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INFORMATION FOR

    Dominick Tuason, MD

    Assistant Professor of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation
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    Additional Titles

    Associate Residency Program Director, Orthopaedics & Rehabilitation

    About

    Titles

    Assistant Professor of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation

    Associate Residency Program Director, Orthopaedics & Rehabilitation

    Biography

    Dr. Tuason is a pediatric orthopaedic surgeon with a subspecialty expertise in early onset, adolescent, neuromuscular, and complex spinal deformity. He offers a number of different treatments for children with spinal curvatures, including bracing, scoliosis-specific physical therapy, Mehta corrective casting for infantile scoliosis, magnetically controlled growing rods, vertical expandable prosthetic titanium rib (VEPTR), halo gravity traction, and spinal fusion.

    Committed to ensuring the utmost safety and value of scoliosis care, Dr. Tuason believes in a multidisciplinary team approach to ensure that children undergoing scoliosis surgery at Yale New Haven Children's Hospital have reproducible outcomes of the highest quality.

    As a part of improving safety and outcomes in scoliosis surgery, Dr. Tuason utilizes 3-Dnavigation techniques in complex spine surgery and was recently invited faculty at the American Association of Neurological Surgeons Annual Meeting to discuss Emerging Technologies in Spine Surgery. He is also an active member of the Growing Spine Committee and Safety and Value Committee within the Scoliosis Research Society. His primary research interests are in quality improvement research.

    A native of Bucks County, Pa., Dr. Tuason earned a bachelor of science in biomedical engineering from The Johns Hopkins University and his medical degree from The University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. Following this, he finished an orthopaedic residency at The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and completed a pediatric orthopaedic and scoliosis fellowship at The Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children. He and his wife, Angie, enjoy being a part of the vibrant community in Trumbull, Conn., along with their children Alyvia and AJ

    Appointments

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    Education & Training

    Fellowship
    The Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children (2012)
    Residency
    University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (2010)
    Internship
    University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (2006)
    MD
    University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine (2005)
    BS
    Johns Hopkins University, biomedical engineering (2001)

    Research

    Overview

    Medical Research Interests

    Quality Improvement; Spine

    Research at a Glance

    Yale Co-Authors

    Frequent collaborators of Dominick Tuason's published research.

    Publications

    2024

    2023

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    Academic Achievements & Community Involvement

    • activity

      Long Term Results of Fusion in Early Onset Scoliosis

      Oral Presentation54th Annual Scoliosis Research Society Meeting
    • activity

      Prospective Analysis of Home Narcotic Consumption and Management of Excess Narcotic Prescription Following Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis Surgery

      Poster PresentationPediatric Orthopaedic Society of North America Annual Meeting
    • honor

      Connecticut Top Doctors

      Regional Award
    • activity

      Effects of Extended Operative Time (EOT) on Surgical and Hospital Outcomes After Posterior Spinal Fusion for Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis

      Oral Presentation2022 American Association of Neurological Surgeons Annual Meeting
    • activity

      Preoperative Erector Spinae Blocks: An Alternative to Intrathecal Morphine to Minimize Narcotic Consumption Following Pediatric Scoliosis Surgery

      Poster Presentation47th Annual Regional Anesthesiology and Acute Pain Medicine Meeting
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    Clinical Care

    Overview

    As a pediatric orthopedic surgeon who treats spinal issues, Dominick Tuason, MD, relies on a team approach.

    “You’re not just dealing with a child, but the entire family. It’s a team and we all share the same goal—we want to help the child get better,” Dr. Tuason says. “Part of my job is sharing my expertise. I take complex information and break it into understandable segments a 5-year-old and a 30-year-old can understand at the same time.”

    Dr. Tuason specializes in treating a type of scoliosis (curvature in the spine) called early onset scoliosis, a rare form that affects children before age 10. “In certain instances when it happens very early during a child’s development, it can impact their pulmonary or breathing function,” he explains.

    Today, there are many treatment options for children with various forms of scoliosis. “We try to employ some form of nonoperative treatment, including scoliosis-specific physical therapy and casting, which is a special type of body cast a child wears to help control or even correct his or her scoliosis,” Dr. Tuason says. “For more complex cases, sometimes surgery is necessary to successfully treat the curvature.”

    One surgical technique involves implanting a magnetic growing rod in the spine. “We have technologies that include using a remote that you can hold up to a child’s back during an office visit to expand the rods as the child grows,” he explains. “In the past, the rods had to be manually expanded in the operating room about every six months.”

    Building relationships with patients and families is the most rewarding part of his job, Dr. Tuason says. “It’s not a one-time interaction where I say hello and goodbye on the same day. When I’m treating someone with scoliosis, I’m typically following them every six to 12 months through adolescence,” he says. “I truly find it fulfilling to become part of the fabric of a family’s life and to see them at the other end of their treatment.”

    Dr. Tuason is an assistant professor of orthopedics and rehabilitation at Yale School of Medicine.

    Clinical Specialties

    Spine Surgery; Pediatric Orthopedics

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    Contacts

    Email
    Appointment Number
    Clinical Inquiry 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

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