HISTORY OF PENINSULA ORTHOPAEDIC ASSOCIATES, P.A.

By John H. Hedger, M.D.

Peninsula Orthopaedics was founded by Dr. Frank Poole in August of 1952. Dr. Poole was born in West Virginia in 1918 and received his Medical Degree from Duke University. He was a rotating intern at Maryland General Hospital in 1942 and subsequently served residencies in general surgery and orthopaedics in West Virginia and at the Veterans Administration Hospital in Fort Howard, Maryland. Dr. Poole first came to the Salisbury area to look for a site for his practice in 1951 and had to take the ferry across the Chesapeake Bay as the Bay Bridge was not completed. When he started his orthopaedic practice in Salisbury in 1952 he was the first Orthopaedic Surgeon on the Eastern Shore. During his tenure as President of Peninsula Orthopaedics, Dr. Poole saw his practice grow from a one-man operation to a five-man practice at the time of his retirement in 1979. The practice had grown to a six man orthopaedic practice with 31 employees at the time of his death on November 12, 1993.

The original home of Peninsula Orthopaedics was 704 Camden Avenue. In 1965 a new building was erected at 111 Davis Street. Additions to 111 Davis Street were made in 1967, 1978, 1985, and 1994.

The Peninsula Orthopaedic Professional Association was incorporated on May 1, 1978. The corporation bought the building from Dr. Poole on February 21, 1978. At the present time the building has 8,059 square feet. There are 9 doctor-examining rooms, one cast room, and two x-ray rooms at the Davis Street office.

In September of 1998 a second office location was opened in the Beaver Run Park in Salisbury. This office is equipped with six exam rooms as well as a casting and x-ray room.  In July 2003 Peninsula Orthopaedics opened an MRI center in the Beaver Run office.

In January of 2002 a third office location was opened in Berlin, Maryland.

Peninsula Orthopaedics employs ten orthopaedic surgeons, four physician assistants, one certified registered nurse practitioner, x-ray technologists, and an office staff who look forward to assist in meeting the needs of our patients.

Peninsula Orthopaedics has always been associated with Peninsula Regional Medical Center in Salisbury, Maryland. Drs. Stephanides, Hedger, and McGinnis were affiliated with the Deers Head Center as consultant physicians and presided at the monthly Brace and Prosthetic Clinic until Dr. Gunnar Zorn, a Physiatrist took over this clinic in 1994. Peninsula Orthopaedics was also affiliated with McCready Memorial Hospital in Crisfield, Maryland from March 1990 to March 1996. This affiliation became necessary when surgical time was cut back at Peninsula Regional Medical Center during an impending nurses strike. An affiliation with Atlantic General Hospital in Berlin, Maryland was begun in May 1993 and ended in December 1995 when it was decided that it was impossible to cover two institutions adequately. Another orthopaedist assumed the orthopaedic care at Atlantic General Hospital in December 1995.

We are proud of the fact that no physician has ever left Peninsula Orthopaedics other than to retire. In addition, two clerical employee have worked continuously for Peninsula Orthopaedics for the past 30 years with three employees working for 20 years, six employees working for 15 years, and eleven other employees with more than 10 years of continuous employment.

An orthopaedic conference is held weekly at Peninsula Regional Medical Center. At this conference the x-rays of all hospital patients and any other interesting cases are presented. This conference meets at 7:30 a.m. every Thursday except the second Thursday of the month when a meeting of the Department of Surgery of Peninsula Regional Medical Center is held. A business meeting is held at 111 Davis Street on a monthly basis.

Dr. Marcus Stephanides joined Peninsula Orthopaedics in 1962. He received his undergraduate degree at Bucknell University and his Medical Degree at Temple University. He completed his internship at Williamsport Hospital in Williamsport, Pennsylvania and his orthopaedic residency in 1962 at the University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He was Board Certified in Orthopaedic Surgery in 1964 and was recertified in 1984. Dr. Stephanides retired from practice on September 1, 1993.

