Today we’d like to introduce you to Dr. Steven J. Cyr.
Hi Dr. Cyr, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstories with our readers?
I was raised in a military family, the child of an American father and a Spanish Filipino mother.
As young kids, we were stationed in Florida, Alabama, and Texas (San Antonio). When I was ten years old, my father was stationed in the Philippines at Clark Air Base.
In the middle of my senior year in high school, my father retired from the military. We then returned to San Antonio where I graduated from East Central High School. I attended (Southwest) Texas State University on a football scholarship to study biology with the goal of attending medical school.
In my third year of college, my father encouraged me to apply to medical school as he felt my grades could result in early acceptance. He was right. I was accepted to my first choice, the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio. Once accepted, I applied for and received the Air Force Health Professions Scholarship.
Upon completing medical school, I began my training in the military. I served two years as a flight surgeon before beginning my orthopedic surgery training at Wilford Hall Medical Center. Upon completing my orthopedic residency, I was selected for a spine fellowship at the Mayo Clinic.
Afterward, I returned to Wilford Hall as the chief of spine surgery and consultant to the Pentagon and the Surgeon General of the Air Force. While on active duty, I served two tours in Iraq as part of Operation Enduring Freedom. I also became a professor of orthopedic surgery and assistant professor of surgery at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences.
My new memoir, Cutthroat, chronicles several chapters of my life, including what made me who I am and what motivated me to become a Mayo Clinic-trained, board-certified physician. I share how being an out-of-the-box thinker while in the military can create problems. My desire to maintain Mayo Clinic standards in my own practice led to the creation of my own private practice.
When I opened my practice, my focus was on providing the very best care for my patients, improving spine surgery results, and running an ethical business. That became very challenging with every snake in the business world of medicine descending upon me. It was clear early on that doctors were targets and had little to no control over how medicine was delivered in America.
But I refused to compromise my patient care or turn my practice into an assembly line despite the pressure. Our practice went through very difficult times both professionally and personally. Luckily, through the strength of my faith and my family, I was able to weather many storms.
I am currently the chief medical officer for SASpine and CYRxMD Cosmetic Surgery.
I have been named a Top Spine and Orthopedic Surgeon by numerous organizations, rated as the Top Doctor in San Antonio by RateMDs, named a Texas Super Doctor, awarded the Castle-Connolly Top Spine Surgeon award multiple years in a row, and recognized nationwide with Patients’ Choice and Compassionate Doctor awards, to name some recognitions.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
It was not a smooth road at all.
After beginning my private practice, despite following the law to the letter, I was descended upon by cutthroat businessmen, jealous colleagues, federal agents, and ambitious lawyers. Their barrage of legal attacks and false claims culminated in being targeted for federal indictment and nearly losing everything, including my good reputation and my home.
My family and I have struggled through many extreme situations. Through God’s grace, the love and intelligence of my wife, LeAnn Cyr, and steadfast faith in doing what’s right, I was able to find the strength to overcome the numerous forces aligned against me.
My goal was always to deliver incredible care to my patients. My focus on this, plus the strength of my family and my faith, has carried me through some of the hardest things a person can go through in business.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
As a previous collegiate athlete, bodybuilder, and surgeon, my unique background enables me to understand the source of muscular and skeletal issues, unlike many other physicians. My experience includes complicated surgery on the spine.
My meticulous nature allows me to safely perform surgeries near the spinal cord and delicate nerves of the spine, as well as the major blood vessels throughout the body. My approach to surgical success is methodical and precise. I have a combined fellowship training in orthopedic and neurosurgery of the spine, allowing me to diagnose the source of pain and identify solutions in a unique way.
When working as a spine surgeon, I realized there was potential for liposuction or abdominoplasty to address medical conditions affecting the stress on the back that leads to increased back pain and surgical failures. In order to provide superb results for those clients, I sought formal cosmetic surgery fellowship training from one of the most respected cosmetic surgeons in America.
This training made me the world’s first fellowship-trained orthopedic and cosmetic surgeon.
My combined cosmetic and orthopedic background has equipped me with a rare knowledge of the musculoskeletal system and understanding of the ideal anatomy (enhanced by my life-long passion for fitness and bodybuilding), enabling me to provide my patients in both practices with extreme attention to detail and the most personalized care possible.
I am also a man of faith and compassion.
Through my practice, I’ve been able to serve thousands of patients as an orthopedic and cosmetic surgeon, but I have also been able to perform service for the greater good of our community, such as partnering with Extreme Makeover: Home Edition to build a home for a wounded warrior, and raising money for charities such as Tee Bone’s Teed Off at Cancer, Hill Country Daily Bread, and the Ferrari Kid, to name a few.
I am incredibly proud to be one of the most experienced and trusted surgeons in San Antonio, but I am also proud to be a servant to our community.
Alright so before we go can you talk to us a bit about how people can work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
Information about my medical practices can be found at www.saspine.com (SASpine) or www.cyrmdcosmeticsurgery.com (CYRxMD Cosmetic Surgery and Skincare).
My first book, written alongside New York Times best-selling author Glenn Plaskin, is Cutthroat: A Surgeon’s Fight against Big Government, Corrupt Businessmen, and a Broken Healthcare System.
It tells my story and provides an insider’s perspective on the battles that doctors fight for their patients, exposing the truth about the complex financial, legal, and regulatory pressures faced by doctors who enter the business world. You can learn more at www.saspine.com or order online at www.cutthroatbook.com.
Pricing:
- CUTTHROAT – $28.00
- Medical Services – Call to book an appointment and learn more.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.saspine.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cyrmd.surgical/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sjcyr
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/saspine
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/SASpine
- Other: https://www.facebook.com/saspine
