Current Environment: Production

Medical Services

Specialties

Programs & Services

Languages

  • English

Education

Undergraduate School

Northwestern University

1996, Evanston, IL

Medical School

University of Michigan Medical School

2000, Ann Arbor, MI

Residency

Orthopedic Surgery

Harvard Combined Orthopedic Residency Program

2005, Boston, MA

Fellowship

Pediatric Orthopedic Surgery

Boston Children's Hospital

2006, Boston, MA

Certifications

  • American Board of Orthopedic Surgery (General)

Professional History

Dr. Samantha Spencer has been a pediatric orthopedic surgeon on staff at Boston Children’s Hospital since August, 2006. She treats patients from birth to adult for a wide range of congenital and traumatic conditions, both surgically and non-surgically. Her particular interests include lower extremity disorders such as clubfeet and congenital limb differences, osteogenesis imperfecta and other bone dysplasias as well as vascular anomalies.

Dr. Spencer works with our multidisciplinary programs in Osteogenesis Imperfecta, Ehlers Danlos, and extensively with the Vascular Anomalies Center. Her clinical research focuses on congenital lower extremity, bone dysplasias and vascular anomalies. She also participates in the Lower Extremity Team research group meetings and projects.

Publications

  1. Radiographic Measurements of Pes Planovalgus Do Not Predict Clinical Outcomes in Tarsal Coalition Excision. J Pediatr Orthop. 2025 Mar 01; 45(3):e274-e279. View Abstract

  2. Hazard of Failed Nonoperative Management for Symptomatic Accessory Navicular in Children and Adolescents: A Population-Based Case-Cohort Study. J Pediatr Orthop. 2024 Oct 01; 44(9):e809-e815. View Abstract

  3. Polyomavirus Wakes Up and Chooses Neurovirulence. Viruses. 2023 10 18; 15(10). View Abstract

  4. Lysophosphatidic acid signaling via LPA6 : A negative modulator of developmental oligodendrocyte maturation. J Neurochem. 2022 12; 163(6):478-499. View Abstract

  5. Prospective Evaluation of Tarsal Coalition Excision Show Significant Improvements in Pain and Function. J Pediatr Orthop. 2021 Oct 01; 41(9):e828-e832. View Abstract

  6. Surgical Treatment of Solitary Periarticular Osteochondromas About the Knee in Pediatric and Adolescent Patients: Complications and Functional Outcomes. J Bone Joint Surg Am. 2021 07 21; 103(14):1276-1283. View Abstract

  7. Best practice guidelines in managing the craniofacial aspects of skeletal dysplasia. Orphanet J Rare Dis. 2021 01 14; 16(1):31. View Abstract

  8. The MITF paralog tfec is required in neural crest development for fate specification of the iridophore lineage from a multipotent pigment cell progenitor. PLoS One. 2021; 16(1):e0244794. View Abstract

  9. Classification of lower extremity venous malformations and risk of knee involvement: A retrospective cohort study. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2021 12; 85(6):1480-1485. View Abstract

  10. College of American Pathologists Cancer Protocols: From Optimizing Cancer Patient Care to Facilitating Interoperable Reporting and Downstream Data Use. JCO Clin Cancer Inform. 2021 01; 5:47-55. View Abstract

  11. Epiphysiodesis for Leg Length Discrepancy: A Cost Analysis of Drill Versus Screw Technique. J Surg Orthop Adv. 2021; 30(3):181-184. View Abstract

  12. Orthopedic issues in vascular anomalies. Semin Pediatr Surg. 2020 Oct; 29(5):150973. View Abstract

  13. Mitf-family transcription factor function is required within cranial neural crest cells to promote choroid fissure closure. Development. 2020 07 13; 147(21). View Abstract

  14. Best practice guidelines for management of spinal disorders in skeletal dysplasia. Orphanet J Rare Dis. 2020 06 24; 15(1):161. View Abstract

  15. Surgical Management of Fibroadipose Vascular Anomaly of the Lower Extremities. J Pediatr Orthop. 2020 Mar; 40(3):e227-e236. View Abstract

  16. Sodium-Calcium Exchangers of the SLC8 Family in Oligodendrocytes: Functional Properties in Health and Disease. Neurochem Res. 2020 Jun; 45(6):1287-1297. View Abstract

  17. Fibroadipose Vascular Anomaly in the Upper Extremity: A Distinct Entity With Characteristic Clinical, Radiological, and Histopathological Findings. J Hand Surg Am. 2020 Jan; 45(1):68.e1-68.e13. View Abstract

  18. Pulmonary thromboembolic events in patients with congenital lipomatous overgrowth, vascular malformations, epidermal nevi, and spinal/skeletal abnormalities and Klippel-Trénaunay syndrome. J Vasc Surg Venous Lymphat Disord. 2018 07; 6(4):511-516. View Abstract

  19. Preoperative Embolization of Venous Malformations Using n-Butyl Cyanoacrylate. Vasc Endovascular Surg. 2018 May; 52(4):269-274. View Abstract

  20. Subtalar Coalitions: Does the Morphology of the Subtalar Joint Involvement Influence Outcomes After Coalition Excision? J Foot Ankle Surg. 2017 Jul - Aug; 56(4):797-801. View Abstract

  21. Uniplanar Versus Taylor Spatial Frame External Fixation For Pediatric Diaphyseal Tibia Fractures: A Comparison of Cost and Complications. J Pediatr Orthop. 2016 Dec; 36(8):821-828. View Abstract

