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Michael Baumgaertner, MD

Professor of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation
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Contact Info

Orthopaedics & Rehabilitation

P.O. Box 208071

New Haven, CT 06520-8071

United States

About

Titles

Professor of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation

Biography

Michael R. Baumgaertner, M.D., is fracture surgeon who is Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery & Rehabilitation. He serves as Chief of the Orthopaedic Trauma Service at Yale-New Haven Hospital, where he has practiced for more than 25 years, treating patients with severe fractures, fracture complications, and worn out joints.

Following a childhood in Minnesota, Dr. Baumgaertner graduated from Stanford University with a degree in Art History. He attended the University of California (San Diego) Medical School as a Regent’s Scholar where he earned his M.D. He then did his orthopaedic surgery residency at the University of California (San Francisco), following that he completed a one-year fellowship in plastic and reconstructive surgery at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center in Worcester, Massachusetts. He joined the Faculty of the Yale School of Medicine in 1988.

Dr. Baumgaertner’s landmark 1995 publication on hip fracture fixation performed at Yale initiated his international recognition. The measurement he described at that time has been validated repeatedly and remains the universal standard. He has authored numerous original articles and chapters in orthopaedic textbooks. He has lectured and taught residents in training and practicing surgeons on five continents optimal surgical fracture care.

He has served as Chairperson of Education for both the Orthopaedic Trauma Association and AO North America, was elected President of AONA, and served as the Chairperson of the Board of Directors. of AO North America, a non-profit organization of more than 1000 surgeons that is dedicated to the optimal care of patients with fractures and/or deformity. He is a Trustee of the AO Foundation, an international group of more than 15000 surgeons, and is currently serving as Chair of the AO Trauma International Board.

His academic career notwithstanding, Dr. Baumgaertner is a surgeon dedicated to the recovery of his injured patients: Providing technically expert surgical repair, as well as the education and counseling necessary to heal not only the patient’s fracture, but also the lifestyle.

Appointments

Other Departments & Organizations

Education & Training

guest AOfellow
AO Center Kantonspital, (1989)
Fellow
University of Massachusetts Medical Center (1988)
Resident
University of California at San Francisco (1987)
Resident
University of California, San Francisco (1984)
MD
University of California, San Diego (1982)
AB
Stanford University, Art History (1978)

Research

Academic Achievements & Community Involvement

  • honor

    Distinguished Clinical Career Award

  • activity

    GLOBAL AO FOUNDATION dedicated to optimal care of musculoskeletal trauma

  • activity

    AO North America

  • activity

    Nonunion Management, AO Education, Proximal Femur Fractures

  • activity

    Pro-C

Clinical Care

Overview

Michael Baumgaertner, MD, is a Yale Medicine orthopedic traumatologist who treats fractures and dislocations, and related complications. With the exception of the spine, he provides musculoskeletal care for every part of the body, caring for people with complex, sometimes multiple injuries after they’ve been in motorcycle crashes or fallen from heights, as well as those who may have a more simple fracture after slipping on ice.

Treating fractures is not difficult for a specialist with the proper training, says Dr. Baumgaertner, who is also chief of the Orthopedic Trauma Service at Yale New Haven Hospital and helped create the Fragility Hip Program to improve the prospects of older hip patients. “There's no question that the technology and the skills of surgeons are better than they’ve ever been before,” he says, citing minimally invasive surgery and three-dimensional imaging as two major advances.

However, it’s still surgical skill and creativity that drive outcomes, and bedside manner is critical, Dr. Baumgaertner says. “You need to have the ability to really understand what an injury means to the patient, including the fears they may have about how it will affect their employment and their relationships,” he says. “They may not say these things, but they’re there, and if you don’t understand them it can really interfere with their recovery. I remind them that my job is not just to repair their elbow or their ankle, but really to repair their life. I help them realize there is light at the end of the tunnel.”

Dr. Baumgaertner discovered his interest in orthopedic surgery while he was an undergraduate studying art history at Stanford University. “I was blown away by the Renaissance, where science and art came together to do things that had never been before,” he says. “I decided I wanted to work in an area of medicine where form followed function, and that's musculoskeletal surgery.” He is also trained in plastic surgery, which allows him to perform reconstructive surgeries of the arms and legs.

A professor of orthopedics and rehabilitation at Yale School of Medicine, ­­­­­­­­Dr. Baumgaertner is internationally recognized for a landmark 1995 publication on hip fracture fixation, for his introduction of a way of measuring the precise placement of a new hip deep into the middle of the hip bone. The technique is now the universal standard. He has also held several national leadership positions, and is currently chairman of the board of AO North America, a non-profit organization of more than 1,000 surgeons that is dedicated to the optimal care of patients with fractures and/or deformity.

Clinical Specialties

Orthopaedics & Rehabilitation; Hip and Knee Orthopedic Surgery; Shoulder and Elbow Orthopedic Surgery; Foot and Ankle Orthopedic Surgery; Orthopedic Trauma Surgery

Fact Sheets

Board Certifications

  • Orthopaedic Surgery

    Certification Organization
    AB of Orthopaedic Surgery
    Latest Certification Date
    2011
    Original Certification Date
    1990

Yale Medicine News

Get In Touch

Contacts

Appointment Number
Office Fax Number
Clinic Fax Number
Mailing Address

Orthopaedics & Rehabilitation

P.O. Box 208071

New Haven, CT 06520-8071

United States

Administrative Support

Locations

  • Department of Orthopaedics & Rehabilitation

    Academic Office

    47 College Street

    New Haven, CT 06510

  • Patient Care Locations

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