Director of Research

Brian R. Subach, M.D., F.A.C.S.
Spinal Surgeon

College: Kalamazoo College, Kalamazoo, MI
Medical School: University of Michigan School of Medicine, Ann Arbor, MI
Residency: Neurosurgery, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA
Fellowship: Spinal Surgery, Emory Clinic, Atlanta, GA Board Certification: American Board of Neurological Surgery, American Board of Spinal Surgery

Dr. Subach joined the Virginia Spine Institute in 2003 leaving behind his appointment as Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery and Spinal Surgery at Emory University in Atlanta. Dr. Subach is a nationally recognized expert in the treatment of spinal disorders and an active member of the American Association of Neurological Surgery, the Congress of Neurological Surgeons and the North American Spine Society. He is an invited member of the international Lumbar Spine Study Group and a Fellow in the American College of Surgeons. He is the Director of Research for both the Virginia Spine Institute and the non-profit Spinal Research Foundation. He has written 15 book chapters and more than 50 published articles regarding treatment of the spine.

Associate Director of Research

Anne G. Copay, Ph.D. completed her undergraduate studies in Psychology at the Université Catholique de Louvain in Belgium. She obtained a Ph.D. in Business Administration (Organizational Behavior) from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She received a M.S. and a Ph.D. in Kinesiology (Exercise Physiology) from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Dr. Copay has been involved in numerous research projects in the Departments of Business Administration, Kinesiology, and the Police Training Institute at the University of Illinois. Her research areas include organizational structure, worksite health promotion, the evaluation of police officer training, assessment of physical activity, the effect of physical activity on energy expenditure and body weight. Dr. Copay has authored several articles in those areas. She has taught classes in Management, Organizational Behavior, Movement Analysis, Physical Activities, and Human Anatomy for the Departments of Business Administration, Kinesiology, and Cell and Structural Biology at the University of Illinois.

Dr. Copay joined the Spinal Research Foundation after leaving the University of Illinois. She is interested in studying the outcomes of the surgical and non-surgical spinal treatments.

Research Associate

Marcus Martin, Ph.D. completed his undergraduate studies at Morgan State University in Baltimore, Maryland where he majored in Biology. He was then awarded a Fogarty research fellowship position at The Institute of Human Virology in Baltimore, Maryland, where he was trained in Virology and Vaccinology. After this, he accepted research Fellowship at the University of Florida, where he earned his PhD in microbiology with a concentration in Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV) vaccinology.

In his research at the University of Florida he worked with Feline Immunodeficiency Virus as a model for HIV vaccine design. In the laboratory of Dr. J.K. Yamamoto he was part of a team that developed an effective HIV based FIV vaccine providing potential blueprint for a human vaccine. His research also identified key FIV vaccine epitope targets which may enhance the cellular immune response to HIV. He taught classes in microbiology and advanced immunology at the University of Florida.

Dr. Martin joined SRF after leaving the University of Florida and is actively involved in the expansion of the laboratory research performed at SRF. He is interested in neuroregenerative approaches to the treatment of spinal pathologies and neuroimmunological human clinical research.

Research Assistant

Sherry McDaniel completed her undergraduate degree at Virginia Commonwealth University where she received her B.A. in English. Her interest in health care encouraged her to enter the medical support field. She has extensive knowledge of medical services management and data entry and was previously part of a management team which oversaw thousands of patients. She also has experience in the support of spinal manipulative therapy and alternative pain management methods.

Sherry has a strong interest in disc degeneration resulting from the normal aging process, as well as the role of genetics in the progression of spine pathology. She is dedicated to advancing the goals of SRF through promotion of research and education designed to improve spinal health care.