It is my vision that the department will be well situated to become a major force in orthopedic surgery, given the appropriate planning, goal setting, and execution.  Fulfilling this vision entails continuing to provide excellent clinical care, serving as a model for other centers, and to engage in research and the development of new technology to help our patients reach new levels of function and recovery. This vision includes the establishment of research programs that are integrated with clinical care, the development of specialized centers that are structured along a continuum of care to provide seamless service, fine tuned clinical operations which leads to continual improvements and efficiencies and to develop resources to support our academic agenda.   The vision entails “centers of excellence” in areas that represent the core competencies within the Department. These Centers will be heavily invested in outcomes measurement, will be models for collaborative research in emerging technologies, will expand the geographic presence of the Department, and will be viewed as best practice for delivering care in an academic medical center.

     All three of these missions (research, education and clinical care) are intimately related; each mission is only as strong as the weakest one. The success of our entire department can only be achieved by improvements in all three missions. The foundation for this is already in place with an excellent core of clinicians, researchers and a training program for an already clinically busy department. The first two years of my Chairmanship, I have focused on building a strong clinical base as a starting point.   Our clinical base in all orthopedic subspecialties has been successful.  In 2008 we welcomed a Chief of Service for Foot and Ankle, Eric Giza, MD and Chief of Service for Oncology, Robert Tamurian, MD.  We have doubled our Sports Medicine faculty with the additions of James Vanden Bogaerde, MD in 2008 and Cassandra Lee, MD projected to start in September 2009.  We continue to actively recruitment for a hand surgeon.  

     I recognize that by increasing our base, we must have the infrastructure to support the additional work.  This includes increased OR availability, staffing and operating efficiency.  As a result of I have worked with Health System leadership and as of fall 2008 we have an agreement with Mercy San Juan to utilize this facility for some of our elective cases.  This opportunity provides us an avenue to provide more timely patient care while we await the opening of the new UCD Surgery Pavilion slated for 2010. 

     Offering additional subspecialty care has enhanced our trainee programs.  Our residents are now exposed to a tumor and foot rotation that occurs onsite.  Our number of acting interns continues to increase each year as well as our fellowship programs.  For FY10 we are geared to have three trauma fellows which enable each trauma fellow to have a protected research portion to his/her fellowship experience.  We will have our first pediatric orthopaedic fellowship and have requested to start a sports medicine fellowship in FY11.  We continue to successfully recruit for our adult reconstruction, hand, and spine fellowships.  Down the road my vision is to further expand our fellowship offerings to include foot and ankle.

     With our education and clinical bases stable, my energies have shifted to enhancing our research mission.  In May 2009, we welcome Sunny Kim, PhD who will be our department epidemiologist and be charged with developing a clinical outcomes registry.  We are actively recruiting for a biomechanics PhD and a Doris Linn Endowed Chair senior level PhD position. In order to recruit for these positions and enhance our research activities I will continue my discussions with Health System leadership to provide an institutional investment for space, recruitment, and research activities.

     Our trajectory is underway and I am confident we will continue to build upon the foundation in place and achieve our vision of creating Orthopaedic Centers of Excellence.