Thinks Works is Surgeon Led and Surgeon Founded
Ryan Murdock
Doctor of Medicine, Master of Science
Founder
Thinks Works’ Founder & CEO, Ryan C. Murdock, MD, MS, is a mechanical engineer that became a pediatric orthopedic spine surgeon, inventor, and entrepreneur.
Dr. Murdock has been taking care of children with scoliosis both operatively and non-operatively since 2011. During this time, he saw how incredibly difficult it is for patients and their families to endure treatment with existing scoliosis braces. In 2016 he decided to change the way we brace children with scoliosis. Since then, he and his team have created a novel brace that they hope will dramatically change the entire treatment process for children with scoliosis and their families. Dr. Murdock has integrated his knowledge as a mechanical engineer and his clinical experience to create a low profile, flexible, modular brace, that will also be able measure the forces applied to the patient.
Dr. Murdock received his B.S in mechanical engineering and M.S. in biomedical engineering from the University of Rochester. He received his M.D. from the University of Pittsburgh, completed his residency in Orthopedic Surgery at the University of Maryland, and completed his fellowship training in pediatric orthopedic surgery at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.
Dr. Murdock has traveled internationally for scoliosis specific medical outreach. He is a board member of SpineHope, a non-profit organization based in Austin, TX that focuses on pediatric scoliosis education and training of medical professionals in regions with expressed need. He has traveled to Costa Rica and Ecuador to perform scoliosis surgery on children and train local surgeons.
Early in his career, Dr. Murdock worked for a biomedical device startup where he provided clinical support and post hoc evaluation of a biomedical device. He has been involved in multiple biomedical research projects. As a partner of his medical practice, Dr. Murdock has helped to grow a multi-physician practice. More recently, Dr. Murdock has helped to evaluate and invest in biomedical startups as a member of Central Texas Angel Network.
Jamie Murdock
Master of Science, Master of Business Administration
Co-Founder, COO
After witnessing how a medical device saved his father’s life, Jamie was inspired to dedicate his professional career to improving the lives of patients suffering from orthopedic disorders. For over 15 years, Jamie has held a variety of leadership roles in the medical device and orthopedic industries. His career includes roles at Abbott, RTI Surgical and Smith and Nephew. Jamie has participated in the commercialization of over 17 new orthopedic products.
At Smith and Nephew, Jamie led the team that developed and then launched a highly disruptive technology. The launch successfully aligned incentives and communication across 2 distinct 600+ person sales teams and supported the capture of 50% market share within 18 months.
At RTI Surgical, Jamie led the Marketing department of the Spine Franchise. From 2013 through 2017 RTI Surgical grew at an industry leading CAGR of 20%, through a mix of innovative product launches, acquisitions and surgeon education programs. The TETRAFuse product portfolio, developed at RTI Surgical, was awarded the Spine Technology Award for new product development by Orthopedics This Week.
Jamie holds a Master of Business Administration from Stanford University, as well as a Master of Science in Biomedical Engineering and Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Worcester, MA
Expert Team
Avery Turner
Avery Turner was diagnosed with scoliosis at 11 years old. She wore a brace for four years and understands the physical and mental toll scoliosis can have, along with the challenges of bracing. Avery helped establish Austin’s first chapter of Curvy Girls support group for scoliosis, which is still active today. She played multiple sports throughout middle school and high school, and later played collegiate tennis at Whittier College, where she obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Kinesiology. She is currently pursuing a Master’s in Medical Science at The University of North Texas Health Science Center. Avery is passionate about helping others through their scoliosis journey.
Paul Sponseller, M.D.
Dr. Paul Sponseller is a pediatric orthopaedic spine surgeon, a professor of orthopaedic surgery at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and an expert in the treatment of Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis.
Kevin Smith
Kevin is a Fractional Chief Product Officer (CPO) with 20+ years of Product Management and Customer Success leadership in both B2C and B2B/Enterprise. Kevin’s career includes Google, Trilogy, and multiple startups, building products and driving innovation via best-fit technology, teams, tools, and processes.
Pete Hill, Industrial Designer