By Katie Kohler

Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia relentlessly strives to create breakthroughs. The Division of Orthopaedics is one of the largest, most active in the world and is consistently ranked the best in the nation by U.S. News and World Report. In 2017, CHOP’s clinical program reached a record number of surgical cases and patients seen. Patients included those with complex disorders of the spine, soft tissue tumor, young athletes, and severe musculoskeletal problems, among others.

“Breakthroughs. Every day,” are the words that greet you on their homepage. But the relentless pursuit of excellence and innovation, traits associated with the birthplace of pediatric medicine in America, seems to only stop, and only for a short time, for one thing.

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The heartstring tugging cuteness and sincere gratitude of a nine-year-old girl.

Alexandre Arkader, MD, an attending surgeon in the Division of Orthopaedics and Division of Oncology at CHOP, recalls repairing a nine-year-old girl’s bad fracture.  “She did great,” he commented.

On Monday, the girl came into the office for an appointment with a painting that included flowers and a note that said, “Thank you, Dr. Arkader.”

He nearly doubled-over, grasping his chest remembering the act of the young girl who is the same age as his own daughter.

One hundred ccs of cuteness, stat!

“There are no words for that kind of stuff,” said Arkader. “I don’t want to say the word ‘gratitude’ because they aren’t seeking people’s gratitude, but it’s the sincere happiness of someone who recovered from a scary event.”

Arkader, and others shared their experiences on Tuesday night when the Department of Surgery at CHOP hosted a special “Breakthroughs in Pediatric Surgery” event. It featured a tour of the state-of-the-art facility, discussions about the latest innovations in pediatric orthopaedics, and CHOP staff showcasing their fields of practice. They included Arkader; Jeffrey Albaugh, PT, MS, ATC, Physical Therapy Supervisor, Sports Medicine Expert; Robert B. Carrigan, MD, Attending Surgeon, Hand and Upper, Extremity Injuries Expert; Theodore J. Ganley, MD, Director, Sports Medicine and Performance Center, Sports Medicine Expert; Christina L. Master, MD, Attending Physician, Concussion Expert; Wudbhav N. Sankar, MD, Director, Young Adult Hip Preservation Program, Hip Expert.

John M. Flynn, MD, Chief of the Division of Orthopaedics, began the evening by praising the group that “dominated” last week’s Pediatric Orthopaedic Society Annual Meeting in Austin, Texas.

“They are the real thought leaders in pediatric orthopaedics in North America,” Flynn said to the CHOP staff.

The biggest breakthrough in Pediatric Orthopaedics isn’t a new game-changing piece of technology, or once-in-a-generation discoveries.

They happen every day at CHOP when patients break through. From sick to well. From a limp to pain-free. From the sidelines to back in the game.

Arkader finds the most satisfaction from “seeing people on the other side.” There are times, he tells patients, especially those with tumors, that it’s going to be a rough year.

“When we are at the end of the year and surgery is done and the tumor is out and they start life again, and say “thank you,” or stop wearing a wig or hat (due to hair loss)…that’s priceless. That’s the cool stuff. It’s really what matters. It’s seeing people on the other side.”

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