Philippe Rigoard
Philippe Rigoard is a French neurosurgeon and academic. He is Professor of Neurosurgery at the University of Poitiers and Chair of the Department Of Spine Surgery and Neuromodulation at Poitiers University Hospital in France. His academic and clinical work focuses on spine surgery, neuromodulation, and biomedical innovation, with extensive contributions in anatomy, pain management, and surgical research.
Education
Rigoard studied anatomy and morphology at the National Art Institute, Beaux-Arts, in Paris. He subsequently pursued medical studies, earning his MD from the Faculty of Medicine in Poitiers. He completed his postgraduate specialization in spine surgery and a fellowship in functional neurosurgery.
Rigoard undertook a PhD in Sciences between 2002 and 2007 at La Pitié-Salpêtrière Spinal Cord and Brain Institute (ICM), Paris, and École Normale Supérieure, Lyon. His research focused on morpho-functional characterization of the neuromuscular junction. He also completed several university diplomas in specialized areas, including neuromuscular diseases, epileptology, pain management, microsurgical techniques, surgical robotics, and medical education.
Career
Rigoard is Chair of the Department of Spine Surgery and Neuromodulation at Poitiers University Hospital and is a Professor at the University of Poitiers. He is affiliated with the Human Morphology Institute as an anatomy conference reader and conducts research at the Pprime CNRS (Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique). He is also Director of PRISMATICS Lab (Predictive Research in Spine/Neuromodulation Management and Thoracic Innovation/Cardiac Surgery) in Poitiers. He worked as an Honorary Consultant in the pain clinic at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust in London.
His areas of research include neuromodulation, spine biomechanics, and quantitative pain assessment. He has collaborated with several international researchers, including Krishna Kumar (University of Saskatchewan), Line Jacques (UCSF), Richard North (Johns Hopkins University), Adnan Al-Kaisy (London), Kliment Gatzinsky (Göteborg), Maarten Moens (VUB), Sam Eldabe (Leeds), Rod Taylor (Exeter), and Konstantin Slavin (UIC). He is recognized as one of the world's leading experts in neuromodulation. His main research focus is dedicated to translational and applied research for emerging technologies, from innovative concepts to international clinical trials. Acting as a strong believer/advocate of interdisciplinarity. Rigoard’s work involves the development of computerized tools for multidimensional pain assessment and artificial intelligence applications in predictive medicine and treatment planning.
He is a reviewer for journals such as Neuromodulation and the Journal of Clinical Medicine. He holds memberships in multiple professional associations, including the International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP), International Neuromodulation Society (INS), European Association of Neurosurgeons, and the North American Society of Spine Surgery. He was elected to the French National Academy of Surgery. He played a key role in reviving the French chapter of the International Neuromodulation Society (Société Française de NeuroModulation, SFNM) and served as its president.
Selected publication
Rigoard has authored over 170 articles indexed in PubMed and holds an H-index greater than 35, with more than 84 publications having at least 10 citations (Google Scholar, i10-index). He has contributed to multiple book chapters and served as editor of the Atlas of Anatomy of the Peripheral Nerves, published by Springer, which includes content on contemporary neuromodulation techniques.