Wake Forest University School of Medicine’s Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Rehabilitation provides state-of-the-art evaluation and treatment of musculoskeletal problems, educating the next orthopaedic and podiatric surgeons and researching complex and advanced treatment options. With over 90 faculty, 50 learners, 50 APPs, 35 Athletic Trainers, 25 locations, 7 fellowships, 3 research laboratories and 2 residencies we have a wide range of clinical, educational and research offerings.
Our subspecialty surgeons and providers provide compassionate, high-quality medical care to patients. Interdepartmental consultation across 10 subspecialties and a strong commitment to research and teaching keep the department at the forefront of new developments in the diagnosis and treatment of patients with orthopedic and rehabilitation problems.
Our Mission
Be the Musculoskeletal Provider of Choice, growing selected market share to drive direct margin to support clinical, education and research missions
Why Wake Forest?
The Wake Forest School of Medicine is the academic core of Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist, which is the only region’s Level One pediatric and adult trauma center. We serve patients from western North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, Tennessee and South Carolina with a strong national subspecialty reputation.
Our faculty take great pride in serving as teachers, mentors and advisors to our residents and fellows, ensuring they become competent, independent surgeons, research and providers.
Our partnership with WFU in a state-of-the-art biomechanics laboratory is the elite training destination for high level pitchers with science and medicine transforming baseball. Research output includes over 300 pitchers with completed biomechanic evaluations by the academic team.
Our gait lab partnership with WSSU uses state-of-the-art technology and research to investigate rehabilitation approaches.
We also have a first of its kind relationship with the VA System in Salisbury and Kernersville, North Carolina and have both orthopaedic faculty and residents always on site.
Our surgeons and providers are highly trained, extensively trained and perform more than 20,000 surgeries annually.
Our expertise is based on decades of research and expertise with high volume in both pediatrics and adults.
Department and Training History
The first Orthopaedic Chairman was Robert A. Moore, M.D. who served until 1953. He was followed by H. Francis Forsyth, M.D. until 1965; John T. Hayes, M.D. until 1970; Anthony G. Gristina, M.D. 1970 until spring of 1987. Dr. George Rovere governed the department from 1987 until his death at the end of 1988. Dr. Gary Poehling was designated as Chair in January of 1990. Effective 2007, Dr. L. Andrew Koman was appointed Chair and in 2021 as Co-President of Atrium Health MSKI.
The residency training program in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery was established in 1946. Initial ACGME accreditation as a three-year residency program was granted in May of 1969 with approval to train four residents at each level. In May of 1972, the length of the residency program was changed to four years and the complement of residents changed to three at each level. In February of 1982, the designation was changed to a five-year, categorical program (including the internship) with the resident complement remaining at three residents per level of training until July 2004 when it was increased once again to four and in 2008 to five residents.
