2012-2013

From Left to RIght
Front Row - Dr. Espinoza-Ervin, Dr. Millett, Dr. Ganal, Dr. Faucett, Dr. Philippon, Dr. Lee, Dr. LaPrade, Dr. Steadman
Second Row - Dr. Collins, Dr. Nepple, Dr. Skendzel, Dr.Viola, Dr. Viens, Dr. Clanton, Dr. Hackett
 

Tyler C. Collins, M.D.

Residency: USC

Dr. Collins grew up in Colorado where he learned to ski at the age of three.  After high school, he attended the University of Virginia where he played varsity baseball and was Academic All-ACC.  He graduated with high honors from the School of Engineering and Applied Science with a Bachelor of Science in Systems Engineering.  From Virginia, he switched coasts and attended medical school at the University of Southern California where he was a Dean’s Scholar.  He remained at USC for his residency training, where he spent the majority of his time treating the underserved population in Los Angeles.  His research interests include fixation of proximal humerus fractures, needle arthroscopy of the knee, reliability and reproducibility of shoulder fracture classification systems, and objective shoulder strength after fixation of clavicle fractures.

After travelling all throughout the country, Dr. Collins is thrilled to be back in Colorado and feels extremely fortunate to train at the Steadman Clinic.  As an avid outdoorsman, he is looking forward to taking advantage of all Vail has to offer with his fiancé, Brittney, who will join him later on in the year.
 

Christopher Espinoza-Ervin, M.D.

Residency: University of Texas Southwestern

Dr. Espinoza graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a degree in microbiology.  He completed his medical degree at the University of Colorado School of Medicine.  While in medical school he was awarded an NIH grant to fund research focused on the treatment of orthopaedic trauma.

During the completion of his orthopaedic surgery residency at the University of Texas Southwestern, he assisted with team coverage of high school, collegiate, and professional sports.  His research focused on the treatment of lower extremity trauma, shoulder arthroscopy, and the pediatric knee.  He was selected as a chief resident and honored with the Vert Mooney award for academic achievement.     

Dr. Espinoza is looking forward to the vast learning and patient care opportunities at the Steadman Philippon Institute.  He will be joined by his wonderful wife Susan.
 

Scott C. Faucett, M.D., M.S.

Residency: Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center

Born and raised in Santa Monica, CA, Dr. Faucett matriculated at Middlebury College in Vermont where he studied economics and chemistry.  As an undergraduate he also refined his skills as a telemark skier and began to volunteer with the town’s rescue squad.  By his fourth year, he was appointed to the Board of Directors and attained the rank of Captain specializing in technical and water rescue.
After graduation, he attended Dartmouth Medical School, earning a Master of Science degree in health care policy and leadership as he pursued his growing interest in orthopaedic surgery and sports medicine.  Scott chose to remain at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center for the opportunity to focus on health policy and his other research interests: clinical epidemiology, and cost effectiveness decision analysis. Throughout his residency, he provided physician coverage for the Dartmouth Varsity athletes.  

Outside of the clinic, Dr. Faucett, enjoys fly fishing, skiing, snowshoeing and hiking with his wife, Christine, and their two young children Seton, and Rory.
 

Edmund “Edton” A. Ganal, M.D.

Residency: Naval Medical Center San Diego

Dr. Ganal graduated magna cum laude with Revelle Provost honors from University of California, San Diego with a degree in biochemistry and cell biology, was a member of Phi Beta Kappa, and played NCAA soccer. He volunteered on a medical mission to the Philippines before attending Tufts University School of Medicine on a Health Professional Scholarship. Dr. Ganal completed general surgery internship then served as a battalion surgeon with the Marines were he deployed to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. After completing orthopedic residency at Naval Medical Center San Diego, he was stationed at Newport, RI where he deployed to Afghanistan for Operation Enduring Freedom and took care of combat casualties.

He will be joined by his wife, Claire, a pediatrician, and their three children, Sofia, Christopher, and Brendan. The whole family is looking forward to life in the Rockies.
 

Jared T. Lee, M.D.

Residency: Harvard Combined Orthopaedic Residency Program

Dr. Lee attended Brigham Young University where as a student-athlete he graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor’s of arts in History and was a member of Phi Kappa Phi.  As an undergraduate, Dr. Lee played football at Ricks Junior College where he was team captain, All-American and inducted into the Ricks College athletic hall of fame.  Recruited to Brigham Young University, he was named team captain, all-conference safety,  1st team academic All-American and received the prestigious National Football Foundation and College Football Hall of Fame post-graduate scholarship.  Prior to medical school he signed as a free agent with the Cincinnati Bengals and later worked for Forest Laboratories.  He received his medical degree from the University of Washington School of Medicine where he was elected a member of Alpha Omega Alpha and graduated with honors.  Dr. Lee completed residency training in the Harvard Combined Orthopedic Residency Program where he served as administrative chief resident for the Massachusetts General Hospital and was recognized for the highest average score on the orthopedic in-training examination among the graduating residents.  His research interests include the biomechanics and traumatic injuries to the sternoclavicular joint which has resulted in numerous presentations.

