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Dr. Robert Talac discusses a spine condition with Delena Ewing.

Going from pursuing a career in professional hockey in Slovakia to being a spinal surgeon in Jackson, Tennessee, may seem like quite a change in plans. Add in, that along the way, he was an oncology surgeon, and it is easy to see that Robert Talac, MD, has an interesting story. The current chapter in the story involves his being a spinal surgeon in West Tennessee who puts the focus of his practice on patient care, just as he was trained to do.

Ice hockey is a popular sport in Slovakia. Growing up, Talac spent his time either on the ice or in school. The former was to satisfy his dream of being a professional hockey player, the latter was a requirement of his educator parents. Fortunately, both came easily to Talac, who after high school had plans to pursue his dream by playing on a junior hockey team. “I always had good grades and never struggled in school, but I really had no plans to attend college,” said Talac. “People had told me I was a good hockey player; I loved the sport and just wanted that to be my career.”

At 17, Talac watched as one of his friends was slammed against the wall during a hockey game, a regular event in the sport. Unfortunately, the blow was severe enough to break his friend’s neck. Four months later his friend died from those injuries. It was a wake-up call to Talac, who realized that in hockey, he was one “hit” away from retirement. “My mother was always nagging me to get more education and constantly reminded me that playing hockey usually had a short life span,” said Talac.

Talac decided to change his career path after talking with one of his teammates who was a doctor. “I will never forget the impact it had on me when the doctor put the halo on my friend,” said Talac. “Talking with my teammate who was a physician, I realized that being a doctor was a good profession. When I entered medical school, I wanted to be a spine surgeon.”

In 1992, Talac received his medical degree from the Medical School of Masaryk University in Brno, Czech Republic. Four months after he finished medical school, the Czech Republic split. Talac’s post medical school training was left in limbo, so he returned home to Slovakia. As the Czech Republic worked on its political future, Talac was trained in surgical oncology, received board certification in general surgery from the Czech and Slovak Republic, and received a PhD in biophysics from the Medical School of Masaryk.

In 1999, Talac went to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, for two months to visit the clinic’s general surgery program. One month after returning home, he was offered a one-year position with a clinical trial program at Mayo. He has been in the United States ever since.

Although Talac had let go of his desire to be a professional hockey player, he still longed to be a spine surgeon. In 2003, Talac headed across the country to enter the orthopedic surgery residency program at the University of California, San Diego. He then completed a one-year fellowship at the Cleveland Clinic Spine Institute in Cleveland, Ohio.



“Although it took me 16 years, I finally got back to what I started out to do when I entered medicine,” said Talac. “I like to think I have had two lives, my first was in the Czech Republic and the second in the United States.”

In 2009, Talac finished his fellowship and was heavily recruited. He received several offers from clinics and hospitals, but the offer from Jackson, Tennessee, stood out above the others. “I had been traveling around looking at opportunities, and each time I would arrive, the recruiter would spend time showing me the golf courses and country clubs I could join,” said Talac.

“When I arrived in Jackson, they were all about the patients here that could not get spine care in the area and how they needed a spine surgeon. It was exactly what I wanted to hear. Having spent four years at the Mayo Clinic, I had been what I call ‘mayo-nized.’ It is the philosophy at Mayo that patient needs always come first, and to work there you either adopt and internalize it, or you do not stay long. Even after leaving Mayo, that philosophy is at the forefront of how I practice.”

When Talac arrived in Jackson, he found what the recruiters told him to be true; there was a tremendous need for his services. Although he had initially joined a hospital-owned practice, he realized that in the spirit of collaboration and to have the ability to serve anyone in need without regard for competing entities, he needed to have his own clinic. “There was no other orthopedic spine surgeon in town, not to mention anywhere in the area from Memphis to Nashville and Kentucky to Mississippi,” said Talac. “I wanted to be able to work with every doctor and patient that needed the help a spine surgeon can provide.”

In December 2010, Talac opened the Advanced Spine Institute, a clinic that concentrates only on spine care and that is organized with patient needs at the forefront. Talac, who performs surgery three days a week, has built into his practice model the ability to see patients within 24 hours. His team, which includes two registered nurses, are all trained in spine care treatment. In the short time the clinic has been open, Talac has watched his patient load triple, seeing more than 100 patients a week. He treats patients from Tennessee and surrounding states.

Since he is still actively involved in research projects and technology development, he is able to provide patients with state-of-the art technology. “I work with some of the leaders in spine care technology in developing new equipment,” said Talac. “My participation in several research initiatives allows me to often times get my hands on the newest technology available even before it hits the market.”

Talac and his family, wife Livia, who is a registered nurse and helps at the clinic, sons Phillip, 16, and Eric, 11, are finding life in Jackson to be a perfect match for a busy physician practice. “We really like Jackson and find ourselves melting into the culture,” said Talac. “I am even working on my accent a bit. We love the size of the community and the people. We have felt so welcomed ever since we arrived.”

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