  22. Musculoskeletal Conditions in a Pediatric Population with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. J Pediatr. 2017 02; 181:261-266. View Abstract

  23. Treatment dilemma in multiple metatarsal fractures: when to operate? J Pediatr Orthop B. 2016 Jul; 25(4):354-60. View Abstract

  24. Treatment outcomes after insufficiency femoral diaphyseal fractures in nonambulatory children. J Pediatr Orthop B. 2016 Jul; 25(4):331-7. View Abstract

  25. Cryoablation in fibro-adipose vascular anomaly (FAVA): a minimally invasive treatment option. Pediatr Radiol. 2016 Jul; 46(8):1179-86. View Abstract

  26. Response: "Best practices in the evaluation and treatment of foramen magnum stenosis in achondroplasia during infancy" and "Is there a correlation between sleep disordered breathing and foramen magnum stenosis in children with achondroplasia?". Am J Med Genet A. 2016 Apr; 170A(4):1101-3. View Abstract

  27. Surgical Treatment of Spinal Deformity in Patients With CLOVES Syndrome: A Report of 4 Cases. J Pediatr Orthop. 2015 Oct-Nov; 35(7):682-6. View Abstract

  28. Best practices in the evaluation and treatment of foramen magnum stenosis in achondroplasia during infancy. Am J Med Genet A. 2016 Jan; 170A(1):42-51. View Abstract

  29. Patient-reported Outcomes of Tarsal Coalitions Treated With Surgical Excision. J Pediatr Orthop. 2015 Sep; 35(6):583-8. View Abstract

  30. Likelihood of surgery in isolated pediatric fifth metatarsal fractures. J Pediatr Orthop. 2015 Apr-May; 35(3):296-302. View Abstract

  31. Lymphatic and other vascular malformative/overgrowth disorders are caused by somatic mutations in PIK3CA. J Pediatr. 2015 Apr; 166(4):1048-54.e1-5. View Abstract

  32. Cancer biomarkers: the role of structured data reporting. Arch Pathol Lab Med. 2015 May; 139(5):587-93. View Abstract

  33. Complications after modified Dunn osteotomy for the treatment of adolescent slipped capital femoral epiphysis. J Pediatr Orthop. 2014 Oct-Nov; 34(7):661-7. View Abstract

  34. Satisfactory patient-based outcomes after surgical treatment for idiopathic clubfoot: includes surgeon's individualized technique. J Pediatr Orthop. 2014 Sep; 34(6):631-8. View Abstract

  35. Orthopedic issues in vascular anomalies. Semin Pediatr Surg. 2014 Aug; 23(4):227-32. View Abstract

  36. Fibro-adipose vascular anomaly: clinical-radiologic-pathologic features of a newly delineated disorder of the extremity. J Pediatr Orthop. 2014 Jan; 34(1):109-17. View Abstract

  37. Prospective evaluation of a prenatal sonographic clubfoot classification system. Fetal Diagn Ther. 2013; 34(4):236-40. View Abstract

  38. Introducing new College of American Pathologists reporting templates for cancer biomarkers. Arch Pathol Lab Med. 2014 Feb; 138(2):157-8. View Abstract

  39. Proximal tibial osteotomy and Taylor Spatial Frame application for correction of tibia vara in morbidly obese adolescents. J Pediatr Orthop. 2013 Apr-May; 33(3):276-81. View Abstract

  40. Painful pes planovalgus: an uncommon pediatric orthopedic presentation of Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease. J Pediatr Orthop B. 2012 Sep; 21(5):428-33. View Abstract

  41. Somatic mosaic activating mutations in PIK3CA cause CLOVES syndrome. Am J Hum Genet. 2012 Jun 08; 90(6):1108-15. View Abstract

  42. Primary lyme arthritis of the pediatric hip. J Pediatr Orthop. 2011 Oct-Nov; 31(7):787-90. View Abstract

  43. Misdiagnosis of knee venous malformation as juvenile idiopathic arthritis. J Pediatr Orthop. 2011 Sep; 31(6):683-90. View Abstract

  44. Complications of talus fractures in children. J Pediatr Orthop. 2010 Dec; 30(8):779-84. View Abstract

  45. Prenatally diagnosed clubfeet: comparing ultrasonographic severity with objective clinical outcomes. J Pediatr Orthop. 2010 Sep; 30(6):606-11. View Abstract

  46. Capital realignment for moderate and severe SCFE using a modified Dunn procedure. Clin Orthop Relat Res. 2009 Mar; 467(3):704-16. View Abstract

  47. Surgical dislocation in the management of pediatric and adolescent hip deformity. Clin Orthop Relat Res. 2009 Mar; 467(3):724-31. View Abstract

  48. Early results of treatment of hip impingement syndrome in slipped capital femoral epiphysis and pistol grip deformity of the femoral head-neck junction using the surgical dislocation technique. J Pediatr Orthop. 2006 May-Jun; 26(3):281-5. View Abstract

Outside of Boston Children’s Hospital, I provide community outreach and teaching at a national level through the following condition specific patient organizations:

Little People of America (participation in the yearly national meetings with invited talks and meetings with their medical advisory board);
Osteogenesis Imperfecta Foundation (participation in Walk for OI yearly fundraiser event as medical expert, participation in scientific invited meeting);
CLOVES Foundation (on medical advisory board).

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