WED 25 OCT // 8:30 AM – 12:30 PM

Primary Content Focus: Limb Restoration

Secondary Content Focus: Pediatric Rehabilitation

Children with upper and lower extremity limb deficiencies have impairments, injuries and associated anomalies that require treatment(s) coordinated by a specially trained multidisciplinary team. Members of the Limb Deficiency Program at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta will share their knowledge of diagnoses, conservative and surgical treatments, prosthetic management and rehabilitation to improve or normalize function of children with congenital and acquired limb deficiencies. The purpose of this course is to improve clinicians’ understanding of the etiology, diagnosis, multidisciplinary treatments and outcomes of children with congenital and acquired limb deficiencies.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

1. Understand the differences between children and adults with limb deficiencies
2. Identify issues unique to children with upper and lower limb deficiencies
3. Familiarize the terminology/classification systems for describing upper and lower limb deficiencies
4. Describe the differences between congenital vs. traumatic, acquired, and amputations for malignancy
5. Discuss surgical, non-surgical, prosthetic, orthotic, and rehabilitation management across the life span of infants, children and young adults with congenital and acquired upper and lower extremity limb deficiencies

PRESENTERS

Michael Schmitz, MD
Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta

Jorge Fabregas, MD
Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta

Dana Olszewski, MD
Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta

Jill Flanagan, MD
Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta

Allan Peljovich, MD, MPH
Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta

Colleen P. Coulter, PT, DPT, PhD, PCS
Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta

Joshua Vova, MD
Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta

Brian Giavedoni, MBA, CP/LP
Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta

BIOS

Dr. Michael Schmitz joined Children’s Orthopaedics of Atlanta in 1996 and guides institutional program development and strategy as the Chief of Orthopaedics at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. He is the co-director of the Spasticity and Limb Deficiency clinics at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta as well as the Medical Director of the Fracture Program. He has authored numerous papers and presented at multiple conferences on his work with pediatric limb rehabilitation. Dr. Schmitz remains active in a number of associations including the Pediatric Orthopaedic Society of North America, the Scoliosis Research Society, and the Association of Children’s Prosthetics and Orthotics Clinics. He participates in the Clinical Research Oversite Committee and is a member of the review team for Children’s Center or Pediatric Healthcare Technology Innovation at Georgia Tech.

Dr. Jorge A. Fabregas is a world renowned pediatric orthopedic surgeon, who came to COA from Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Since his arrival, Dr. Fabregas has brought innovative and revolutionary techniques in the treatment and correction of spinal deformity and tumor surgery. His innovative bone grafting techniques and unique approach to spinal deformity correction have drawn many praises in the orthopedic community. Dr. Fabregas has a passion for teaching and mentoring the next generation of pediatric orthopedic surgeons. Among his many duties, he is the Chief of Pediatric Orthopedic Surgery at Atlanta Medical Center, and the Residency Director at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta at Scottish Rite. He is currently the President of the Association of Children’s Prosthetics and Orthotics Clinics (ACPOC) and a board member of Georgia Pediatric Specialists (GPS).

Dr. Dana Olszewski completed her orthopedic training at Boston medical center and then went on to complete her fellowship at the well respected Texas Scottish Rite Hospital in Dallas. Since that time, she has worked as a pediatric orthopedic surgeon with children’s orthopedics of Atlanta for the past three and a half years.
Dr. Olszewski has a love for treating pediatric patients particularly in the areas of limb deficiency, cerebral palsy, clubfeet, hip pathology and trauma. She is not only dedicated to her patients and family but also to educating the next generation of pediatric orthopedic surgeons. She works with both residents and fellows and is currently serving on the Pediatric Orthopedic Society of North America (POSNA) education committee.

Dr. Jill Flanagan graduated medical school with honors, and her performance enabled her to match at the George Washington University and complete her orthopedic surgery residency at her home institution. Following her residency, Dr. Flanagan moved to Georgia to complete her pediatric orthopedic surgery fellowship at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta (CHOA). Following completion of her fellowship, Dr. Flanagan joined Children’s Orthopedics of Atlanta. Since then, Dr. Flanagan has performed a considerable number of limb lengthening and deformity surgeries. She is well trained with the most advanced techniques and technologies such as the Taylor Spatial Frame and Precice nail. While Dr Flanagan has interest in the entire spectrum of pediatric orthopedic surgery, her special focuses of expertise include limb deformity and limb lengthening, improving bone health in children, and adolescent scoliosis (especially in females).

Allan Peljovich, MD, MPH, currently serves as the Medical Director of the Hand Program at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, as well as the Director of the Pediatric Hand & Upper Extremity Fellowship Program at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. He is a member of the Limb-Deficiency Program, and a founding member of the Brachial Plexus Clinic at Children’s. He has been involved in the care of children with complex hand and upper extremity problems since he started practice in 2000 at the Hand & Upper Extremity Center of Georgia. Along with his partners, he is a Clinical Instructor for the Atlanta Medical Center Orthopedic Residency Program and is co-Director of the Hand Program.

Dr. Colleen Coulter has served as the physical therapist in a progressive Orthotics and Prosthetics Department in Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta since 1995. Her main clinical role is to enhance the function of children who receive orthotic and prosthetic devices. As Team Leader of the Limb Deficiency Program, she coordinates care and provides comprehensive evaluations and physical therapy interventions for children with upper and lower extremity limb deficiencies and differences that include children and adolescents diagnosed with solid tumors that require amputations, rotationplasty, and limb sparing surgeries. Dr. Coulter has presented nationally and internationally on rehabilitation of children who had amputations and rotationplasty surgeries due to bone tumors.

Dr. Joshua Vova is the Director of Rehabilitation Services at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. He is involved with The American Academy of Pediatrics, The American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, The American Academy of Cerebral Palsy and Developmental Medicine and the Association of Academic Physiatrists. Dr. Vova has also presented at numerous conferences and published research.

Brian Giavedoni is American and Canadian Board-Certified in prosthetics and has worked at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta since 1997. After receiving his bachelor’s degree from the University of Toronto, he began his specialization in pediatric prosthetics at the Ontario Crippled Children’s Center in Toronto. Brian serves as Clinical Supervisor for the Orthotics and Prosthetics Department at Children’s and is the Senior Prosthetist on the Limb Deficiency Team. He has published numerous papers, and co-authored a chapter on limb deficiency in children. Brian was elected to the Board of Directors for ACPOC in 2012.

 

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