth in a way that both woman and child could survive that initial great journey. I give her credit for being my first most knowledgeable and capable human role model. She taught me the superpowers of unconditional love, tolerance, kindness, the always-calm mind, a cool head with a warm smile, and robust laughter.
Mechanics, mentors, and the connection between math and humans
At the age of six, my grandfather and second influential role model gave me a mini‑bike, and right away I began calculating how to develop better mechanical systems. I soon graduated into building and racing motocross dirt bikes, then went on to building and racing muscle cars and a variety of racing cars with competitive dragster metrics.
Once in high school, my teacher David Lewis — who taught precision engine building, my greatest passion — was also the environmental science instructor for my high school. I give David Lewis full credit for taking a young boy who loved fast engines and helping him connect the dots of math and science. Mr. Lewis was the first man to show me that by mastering math and science I could go beyond a racetrack to also influence my physical environment positively, and even the humans that inhabit Earth.
He taught me to respect and understand the delicate balance within our environment and the connectivity between the well-being of our many ecosystems and healthy human life. He gave me love, compassion, and discipline, and taught me to have respect and attention to the fine details. Mr. Lewis instilled in me the confidence that I could build anything I could imagine.
From the mountains to medicine
At age 17 I left my beautiful mountain homeland to go explore the world. At age 18 I returned home and began my pre-med, physics, chemistry, and other studies at East Tennessee State University in Johnson City, TN.
In my early 20s I moved to Atlanta, GA, and while attending a spine and neurology summit, I met my next most significant mentor and life-course influencer, Dr. Vernon Pierce. The quick story is that Dr. Pierce was the first to use an electromechanical robot to correct joint and spinal dysfunction of the human neck. He was also the first to study the human under what's known as video X-ray in the diagnosis, pre- and post-positive change verification process after treatment with his electromechanical robot.
I studied by his side and under his tutelage for four years as I completed my doctorate as a D.C. At that moment this spinal robotic technology was only available in the Doctor of Chiropractic D.C. institutions.
Standing on the shoulders of a mentor
During this time, Dr. Pierce and I had an endearing conversation about how one day I would stand on his shoulders and take this technology to a new level. After being graduated for only a few months and beginning to plan how I would continue to research alongside Dr. Pierce, I got that terrible call.
My dear friend, mentor, and the man who was in many ways my second father, suffered an unexpected and immediately fatal heart attack at age 65 while in his office treating patients. I was not yet ready to stand solo on the shoulders of Dr. Pierce and carry forward his research — we were both so very young in our life journeys. A short time later the reality set in that he was gone, and I began to take responsibility for the science he had initially innovated.
Spinal Orthopedic Robotics today
What began as one single first-stage, single-thrust electromechanical robot — mapped out to be used on, at most, 8 spinal bones of the neck — has evolved. The system I have taken forward is now a multiple-robotic system, integrated so that they are all firing simultaneously in a variety of mathematical vectors based on precision spinal mapping. The system is now utilized on over 120 joints of the human skeleton, including the pelvis.
The system's nickname is “Orthodontics for the Spine” because of our ability to completely reorient and re-engineer the geospatial position and function of over 120 spinal segments, much in the way that a modern orthodontist would perfectly position all upper and lower teeth.
The technical name is Spinal Orthopedic Robotics. I know that Dr. Pierce is happy and proud of where his initial research has gone, and of what patient outcomes we can currently produce.