September 9, 2015
Chief of Orthopedics Dr. John Dormans is an eternal optimist, skilled orthopedic surgeon and strategic leader, a combination of which are destined to prove great things for Texas Children’s.
Since joining the organization three months ago, Dormans has developed a plan to make Texas Children’s Orthopedics one of the top programs in the world.
“Texas Children’s is the place to be,” Dormans said. “It’s the largest children’s hospital in North America and is located in one of the fastest growing metropolitan areas in the country; the potential here is just immense.”
To harness that potential, Dormans is focusing his efforts on three main areas – recruitment, operations and facilities, and reputation and expertise.
Recruitment
Including Dormans, five new people have joined the Orthopedics Department this summer. Dormans came to Texas Children’s from Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), where he was the hospital’s chief of orthopedic surgery from 1996 to 2014. During his time with CHOP, Dormans focused his clinical work on pediatric spinal deformity and musculoskeletal tumors while providing the leadership to grow the number of specialized and outreach clinics and make CHOP the No. 1 ranked orthopedic program in the country, according to U.S. News & World Report. He also was president of CHOP’s medical staff for three years and presided over five international surgical organizations.
“Dr. Dormans comes to us with an incredible track record of success,” said Surgeon-in-Chief Dr. Charles D. Fraser Jr. “His knowledge, leadership and accomplishments make him an exceptional asset to Texas Children’s and we are confident in his ability to lead our Division of Orthopedics into an exciting new chapter.”
In addition to Dormans, a new pediatric orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Dorothy Harris, has joined the team, as well as two clinical fellows and one research fellow. Harris recently completed her fellowship in pediatric orthopedics and scoliosis at Texas Children’s Hospital and Baylor College of Medicine. Her major areas of interest include orthopedic trauma/fractures, cerebral palsy, and limb deformities.
Next summer, Dormans anticipates hiring up to eight new orthosurgeons at Main Campus and corresponding support for Texas Children’s Hospitals The Woodlands and Texas Children’s Hospital West Campus.
Some of those hires will be “super stars” in the orthopedics field, Dormans said, adding that 20 pediatric orthopedic surgeons have formally expressed interest in working with Texas Children’s Orthopedics, some of whom are among the top orthopedic surgeons in the country.
“I think we’re on the radar,” Dormans said. “We’ve attracted a lot of interest.”
A more robust staff will allow the Orthopedics Department to accommodate the requests it currently gets from patients and families across the region, throughout the United States and across the globe, Dormans said. It also will position the department for tremendous growth in both its general practice and sub specialty areas.
Operations and Facilities
A key ingredient to that growth is gaining more access to existing clinical space and operating rooms on Main Campus.
“We are bursting at the seams on Main Campus,” Dormans said about available clinical and operating room space at Main Campus. “Our only escape valve for surgical cases currently is at West Campus.”
Texas Children’s Hospital The Woodlands and the Care First initiative – which will reinvestment in the programs our most critically ill patients need – will help. In addition, leadership is acutely in tune with Dormans’ needs and is doing everything they can to meet them.
“The leadership at this organization is phenomenal,” Dormans said. “They are all over everything, listening, trying to prioritize and implement and execute to get things done.”
Operationally, Dormans said he is making several changes that will help make the department run more efficiently and become more competitive. The department will have dedicated surgical schedulers, which will free up some of the clinical staff’s time, for example. And, an additional six nurse practitioners, physician assistants and advanced practice providers will make the department’s outpatient visit process run more smoothly.
Another aspect of operations Dormans said he is focusing on is technology and getting the latest and greatest tools to aid his staff in doing the best they can to help the patients who seek expertise from his department. One such piece of equipment is a device called an EOS system that will bring state-of-the-art low X-ray dose imaging for patients with scoliosis and leg length issues. The machine will be in place later this month and is part of a joint capital project between the departments of Radiology and Orthopedics.
“There are a lot of exciting things coming to fruition and many more to come,” Dormans said.
Reputation and Expertise
All orthopedic departments are different in what services they choose to offer and specialize in. Some organizations dedicate all of their time and resources to specialty services while others only offer general services. Dormans said he wants Texas Children’s to offer the best of both.
“It’s like a football team,” he said. “You want a diverse lineup of players.”
Within his department, those players not only include medical and support staff but researchers and educators as well. Recently, the department has started journal clubs, revamped the conference schedule and collaborated with Brenden Lee, the No. 1 funded musculoskeletal researcher in the world, to create a basic science research program in orthopedics.
Ultimately, Dormans said he wants people to identify Texas Children’s as the place to go to find answers to all of their pediatric musculoskeletal problems.
With more than 20 physicians and advanced practice providers treating everything from minor fractures to complex disorders, the department is on the right track, but, “the sky is the limit,” Dormans said.
