Baylor Medicine Orthopedics and Sports Medicine

05/30/2026

Every year, our Chief Residents have the opportunity to go behind the scenes to learn how the implants we use are designed, manufactured, tested, and quality-checked before reaching our patients.

It’s a valuable experience that helps our residents better understand every aspect of patient care while also providing time to connect outside the hospital. As our chief residents approach graduation, it’s a great chance to reflect on five years of training, friendship, and shared experiences before taking the next steps in their careers.

05/24/2026

Baylor College of Medicine will be closed Monday, May 25, in observance of Memorial Day. We will reopen on Tuesday, May 26.

05/21/2026

Congratulations to our very own Dr. Benjamin Fiedler on receiving the Joint SMA-SSA Lee-Jones Space Physician and Surgeon Award at the 2026 AsMA-UHMS Annual Scientific Meeting in Denver! 🚀

This award is given to a surgical resident whose project proposal best fosters collaboration between the Space Medicine Association and the Space Surgery Association to advance the practice of aerospace medicine.

We could not be more proud of Dr. Fiedler!

05/19/2026

When 29-year-old Cynthia began experiencing debilitating back pain, even the simplest daily activities became unbearable. Referred to Dr. Lorenzo Deveza, Orthopedic Oncologist and Orthopedic Surgeon within the Joseph Barnhart Departmnet of Orthopedic Surgery, she finally found answers. Dr. Deveza identified instability in her spine from a prior tumor removal and performed a minimally invasive outpatient procedure, placing transacral screws to stabilize her pelvis and eliminate her pain.

Within just two weeks, Cynthia's life was transformed. "I feel like I got my life back," she said. Click the link below to read her full story!

Read it here:

Learn about Cynthia's journey to overcome chronic back pain through advanced treatment at Baylor St. Luke's Medical Center.

05/18/2026

Congratulations to Dr. Jack Dawson on receiving the Star Award for Excellence in Patient Care from Baylor College of Medicine!

As an Associate Professor of Orthopedic Surgery at BCM, Dr. Dawson has treated over 10,000 fractures over more than a decade of practice, with expertise spanning geriatric fractures, pelvic and acetabular trauma, periarticular fractures, and complex multi-extremity injuries. Beyond his clinical work, Dr. Dawson plays a vital role in training the next generation of orthopedic surgeons and travels annually to Guatemala to perform complex fracture surgeries and contribute to surgical education programs abroad.

The Star Award recognizes faculty who demonstrate outstanding clinical excellence, consistently high quality of patient care, professionalism, leadership, and continuous service to the Baylor community.

Congratulations, Dr. Dawson! 👏

05/13/2026

Last but certainly not least — let's give these three a hand! 🖐️

We are thrilled to announce our final PGY-4 fellowship match results! 🎉 Congratulations to our resident physicians who have matched into the following Hand Surgery programs:

🖐️ Umar M. Ghilzai, M.D. - Hand Surgery at Emory University School of Medicine - Goergia

🖐️ Fatima O. Mubarak, M.D. - Hand Surgery at HealthPartners Institute - Minnesota

🖐️ Eileen N. Phan, M.D. - Hand Surgery at University of California, Irvine Medical Center



We are so proud of their hard work and dedication and look forward to seeing their continued growth as clinicians, researchers, and educators! ✨

05/13/2026

Please join us in welcoming our 2027-2028 Hand Surgery Fellows to the Joseph Barnhart Department of Orthopedic Surgery! 🖐️✨

We are so excited to have four talented physicians joining us this year:

🖐️ Dr. Miraj Desai, who comes to us from Prisma Health/University of South Carolina-Midlands

🖐️ Dr. Janine Myint, who comes to us from Loma Linda University Health Consortium

🖐️ Dr. Alissa Nesterenko, who comes to us from Franciscan Health Olympian Fields

🖐️ Dr. Candice Nguyen, who comes to us from University of Louisville

We are thrilled to have them on board and can’t wait to see all they will accomplish. Welcome to the team! 🎉

05/01/2026

Scapulothoracic Fusion is a specialized solution for rare and complex four-quarter instability, particularly when traditional reconstructive options are limited by significant bone and soft tissue deficits.

Dr. Adil Ahmed, Dr. Umar Ghilzai, Dr. Emilie Song, Dr. Brendan Ronna, and Dr. Youssef Khalafallah have developed a video guide that walks through the precise, step-by-step technique required for this challenging fusion. This patient presented with missing ribs and a missing clavicle following a lung tumor resection, which resulted in essentially no functional use of the shoulder. This specific case highlights how to achieve stable fixation even when traditional fusion surfaces, like the upper ribs, are missing.

Check out the video here:

1 like, 1 comment. "Scapulothoracic Fusion with Missing Ribs & Clavicle After Lung Tumor Resection | Surgical Technique"

04/25/2026

Dr. Jack Dawson and resident Dr. Abdullah Ghali recently traveled to Antigua, Guatemala with Faith in Practice (April 12-17, 2026). During their time there, they completed 15 trauma surgeries. There were a variety of injuries, from old motor vehicle accidents with shifted or infected hardware, to tumors, to wounds from violence.

One of the more memorable cases (pictured) involved a patient with a tibial plateau fracture that had never healed over a year after his initial injury. He was in constant pain and couldn't walk or work. They performed a knee fusion to give him a functional leg to stand on, and by post-op day 1 and 2, he was already doing better. He will walk on that leg until he is ready for a knee replacement.

Faith in Practice is a nonprofit that organizes volunteer surgical teams to provide care to patients who might otherwise lack access to specialized orthopedic care. Every year, several of our faculty, residents, and fellows volunteer to make a difference in these patients’ lives.

To learn more about their trip and Faith in Practice: https://www.faithinpractice.org/blog/category/900/

04/24/2026

Good morning from Grand Rounds! ☀️

Thank you to Dr. Todd “TJ” W. Phillips, Shoulder & Elbow Surgeon at The CORE Institute, for leading today’s Grand Rounds. Dr. Phillips presented on Reverse Shoulder Arthroplasty for Proximal Humerus Fracture, covering patient selection, operative fracture patterns, and techniques to mitigate the most common complications after RSA for proximal humerus fracture.

We were also excited to have back one of our own! Dr. Phillips is a BCM Orthopedic Surgery Residency Class of 2024 alum. Great to have you back, Dr. Phillips! 💙