Hospital for Special Surgery

"Being a PA means being a part of an interdisciplinary team to provide quality care to patients. We conduct physical exams, diagnose and treat illnesses, and order and interpret diagnostic tests. Additionally, we counsel patients on preventative health care, assist in surgery, and write prescriptions. Our training equips us to work in a range of specialties and surgical practices making us incredibly flexible team members. I started my career at HSS about 10 years ago where I began working as an office clerk, then medical secretary and subsequently, surgical coordinator at Dr. Mathias Bostrom’s office. Under his mentorship and after shadowing his private PA, I quickly realized that I was fascinated by the intricacies of the human body and that medicine was my passion. I then decided to enroll back into school to begin my journey to becoming a PA. Shortly after graduating from PA school, I was given the amazing opportunity to return to HSS as Dr. Bostrom’s private PA. As an arthroplasty orthopedic surgery PA at HSS, I am committed to providing the highest quality of care to all my patients, improving their mobility, showing compassion to patients, and constantly educating myself on new evidence-based medicine that can be utilized peri-operatively. What I love most about being a PA at HSS is the continuity of care that is established with my patients. I see patients for their initial consultations, first assist in their primary and complex joint replacement surgeries, and then am finally able to see their post-operative recovery. This continuity of care makes being a PA an invaluable experience. I see patients go from a debilitated state pre-operatively to then a few months later witnessing them regain a sense of self, independence, and pain free living. Every day I come into work excited and motivated to learn. My patients continue to humble me and teach me how to become a better provider and overall person. I am honored and privileged to be a PA at HSS and am grateful for the opportunities that were provided to me to advance my professional career from when I started at HSS just 10 years ago." - Kimberly Morales, MHS, PA-C #PAWeek

Recently, the HSS Performing Arts Medicine Collaborative held its annual Wellness Day for the Performing Artist. During the free event which took place at HSS Midtown and HSS Florida, dancers and musicians took part in specialized health screenings, educational lectures, networking, and community building with performing arts medicine specialists. Special thanks to our HSS performing arts specialists, PM&R fellows in NYC, PM&R residents from the University of Miami, volunteers from Miami Dance Hub, medical students, and volunteers for guiding 60 participants towards optimal success for best performance!

In this episode of the Move Better Podcast presented by HSS, Shevaun Doyle, MD (pediatric orthopedic surgeon) is joined by Peter Fabricant, MD, MPH (pediatric orthopedic surgeon) and Daniel W. Green, MD, MS, FAAP, FACS (Chief of the Pediatric Orthopedic Service). Together, they discuss why ACL tears are happening more often in young athletes, what parents should know about the injury and choosing a surgeon, and how quickly kids can return to sports. They also share why choosing a specialty hospital can make a big difference in a child’s outcome. Listen here: https://lnkd.in/egKFZw_G

For the second consecutive year, HSS and Macaulay Honors College at The City University of New York (CUNY) partnered to cultivate biomedical research leaders of tomorrow. This summer program provided undergraduate students with an immersive experience in biomedical research and access to the laboratories of the HSS Research Institute and clinical research spaces through the HSS main campus. Participating faculty included Theresa Lu, MD, PhD, Program Co-Director, Alexandra Sideris, PhD, Celeste Abjornson, PhD, Tim Niewold, MD, Kyung Park-Min, PhD, and Amit Lakhanpal, MD. Scholars participated and worked with their mentors and lab members on a focused research project. The goals were for them to understand their project, understand how research works, and to work on developing research skills in terms of both thinking and doing while working on a project. HSS Research Institute WCM Graduate Students Baila Sokolsky, PhD Candidate, and Michael Mazzucco, MD, PhD Candidate, worked together with Lorien Shakib, PhD to organize the networking and working sessions for the Scholars as well. Our HSS Trainees’ involvement in mentoring and supporting the visiting students’ experience at HSS was an invaluable component of the summer. HSS remains committed to fostering lasting connections with these gifted scholars and they look forward to witnessing their development as scientists. The next Macaulay Scholars Summer Research Program is slated to resume in Summer 2025. Prospective scholars and faculty are encouraged to reach out to Nicole Seate-Martin, Administrator, for more information at seatemartinn@hss.edu. 

HSS and Stamford Health, today announced the opening of HSS Orthopedics with Stamford Health – Westport. The nearly 10,000-square-foot new regional outpatient center (OPC)in Westport, Connecticut, expands the Fairfield County footprint of the HSS and Stamford Health collaboration, established in 2016. “We’re really excited to build on the commitment we’ve made alongside Stamford Health to enhance orthopedic care options to the residents of Westport and surrounding areas,” said Samuel A. Taylor, MD, sports medicine surgeon and medical director of the OPC. “Patients now have increased access to world-class orthopedic care across a broad range of services.” The new facility features seven provider offices, 12 exam rooms, and two x-ray suites with services provided by Stamford Health Radiology. Highly specialized physicians and staff will offer care in hand and upper extremities, joint replacement, physiatry, spine, and sports medicine (surgical and non-surgical). Later this fall, the foot and ankle service will be available. “Westport has proven to be a terrific community in which to share our unparalleled expertise in musculoskeletal health,” says Bryan T. Kelly, MD, MBA, president and CEO of HSS. “We’re eager to expand our offerings in the Fairfield County community in partnership with Stamford Health and as part of HSS’s wider growth plan across the entire tri-state region.” https://lnkd.in/eax_Eiwa

Today, we proudly celebrate International Translation and Interpretation Day, a testament to our commitment to being one and speaking your language. Patients from 80 countries and all 50 states travel to HSS for musculoskeletal care. At HSS, we protect the art of interpretation and translation by celebrating our creativity, longevity and unity. We are proud of HSS medical interpreters. Language should never be an obstacle, especially in the context of healthcare. We honor the gifted professionals who maintain the dialogue when two or more cultures collide.

In this episode of the Move Better Podcast presented by HSS, David W. Altchek, MD is joined by fellow sports medicine surgeons Thomas L. Wickiewicz, MD and Moira M. McCarthy, MD. Together, they discuss what goes into choosing the best type of graft for each patient, as well as the role of donor grafts. They also explain recovery times after ACL reconstruction surgery and when to expect getting back to playing sports. Listen here: https://lnkd.in/dvBkk_nm

In celebration of National Research Administrator Day, we recognize the daily contributions of our exceptional laboratory, translational and clinical research managers and administrators! Our research professionals work behind the scenes side by side with our clinician investigators and scientists to help advance our global impact and patient care. We thank our administrators who provide value throughout our research enterprise from the clinical services and departments to the central administration.

“I started at HSS in 2007 and have been working in the OR for 17 years. I was inspired by a friend who became a surgical technologist. He told me that with my calm demeanor, attention to detail, and vast knowledge of anatomy, I would be a great surgical technician. One of the most important skills a surgical technologist should have would be knowledge of the anatomy. It helps me when I teach STs, RNs, med students, PAs, residents, fellows, and visitors. I assist with total joint replacement procedures. I position, prep, and drape patients, help with instrumentation, and physically assist joint attendings with retracting and moving joints, among my many OR duties. HSS is the Holy Grail for any orthopedic surgical technologist who feels like they want to be the best in their profession.” - Oneil Smith, CST Second Assist, 4th Floor OR #NSTW2024

HSS Southampton was excited to hold its first community education event at the beautiful LongHouse Reserve in East Hampton. “Movement is Medicine” included a lecture by Jordan D. Metzl, MD, primary sports medicine physician, as well as a Yoga class with instructor Holly Corey.