Here are 10 orthopedic surgeons to know:
Keith Baumgarten, MD. Orthopedic Institute (Sioux Falls, S.D.): Dr. Baumgarten recently became the first surgeon in the state to perform a procedure using a BEAR implant. Other accomplishments include being the first physician in the state elected to the American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons Society and being the first fellowship-trained hip arthroscopy specialist in the state.
Gabriel Dassa, DO. Dassa Orthopedics (New York): Dr. Dassa leads Dassa Orthopedics and its four locations in the state. He has treated several professional artists and athletes and is a physician for the USA Boxing team.
Douglas Dirschl, MD. UChicago Medicine: Dr. Dirschl is currently chair of the department of orthopedic surgery and rehabilitation medicine at UChicago, but he will soon become chair of orthopedics at Houston-based Baylor College of Medicine. He is a past president of the American Orthopaedic Association.
Joseph Gerardi, DO. Valley Children's Hospital (Madera, Calif.): Dr. Gerardi is the medical director of pediatric orthopedic surgery at the hospital. His research has been published in the Journal of Pediatric Orthopaedics and the American Journal of Orthopedics.
Paul Jacob, DO. Oklahoma Joint Reconstruction Institute (Oklahoma City): Dr. Jacob recently became the first orthopedic surgeon in the state to be accredited by the Surgical Review Corporation as a Master Surgeon in joint replacement and robotic joint replacement. He has been published in several peer-reviewed journals and books.
Kirk Johnson, MD. Orthopedic Associates of Lowcountry (Hilton Head, S.C.): Dr. Johnson specializes in total joint replacement surgery. Previously, he served as an associate professor in the orthopedics department at the University of Massachusetts Memorial Health Center in Worcester, where he also served as chief of its total joint replacement center.
Ronald Kristensen, MD. St. Luke's Clinic (Meridian, Idaho): Dr. Kristensen specializes in hip and knee replacements and problems involving the lower extremities. He is a founder of the St. Luke's Joint Center and a fellow of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons.
John Larkin, MD. Beacon Orthopedics & Sports Medicine (Erlanger, Ky.): Dr. Larkin recently completed the world's first operation using smart knee implant Link NKY. He is past president of the Academy of Medicine of Greater Cincinnati and the Cincinnati Orthopaedic Society.
John Meehan, MD. UC Davis Health (Davis, Calif.): Dr. Meehan is credited with helping UC Davis being recognized as a top performing hospital for both hip and knee replacement surgery. He has won several awards during his career, including the 2011 Clinical Practice Award from the Orthopedic Research Education Foundation/Current Concepts in Joint Replacement.
Thorsten Seyler, MD. Duke Health (Morrisville, N.C.): Dr. Seyler specializes in joint replacement and reconstruction. He recently performed the first revision knee replacements using Smith+Nephew's Cori surgical system.