ENUVAL
Connect. Teach. Pursue. Empower.
Our Mission
A new way to pursue spine care.
Enuval aims to improve spine care by empowering those who know it best: the patients. Our mission is to revolutionize spine health by involving those who live with these daily challenges. We believe that firsthand experience is invaluable in driving research and innovation. By harnessing the insights and experiences of the spine-affected community, we strive to research and develop solutions that enhance the effectiveness, accessibility, and affordability of spine care worldwide.
Projects
Implant Access:
Overcoming Barriers in Spinal
Surgery
What barriers prevent patients from accessing implants for spine surgeries?
Our inaugural project explores the particular challenges faced by individuals worldwide, especially in low and middle-income countries where patients often have to purchase their own surgery implants, such as rods and screws. The issue is compounded by the scarcity of reliable information about implant quality, leading patients to opt for more affordable, yet potentially inferior, options. This can result in the early failure of implants, causing additional health issues like numbness, weakness, or even surgery failure.
Our preliminary research reveals that one-third of patients in South America are required to buy their surgical instruments themselves. This situation prompts us to question the global accessibility landscape for those needing spinal surgeries and work towards solutions ensuring everyone has access to safe and effective spine care.
Real-World Perspectives
Prioritizing the involvement of women, who are disproportionately affected by spine conditions like scoliosis, in spine research and training.
Our Story
Enuval's journey began in April 2016 when spine surgeon Sariah Khormaee MD, PhD, and model Martha Hunt crossed paths on Capitol Hill, advocating for NIH funding. Bonding over their mutual dedication to spine health research and advancements, their friendship quickly evolved into a powerful collaboration. Fast forward four years, and their shared vision culminated in the establishment of Enuval. This initiative symbolizes their commitment to elevating spine care universally, and addresses the underrepresentation of women, who comprise less than 5% of spine surgeons and are a minority in spine research. Enuval's mission is twofold: to empower individuals with scoliosis through education and research skills and to drive projects that enhance participants’ knowledge and global equality in spine care.
Link Science to Improved Health
Encourage engagement of the public around research development and enrich the understanding of how science happens through directly linking science to improved health. This includes a special focus on young women who are most often affected by scoliosis.
Sustainable Solutions
Support investigations that seek to make sophisticated technologies in a low-cost, sustainable manner to better extend diagnosis, early prevention, and treatment of spinal disorders. Evaluate existing treatments in the context of cost and effectiveness in a transparent, independent, and rigorous manner.
Better Spine Care For All
Work towards an improved understanding of the healthy spine, with a particular focus on soft tissue supporting structures, and the role of motion preservation in improved treatments.
Engage the Public
Engage the public at every stage through inspiration and improved access to those who care for them, with a focus on young women and scoliosis. Encourage women to become both clinicians and researchers focused on spine health.
Fulfilling Partnerships
Collaborate with and support investigators in low-resource regions to encourage sustainable and fulfilling partnerships to achieve the above goals, while building on their unique perspectives.
Open Access
Make information open access to the public. Provide access to high-quality information regarding one's own spine health. Share unbiased transparent data to better help inform both patients and doctors worldwide.
Representation
Bringing awareness to the scoliosis community through visibility in fashion.
GALVAN X Martha Hunt Capsule
“At the heart of the Pre-Fall ’22 Collection is a design collaboration with supermodel Martha Hunt, whose life and career have been shaped by scoliosis. Through her determination, advocacy, and resilience, she turned her reality into something positive and inspirational. Martha’s success in the fashion world is a testament to her physical and mental strength.”
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