Dr. William Campbell joined Peninsula Orthopaedics in 1967. He received his undergraduate degree at Muskingum College in Ohio, and his Medical Degree at the University of Pennsylvania. He completed his internship at St. Francis Hospital in Pennsylvania and his orthopaedic residency in 1964 at Georgetown University Hospital in Washington, D.C. He was Board Certified in Orthopaedic Surgery in 1969. Dr. Campbell retired from practice on June 30, 1985.

Dr. William Moore joined Peninsula Orthopaedics in 1974. He received his undergraduate degree at Franklin & Marshall College, Lancaster, Pennsylvania in 1963 and his Medical Degree from Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1967. He completed his internship at Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia in 1968 and his orthopaedic residency at the University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1974. Dr. Moore is a Board Certified Orthopaedic Surgeon who limits his practice to orthopaedic surgery with emphasis on total joint replacement.

Dr. David Roe joined Peninsula Orthopaedics in 1978. He received his undergraduate degree in 1969 at Northwestern University in Illinois and his Medical Degree from the University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio in 1973. He completed his internship at Buffalo General Hospital, Buffalo, New York in 1973 and his orthopaedic residency in 1978 at the State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, New York. Dr. Roe is a Board Certified Orthopaedic Surgeon who limits his practice to orthopaedic surgery with emphasis on total joint replacement.

Dr. John Hedger joined Peninsula Orthopaedics in 1980. He received his undergraduate degree in 1967, a Master of Arts in Anatomy in 1973 and his Medical Degree in 1975 all from the State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, New York. He completed his internship at Millard Fillmore Hospital in Buffalo, New York, and his orthopaedic residency in 1980 at the State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, New York. Dr. Hedger is a Board Certified Orthopaedic Surgeon who limits his practice to orthopaedic surgery with emphasis on sports medicine and foot and ankle surgery.

Dr. Edward McGinnis joined Peninsula Orthopaedics in 1985. He received his undergraduate degree from the University of Notre Dame, South Bend, Indiana in 1976 and his Medical Degree from Jefferson Medical College, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1980. He completed his internship at the University of Rochester, Rochester, New York in 1981 and his orthopaedic residency in 1985 at the University of Rochester, Rochester, New York. Dr. McGinnis is a Board Certified Orthopaedic Surgeon who limits his practice to orthopaedic surgery with emphasis on total joint replacement.

Dr. Thomas Brandon joined Peninsula Orthopaedics in 1989. He received his undergraduate degree from the University of Memphis, Memphis, Tennessee in 1979 and his Medical Degree from the University of Tennessee Center for Health Sciences, Memphis, Tennessee in 1984. He completed his internship at the Bowman Gray School of Medicine, Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina in 1985 and his orthopaedic residency at the Bowman Gray School of Medicine, Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina in 1989. Dr. Brandon is a Board Certified Orthopaedic Surgeon who limits his practice to orthopaedic surgery with emphasis on sports medicine, arthroscopy, and reconstructive surgery.

Dr. Pasquale Petrera joined Peninsula Orthopaedics in 1993. He received his undergraduate degree from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, New York, in 1984 and his Medical Degree from Albany Medical College, Albany, New York in 1986. He completed his internship at the Albany Medical Center Hospital, Albany, New York in 1987 and his orthopaedic residency at the Albany Medical Center Hospital, Albany, New York in 1992. Dr. Petrera did a Fellowship in Adult Reconstructive Surgery at the University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania that he completed in 1993. Dr. Petrera is a Board Certified Orthopaedic Surgeon who limits his practice to orthopaedic surgery with emphasis on reconstruction of the arthritic hip and knee and revision of failed and painful total hip and total knee replacements.

