What is your Orthopaedic subspecialty and why did you go into that subspecialty?
I am an orthopaedic sports medicine physician.
I like to deal with a finite injury, something that will allow the patient to put an episode behind them and get back to whatever activity they enjoyed doing beforehand. It is a hands-on, tangible experience for me. I find that very attractive about sports medicine – diagnose the problem, fix it, and hopefully improve that patient’s life.
It is very satisfying for our patients and satisfying for us to see them doing well. It is amazing the impact you can have in sports medicine – I have had patients send me photos of them playing their sports, ask me to sign it and send it back, and others who have sent us newspaper articles to show how well they have been able to play again. There is a lot of gratification in that experience.
What is the best part of your clinical practice?
The Long Ridge Medical Center in Stamford is somewhat unique in Yale’s ambulatory portfolio. We have Yale medicine physicians specializing in orthopaedic surgery, physiatry, neurology, neurosurgery, rheumatology, transplant medicine, and nephrology…it's truly an expanding and rapidly growing multispecialty group and we take great pride in the collegiality and camaraderie that exists at the Center. If there is a question about an approach, surgical technique, or non-surgical issue, there is always someone down the hall willing and available to help. I had a patient who had bilateral total knee replacements who subsequently developed a rash that spread from her legs to her arms. I had the patient come in, and it turned out the condition had nothing to do with her surgery, but I was able to quickly get her off to another Yale Medicine specialist who was able to help her.
I have had the same experience in reverse, too, where I get asked to look at an x-ray for another provider’s patient and weigh-in with my thoughts.
What makes Yale a unique place for patients to come to get treatment?
As a sports medicine orthopaedic surgeon, I like the idea that I am getting someone off the bench and back onto the field to play their best.
Assistant Professor Craig Tifford, MD
I think what I mentioned above, but this is also combined with the latest cutting-edge techniques and research. I think that is a huge advantage for us. You have an entire network of specialists connected to the latest and greatest in our fields and the ability to act on that information. We are also training residents in these methods, which means we are having an impact on young surgeons and the future of orthopaedic surgery.
What advice do you give to medical students and residents?
Medicine is a field that continues to change and evolve. I was lucky to know early on –before starting medical school or just when I started – that orthopaedics was something I wanted to do. There are other fields that some may consider more technically demanding – say, cardiovascular surgery – but I have always known that I am someone who likes to work with my hands. I do it in the operating room, I do it at my house and there is something about knowing that feeling. I know outside of the operating room, I want to see a job through to completion if I start it myself and to know it will work well when I am done. It is a very similar approach and mentality as a surgeon too.
In medicine, you have to go to what speaks to you as a complete person. You need to know what the lifestyle entails as much as you need to see the work's technical aspects. There is talk about fit, which is as essential here as it is with anything else. For trauma surgeons, that might be knowing that you are finding someone at their worst moment and helping put them back together. It might be the idea for a hand surgeon to get a patient back to independence and functionality. As a sports medicine orthopaedic surgeon, I like the idea that I am getting someone off the bench and back onto the field to play their best.
Tell me something you enjoy doing when you’re not in the clinics or surgery.
Oh, that’s easy – I play drums in a cover band called Suburban Chaos based in Fairfield County. After life returns to normal post-COVID, you can find me with my bandmates playing at any number of venues on a Saturday night from Westchester up through central Connecticut.