Clinical activity
The Orthopaedic Trauma section within the UT Southwestern Department of Orthopaedic Surgery has four full-time, board-certified faculty members who provide comprehensive care to patients presenting in the emergency room at Parkland Memorial Hospital, which has the busiest ER in North America by patient visits. Led by Section Chief Adam J. Starr, M.D., the team’s other members are Drew Sanders, M.D.; Ashoke Sathy, M.D.; and Ishvinder Grewal, M.D., the latter joining the UTSW faculty this year as an Assistant Professor. The section continues to provide care to emergent patients presenting general orthopaedic traumas. Providing patient care in the Parkland Emergency Department gives the faculty, residents, and students outstanding opportunities to evaluate and treat high-level, complex trauma patients. Additionally, the department has continued to benefit from a generous gift from the Hansjörg Wyss Medical Foundation, which will greatly impact orthopaedic trauma in the clinical, research, and education spaces for years to come.
Scholarly activity
The Orthopaedic Trauma section continues to embark on scholarly activities focused on general and geriatric orthopaedic traumas. Drs. Starr, Sathy, Sanders, and Grewal have continued to work on studies in collaboration with the residents. The section participated in a collaborative study on elbow joint stabilization, completed studies on pelvic and screw fixation, and evaluated a real- time orthopaedic trauma patient index. Many of the section’s studies this year were published as a faculty-resident group. Also, Drs. Sathy and Sanders were collaborators on a large-scale orthopaedic trauma study that looked at streamlining patient-reported outcomes.
Education
The section leads educational experiences at Parkland Memorial Hospital, which acts as a cornerstone and foundation for residents who are exposed to large volumes of patients and varied cases for their training experience. Currently, Dr. Sanders serves as the Residency Program Director. Another significant educational endeavor is the Orthopaedic Trauma Fellowship offered each academic year. Based at Parkland and led by Dr. Starr, the fellowship provides an opportunity to see firsthand what a Level 1 trauma center is like daily with surgical training, patient care volume, and learning how to function as a member of a trauma team. Since its inception, 18 fellows have successfully completed the program. This year’s fellow was Guy Feldman, M.D. Next year, the program will welcome Simon Tiziani, M.D., as the newest fellow. He completed his residency program at the University Hospital in Zurich, Switzerland, and then did a short surgical rotation in Thurgau, Switzerland, prior to the fellowship.
The Hansjörg Wyss gift has continued to provide annual fellowship support at Parkland, an annual AO fellowship for a senior resident, and many other educational resources for the residents and fellows. This past June, the section hosted the UT Southwestern Hansjörg Wyss Orthopaedic Trauma Symposium in Dallas. The event brought in guest speakers from around the world to discuss the latest in orthopaedic trauma case studies. This biennial symposium will return in 2024. Email Katelyn Martens (katelyn.martens@utsouthwestern.edu) if you would like to be kept up to date with information pertaining to the event.