He and his wife are excited to return to the west and bring with them their five children- including recently added twins.  With numerous outdoor interests including fly-fishing, bow-hunting, mountain climbing, horseback riding, and skiing, the Lee’s are looking forward to the upcoming year in Vail.
 

Jeffrey J. Nepple, M.D.

Residency: Washington University

Dr. Nepple grew up in Templeton, Iowa.  He graduated summa cum laude from Truman State University (Kirksville, MO) with a degree in mathematics.  While at Truman, he played NCAA Division II basketball and was elected team co-captain his senior year.  He then attended Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and was awarded the Brookings and Carter Research Award during his final year.  Dr. Nepple completed his residency training at Washington University in St. Louis.  During his time in St. Louis, he was involved in team coverage of the St. Louis Rams football and Blues hockey.  He also spent two weeks in Port-au-Prince, Haiti as part of a medical mission group treating orthopaedic conditions after the earthquake.  While at Washington University, his research focused on young adult hip disease and femoroacetabular impingement.  He also received the AOSSM/NCAA Research Award in 2011 for research on knee articular cartilage disease in football players at the NFL Combine.  His research efforts resulted in numerous publications and presentations.  After completing his training, Dr. Nepple will return to Washington University in St. Louis.

Dr. Nepple’s interests outside of medicine include basketball and golf.   His wife, Sarah, and two daughters, Hannah and Lily, are also excited for the year in Vail and the opportunities to explore the mountains.
 

Jack Skendzel, M.D.

Residency: University of Michigan

Dr. Skendzel graduated magna cum laude from the University of Notre Dame.  While at Notre Dame he spent 6 months in London, United Kingdom studying and traveling throughout Europe.  After college, he attended medical school at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.  Dr. Skendzel then returned to his native Michigan and completed his orthopaedic surgery residency at the University of Michigan.  During his residency, he completed several research projects and published in journals such as the Journal of Arthroplasty, the American Journal of Sports Medicine, and Arthroscopy.  He also served as an administrative chief resident for the orthopaedic program and covered local high school football teams as well as collegiate basketball and hockey.  He is a former ski racer and excited to be living in the mountains for a year.

Dr. Skendzel will be moving to Vail with his girlfriend, Sasha, who is completing a Master’s of Science in the Acute Care Nurse Practitioner program at U of M.  His other interests include photography and traveling.
 

Nicholas A. Viens, M.D.

Residency: Duke University Medical Center

Dr. Viens graduated magna cum laude from Duke University, where he earned a bachelor of arts degree in history and membership in Phi Beta Kappa.  He was awarded highest distinction in his major and the William T. Laprade Prize for the outstanding thesis in the Department of History.  Dr. Viens attended the Duke University School of Medicine and furthered his interests in clinical orthopaedics and research. He completed orthopaedic surgery residency at Duke University Medical Center and was very involved with the resident selection and education processes.  He was an American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society Resident Scholar, an American Orthopaedic Association Resident Leadership Forum Nominee, and a John A. Feagin, Jr., M.D., Leadership Program Medical Scholar.  Dr. Viens has co-authored publications in the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research, Foot and Ankle International, the Journal of Arthroplasty, and the Journal of Surgical Orthopaedic Advances.  His clinical and research interests include foot and ankle athletic and traumatic injuries, as well as treatment of arthritic conditions of the foot and ankle, including total ankle replacement.

Having grown up in Waterville, Maine, where he earned his Eagle Scout and was active in sports and camping, Dr. Viens is looking forward to spending a year in the mountains and enjoying the snow with his wife, Lindsey, and son, Henry.
 

W. Sean Smith, MD

Residency: Nation Naval Medical Center

Dr. W. Sean Smith is a graduate of Xavier University (1979) and the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine (1983), where he was on a US Navy Health Professions Scholarship.  His internship was at the University of Chicago Hospitals and Clinics (1984), which was followed by 3 years active duty in the medical clinic at Willow Grove Naval Air Station in Willow Grove, Pennsylvania.  He completed his radiology residency at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland (1991), and then spent 3 more years on active duty as the Head of the Department of Radiology at the US Naval Hospital, Camp Lester, in Okinawa, Japan. Upon returning to the United States, he completed a combined Musculoskeletal Fellowship at the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology and the University of Maryland (1995).

The next two years were spent in Augusta, Georgia, where he is an Assistant Professor of Radiology, and at  the VA Medical Center, where he was Head of the Department of Radiology.  In 1997 he entered private practice with Charleston Radiologists in Charleston, South Carolina.  While there, he worked closely with the local Orthopedic Surgeons, especially those who served the area's high school, college and professional sports teams.

Dr Smith and his wife, Tisha, are the parents of three perfect sons, and are now empty nesters.  They are both looking forward to an exciting year in the Vail Valley, as they are both not only solid tennis players but enthusiastic, albeit mediocre, skiers.