Dr. David W. Polly Jr. ’79 has been selected to receive the Scoliosis Research Society’s (SRS) 2026 Lifetime Achievement Award, recognizing his distinguished service to the organization and significant contributions to the field of spinal deformity care. The award was announced during the SRS’s 61st Annual Meeting in Sydney, Australia.
Dr. Polly was Airborne, Ranger and Pathfinder qualified and served two years in the Army Corps of Engineers. He continued his military career through medical school at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences and subsequent medical training at Walter Reed Army Medical Center and the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research. He later returned to Walter Reed as Chief of Spine Surgery, helping establish the Army’s first combined orthopedic and neurosurgery spine service. He ultimately served as Chair of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Rehabilitation before retiring from the Army in 2003.
Following his military service, Dr. Polly returned to the University of Minnesota, where he served as Chief of Spine Surgery until his retirement from clinical practice in 2025. Throughout his career, he has become a leading researcher, educator and innovator in spinal deformity treatment, authoring more than 350 publications. His contributions to the SRS include service on numerous committees, its board of directors, as secretary, and as president from 2015 to 2016. Although retired from clinical practice, he remains active in spinal research and surgical education, continuing a lifelong commitment to advancing patient care and developing the next generation of medical professionals.
