Press Release

For Immediate Release
Contact: Susan Preston
(973) 972-7265

UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School
Dr. Joseph P. Leddy Named Chairman of Newly Established Department of Orthopaedics

The University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ) - Robert Wood Johnson Medical School (RWJMS) has established a new Department of Orthopaedic Surgery.

Dr. Joseph P. Leddy, of Princeton Township, professor of orthopaedic surgery, has been appointed chair of the new department. He is also is professor of surgery and director of hand surgery at UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. Dr. Leddy joined the Department of Surgery in 1973 and has served as chief of the division of orthopaedic surgery for the past six years.

"The newly established Department of Orthopaedic Surgery was formerly a division of the medical school's Department of Surgery," said Dr. Harold L. Paz, MD, dean of UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School . "In the past three decades, however, the field of orthopaedics has grown enormously and the division has expanded to keep pace with the growth."

He said, "We are committed to providing the highest quality care to patients in this growing area of need. This growth symbolizes the medical school's excellence in education, research, patient care and community health."

The transformation of orthopaedics was due in part to the technological revolution,

including the development of more durable, more biocompatible materials, according to Dr. Leddy. "The demand for skilled orthopaedists grew as microsurgery, minimally invasive surgery, and arthroplasty became highly successful procedures that improved the quality of life for tens of thousands of patients," he said.

Reflecting a nationwide trend, the number of orthopaedic sub-specialties at UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School has grown. "Sports medicine, for example, has become an important sub-specialty. It is the most popular choice for graduates of the excellent orthopaedic surgery residency program," said Dr. Leddy. "Lengthened life spans, with increased numbers of falls and fractures, also have driven the growth of orthopaedics.".

Most of the orthopaedic faculty are participating in clinical trials, offering their patients the state-of-the-art care available at research and teaching institutions. In addition, Dr. Michael G. Dunn, associate professor of orthopaedic surgery, holds a grant from the National Institutes of Health for his biomedical research into polymeric scaffolds for reconstruction of ligaments.

The 12 fellowship-trained, full-time orthopaedic faculty have expertise in nearly every sub-specialty in the field and are supplemented by many volunteer faculty. In 2002, the physicians performed more than 3,100 orthopaedic procedures. "They treated patients of all ages, from babies to the elderly, and performed every type of orthopaedic procedure, treating every joint, from the foot and ankle, to the knee, hip, spine, wrist, and shoulder," Dr. Leddy said.

Dr. Leddy said he is especially proud of the department's top-quality residency and

fellowship programs. "The residency program keeps the faculty's skills honed and trains a constant stream of new orthopaedic specialists."

A graduate of Jefferson Medical School, Dr. Leddy completed an internship and general surgery residency at New York Hospital/Cornell Medical Center. He did his orthopaedic surgical residency at New York Orthopaedic Hospital/Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center.

Supported by a grant from the National Institutes of Health, he completed a fellowship in hand surgery with Joseph H. Boyes, MD, at the University of Southern California Medical Center. Between 1971 and 1973, Dr. Leddy served as a major in the U.S. Air Force at Travis Air Force Base, in California. During that time, he also held a traveling fellowship from the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons and Orthopaedic Research and Education Foundation.

Board-certified in orthopaedic surgery since 1972, Dr. Leddy earned a certificate in surgery of the hand in 1995. He is widely published in the literature of orthopaedic surgery and serves as a reviewer for the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, the Journal of the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine and the Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.

He was been named one of the best doctors in the metropolitan region by New York Magazine in June 2003. The list is excerpted from the eighth edition of Castle Connolly's Top Doctors: New York Metro Area.

Dr. Leddy serves on the board of directors of the New Brunswick Affiliated Hospitals

and is a trustee of St. Peter's University Hospital. He also serves as chief of orthopaedic surgery at both Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital and St. Peter's University Hospital.

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