Dr. John Greco joined Peninsula Orthopaedics in 1995. He received his undergraduate degree from the University of Scranton, Scranton, Pennsylvania in 1976 and his Medical Degree from Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1980. He completed his internship at the Presbyterian University of Pennsylvania Medical Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1981 and his orthopaedic residency at Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts in 1985. Dr. Greco completed a Spine Fellowship at New England Baptist Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts in 1985. Dr. Greco is a Board Certified Orthopaedic Surgeon who limits his practice to orthopaedic surgery with emphasis on spine surgery.

Dr. Eric Franks joined Peninsula Orthopaedics in 1998. He is a 1986 graduate of the George Washington University School of Medicine. After an internship at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center, he did his orthopaedic residency at The Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland. Dr. Franks completed a Sports Medicine Fellowship at The Hughston Clinic in Columbus, Georgia. Dr. Franks is a Board Certified Orthopaedic Surgeon who limits his practice to orthopaedic surgery with emphasis on Sports Medicine and arthroscopic and reconstructive surgery of the knee and shoulder.

Dr. James Trauger joined Peninsula Orthopaedics in 1999. He is a 1992 graduate of Tulane University School of Medicine in New Orleans, Louisiana. After an internship at the Oregon Health Sciences University in Portland, Oregon he did his residency at St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital Center in New York, New York. Dr. Trauger completed a Fellowship in Total Joint Replacement and Adult Reconstruction at the New Mexico Center for Joint Replacement Surgery. Dr. Trauger is a Board Eligible Orthopaedic Surgeon who limits his practice to orthoapedic surgery with emphasis on total joint replacement and adult reconstruction.

Dr. Richard Kang joined Peninsula Orthopaedics in 2002.  Dr. Kang received his M.D. degree in 1993 from Yale University School of Medicine.  He completed his general surgery internship and his orthopaedic surgery residency at the University of Pittsburg Medical Center where he also spent two years performing basic science and clinical research on the orthopaedic applications of gene therapy as well as one year as a Clinical Instructor in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery.  He then completed one year fellowship in hand, upper extremity, and microvascular surgery with The Hand Surgery Specialists in Cincinnati, Ohio.  Dr. Kang is a Candidate Member of American Society for Surgery of the Hand and a Board Eligible Orthopaedic Surgeon who limits his practice to orthopaedic surgery with emphasis on hand, upper extremity, and microvascular surgery.

Dr. Jason Scopp joined Peninsula Orthopaedics in 2003.  Dr. Scopp received his Bachelor of Science degree in 1993 from Cornell University and his Doctor of Medicine in 1997 from Hahnemann University of Philadelphia.  Dr. Scopp completed his orthopaedic surgery residency at the University of Maryland/Shock Trauma Center in 2002.  During his training he was an associate team physician for both University of Maryland and Coppin State University.  In 2003 Dr. Scopp completed a fellowship in sports medicine at the Santa Monica Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Group in California.  He served as an associate team physician for Pepperdine University, Santa Monica College and the United States National Soccer Team.  Dr. Scopp specializes in adult and pediatric sports medicine, arthroscopic surgery, management of articular cartilage defects and fracture care.

Walt Reddish joined Peninsula Orthopaedics on May 3, 1982 as a cast tech and surgical assistant. During his employment he received a B.S. in Nursing from Salisbury State University, Salisbury, Maryland in 1993 and received a Nurse Practitioners Masters Degree from Wilmington College, Wilmington, Delaware in 1995. He is also a Certified Orthopaedic Nurse as well as a Certified Family Nurse Practitioner.

Eric Eaton joined Peninsula Orthopaedics on January 18, 1996. He received his B.S. in the Medical Science - Physician Assistant Program at Alderson -Broaddus College, Philippi, West Virginia in 1991. Mr. Eaton has been certified by the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants and is licensed in the state of Maryland as a Physician Assistant.

Robert Becker joined Peninsula Orthopaedics on July 1, 1998. He received his B.S. in the Physician Assistant Program at the State University of New York at Stony Brook, Stony Brook, New York in 1998. Mr. Becker has been certified by the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants and is licensed in the state of Maryland as a Physician Assistant.