boy with arm in sling image suzanne tucker/shutterstock.com
Children’s Orthopaedic & Spine Center makes it a high priority to help alleviate the stress both child and parent go through when dealing with the complications of an injury. While children are receiving treatment, we strive to make them feel at home in order to distract them from the pain they may be going through. Many children are scared of being in a doctor’s office, but with a state-of-the-art museum located in our waiting room, we aim to give your child peace of mind. The life-sized heroes located throughout our office will make your child feel as if their comic books or cartoons have come to life. Our office often wows the children who visit, but we know it doesn’t help ease the concerns of their parents. The bottom line is that the biggest comfort for a parent is to know they have the best doctor whom they can entrust with their child’s wellbeing. The Children’s Orthopaedic & Spine Center staffs highly skilled surgeons who have been trained by the nation’s top institutions. Their team will ensure high-quality care for each patient and make sure that each child receives the most accurate diagnosis, as well as the best treatment plan for him or her. The Children’s Orthopaedic & Spine Center is committed to providing comprehensive and compassionate care, and it has a dynamic duo of super doctors. Dr. Eric R. Ritchie, a board-certified pediatric orthopedic surgeon, joined the practice in 2013 after a distinguished 20year career in the U.S. Air Force Medical Service. Ritchie earned his Bachelor of Science in Biology at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, where he was a standout athlete on the Falcons football team. His time as a football player helped him understand sports injuries firsthand. He then attended medical school on a military scholarship at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, Md. After medical school, Ritchie served three assignments as an Air Force flight surgeon. Following his time as a flight surgeon, he was accepted to the only Air Force orthopedic residency in the country at Wilford Hall Medical Center in San Antonio. Ritchie was then handpicked to lead the Air Force Pediatric Orthopedic Department. His sub-specialty training in pediatric orthopedic surgery and scoliosis was obtained at the prestigious University of Utah in Salt Lake City. He would go on to serve as the chief of pediatric orthopedic surgery at Wilford
Hall Medical Center, and as consultant to the Surgeon General for Pediatric Scoliosis and Orthopedics. While there, he was also the vice chairman of the department of orthopedic surgery, and he held a teaching position at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences as an assistant professor of surgery. He is a member of the American Academy
training in spine surgery and pediatric orthopedics. Liu’s first fellowship was in pediatric orthopedic surgery at the CCHMC, and his second fellowship was focused on pediatric spine deformity and minimally invasive spine surgery (MISS) at the CCHMC, University of Cincinnati Hospital and the Christ Hospital. He then completed his
of Orthopaedic Surgeons, the Pediatric Orthopaedic Society of North America, the Society of Military Orthopaedic Surgeons and the Bexar County Medical Society. The other half of the dynamic duo is Dr. Hongbo Liu, a pediatric and adult orthopedic spine surgeon who received extensive training to specialize in the delicate science of spine surgery, with fellowship training in both pediatric orthopedics and spinal disorders. He completed his training at the prestigious Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center (CCHMC) and the world-renowned Mayo Clinic. Liu earned his medical degree from the Harbin Medical University in Harbin, China, and graduated with three Outstanding Student awards. After completing his orthopedic surgery residency at Peking Union Medical College Hospital (one of the best medical centers in China), Liu accomplished three clinical fellowships in the United States and received well-rounded and extensive
third fellowship training in adult spine surgery at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. Liu’s clinical interests include pediatric spinal deformities, degenerative spine disorders, minimally invasive spine surgeries, osteoporosis-related vertebral compression fractures and spinal trauma. He is also specialized in the treatment of pediatric orthopedic disorders, especially pediatric hip disorders, lower limb deformities/deficiencies and fractures. So parents, fear not! While your child may be comforted by the superheroes that protect our office, you, too, will be comforted by the super doctors at the Children’s Orthopaedic & Spine Center! ✪
For more information on the Children’s Orthopaedic & Spine Center or to make an appointment, please visit www.saspine. com or contact Janivee Trevino at 210-4877463. nfamily magazine 49
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