Dr. Rooney is a board certified, fellowship trained orthopaedic spine surgeon.
He was an All-Army athlete as a cadet at the United States Military Academy and then attended medical school at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland.
After medical school, he completed his Orthopaedic Surgery training in the Army and a Spine Surgery Fellowship at U.C. San Diego/San Diego Center for Spinal Disorders.
Dr. Rooney has won many awards throughout his career. Among the most note-worthy were that he was separately selected as the Clinical Travelling Fellow by the Scoliosis Research Society, the North American Spine Society and the Cervical Spine Research Society. He is the only surgeon to ever win all three of these awards and is particularly proud that it was bestowed upon him by his spine surgery colleagues.
His accomplishments in the field of Regenerative Medicine and his knowledge of Stem Cell science were recognized by Congress and in 2009 and 2011 he was appointed as a Peer Reviewer for Congressional Directed Medical Research Programs in Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell therapy in Orthopaedics.
He has authored over a dozen research articles, given hundreds of lectures on Spine Surgery and Regenerative Medicine and authored the Spine and Orthopaedic chapters in the definitive textbook on Combat Trauma.
After leaving the Army in 2010, he joined The Polyclinic in downtown Seattle. In Seattle, Dr. Rooney was recognized as a Seattle Superdoctor, Seattle Met Magazine ‘Top Doctor’ selection, and Vitals.com Compassionate Physician Recognition multiple times. At the end of 2012, he left The Polyclinic to enter private practice.
His professional focus is limited to conditions of the spinal column and Regenerative Medicine/Stem Cell therapy. He has been one of the industry leaders in the development of ERAS (Enhanced Recovery After Surgery) principles as they apply to Spine Surgery.