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Category: August 2021

We asked our members to give us advice on raising a family amidst a hand surgery career. Contributors highlight the importance of prioritizing, focusing, and the willingness to adapt. On top of that, one needs to have a strong support system, both inside and outside the home.

In Memory of Emeritus Professor Yasuo Yamauchi

By Moroe Beppu, MD, PhD On behalf of everyone involved in the practice of hand surgery in Japan, I would like to express our deepest sympathies for the loss of Dr. Yasuo Yamauchi who passed away on June 26th, 2021, at the age of 89. The Japanese Society of Hand Surgery has lost a giant […]

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Willingness to Adapt

By Peter Casey, MD As hand and upper extremity surgeons, we spend countless hours of our lives trying to perfect our craft in order to provide our patients with the best care possible. During this training it is easy to focus solely on our careers and overlook our roles outside of the workplace. Over the […]

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Everyone Needs a Hand

By Jacqueline S. Israel, MD One of the greatest personal lessons I learned during surgical training is the importance of a support system. While many affirmations ring true for me and are certainly important words to remember – e.g., “Be patient with yourself” – I am humbled every day by the power of accepting support. […]

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Teamwork and the Outdoors

By Kevin F. Lutsky, MD Advice for raising a family amidst a career in hand surgery? I thought this would be an interesting topic and I was curious what advice others would give. So, I’m not sure that I’m qualified to give this advice (I was hoping to get it from others!) but as a parent […]

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A Rural Hand Surgeon

By Joseph Meyerson, MD I still feel this phrase conjures images of an old, grizzled surgeon with white hair that takes house calls and uses rudimentary instruments and old school methods to get the job done. Even when I say I’m “a rural hand surgeon” I feel that people look me up and down and […]

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Balancing Work and Family During COVID-19

By William F. Pientka II, MD The COVID-19 crisis has certainly caused fear, stress, strain, fatigue, and frustration for all of us. Our professional responsibilities as hand surgeons have called for unexpected responsibilities, odd hours, new telehealth technologies and processes, and uncertainty most of us have not before experienced. These stressors have inspired some to leave the […]

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Raising a Family

By Owolabi Shonuga, MD The classic depiction of a surgeon may vary slightly based on era. However, certain descriptions remain constant. This is someone who may be described as precise, detail-oriented, methodical, and sometimes dogmatic. Hand surgeons, perhaps more than other subspecialists, lend themselves fully to these descriptions. In fact, we wear it as a […]

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Support From My Family

By Hua Tang, MD At age 36, my family moved to United States. My wife and I gave up our medical practice. I was an orthopedic surgeon and my wife was an internal medicine physician in my native country. After we moved here, we had very difficult time in the beginning. My wife and I had to […]

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Dedication to Hand Surgery as My Lifelong Career

By Cheng-Yu Yin, MD It is my pleasure to share my experience with the members of ASSH, and I, as a young hand surgeon from a small island, am very grateful for having the opportunity to write ASSH Perspectives. Although it may depend on different cultures for specialty preference of orthopedics, hand surgery is not […]

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