The CORE Institute is pleased to introduce several new physicians

NEW PROVIDERS ARIZONA

Michael Duran, MD, is a Fellowship-Trained Orthopedic Surgeon specializing in adult and pediatric musculoskeletal oncology, primary and revision joint replacement surgery of the hip and knee and is a limb salvage specialist.

Before joining our team at The CORE Institute, Dr. Duran completed his fellowship in musculoskeletal oncology at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. During his fellowship at the world-renowned institution, he led orthopedic treatments and care for benign, malignant and soft tissue tumors. Dr. Duran completed his residency program at the University of Arizona. At the time of his residency, Dr. Duran conducted clinical research in multiple orthopedic surgery sub-specialties. Prior to his residency he received his Doctorate at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, where he did research on carpal tunnel syndrome and trigger point syndrome.

Dr. Duran is also an alumnus of the esteemed United States Military Academy, West Point, where he earned his undergraduate degree. Top of his class, he was awarded the Dean’s List and the Superintendent’s Award for academic, military, and physical achievements.

As a decorated officer of the United States Military, Dr. Duran has served in the Army and National Guard. During his time in the service, he was awarded two Valorous Combat Awards, a Bronze Star Award, a Combat Infantry Badge, as well as a Ranger Tab and Airborne Tab for his acts during his tours in Iraq. He has worked with veterans, participating in multiple community service projects like Team Red, White and Blue; a national non-profit organization focused on supporting wounded veterans.

Jonathan Marshall, DO, is a Board-Certified Radiologist and Fellowship-Trained Interventional Radiologist specializing in the diagnosis and treatment of chronic vein disease. He is experienced in minimally invasive venous treatments including radiofrequency ablation, phlebectomy and VenaSeal Closure. Before joining The CORE Institute, Dr. Marshall served as Chief of Vascular and Interventional Radiology at a Level 1 Trauma Medical Center, as well as a Medical Imaging facility, and was Co-director of the University of Buffalo Radiology Residency in New York. Dr. Marshall completed fellowships in Body Imaging and Vascular and Interventional Radiology at the University of Western Ontario. He completed his internship and diagnostic radiology residency at St James Hospital and Health Centers. Dr. Marshall obtained his doctoral degree from Midwestern University and his undergraduate degree from Niagara University.

Dr. Marshall currently serves as the Chairman of Radiology at HonorHealth Deer Valley Medical Center.

Paul Sousa, MD, MBA is a Board-Certified and Fellowship-Trained Orthopedic Surgeon, who is passionate about improving the quality of life of his patients. He specializes in adult joint reconstruction, primarily focusing on joint replacement for the knee, hip and shoulder.

Before joining our team at The CORE Institute, Dr. Sousa completed a research fellowship and his orthopedic residency training at the prestigious Mayo Clinic in Rochester- Minnesota. During his fellowship, Dr. Sousa had a keen interest in articular cartilage injuries of the knee, hip and shoulder, diagnostic and therapeutic modalities for femoral acetabular impingement, and knee dislocations. Throughout his residency, he further specialized with a focus on hip and knee replacements. Following residency he developed advanced skills for minimally invasive approaches to the hip and knee, robotics and computer navigated surgery, and revision total hip and knee replacements. Prior to his time at the Mayo Clinic, Dr. Sousa was an astute academic, earning his doctoral degree from Drexel University College of Medicine, his graduate degree from Cornell University College of Management and his undergraduate degree from Franklin and Marshall College, amassing multiple honors at every level of his education.

Dr. Sousa is an accomplished medical professional, academic and humanitarian. Having previously taken an active role as Chief Organizer of the humanitarian project- Ascovme. The successful mission in Cameroon oversaw 600 consultations and over 100 surgeries performed in the rural African villages. He has received many honors and awards for his accolades, such as Best Poster at the Arthroscopy Association of North America, Humanities Scholar, Junior Inductee of the Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society, and Medical Scholar for Gross Anatomy.

WHAT’S NEW continued page 7 >>

NEW PROVIDERS ARIZONA

William C. Thompson IV, MD, FASA is a Double Board-Certified Anesthesiologist and Pain Medicine Specialist. He is also Fellowship-Trained in Pain Medicine.

Dr. Thompson has been caring for patients as a Pain Medicine Physician in Arizona for more than 10 years and previously served as Chief of the Pain Division at Valley Anesthesiology and Pain Consultants. Dr. Thompson completed his Pain Medicine Fellowship Training from Harvard University’s Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. He received his residency training from UCLA Medical Center, serving as Chief Resident. Dr. Thompson received his doctoral degree from the Medical College of Wisconsin. During his time at the Medical College of Wisconsin, Dr. Thompson was elected into the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society. He graduated from McGill University, where he was awarded Great Distinction for his undergraduate education. Dr. Thompson is an active member of the medical and public service communities. He is the current Vice President of the Arizona Medical Association, President of the Arizona Society of Anesthesiologists, and Vice President of the Arizona Society of Interventional Pain Physicians. He has served on numerous government and public health task forces, including groups formed to address the opioid epidemic.

NEW PROVIDERS MICHIGAN

Marc Bonanni, DPM is a Board-Certified Foot and Ankle Specialist specializing in non-surgical and surgical treatments of foot and ankle conditions. Dr. Bonanni joins The CORE Institute after a long history of working with local podiatric group practices perfecting his high-quality treatment approach tailored to the needs of each individual patient. Dr. Bonanni obtained his residency training with The Cambridge Hospital, where he was given the honor of Chief Resident. He earned his doctoral degree from Dr. William M. Scholl College of Podiatric Medicine. Dr. Bonanni has also served as a Staff Podiatrist at Detroit Medical Center and Henry Ford Health System.

Dr. Bonanni is active in the medical community, holding memberships with the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgery, the American Board of Podiatric Surgery, the American Podiatric Medical Association, and the Michigan Podiatric Medical Association.

Danielle Meyka-Blanchard, DPM is a Board-Certified Foot and Ankle Specialist specializing in non-surgical and surgical treatments of foot and ankle conditions.

Before joining The CORE Institute, Dr. Meyka-Blanchard worked as part of a private podiatry practice caring for patients with conditions or injuries of the foot and ankle. Dr. Meyka-Blanchard earned her residency training from St. John Oakland Hospital and earned her doctoral degree from Ohio College of Podiatric Medicine.

Dr. Meyka-Blanchard is active in the medical community, holding memberships with the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons, American Podiatric Medical Association, and the Michigan Podiatric Medical Association.

John M. Stevelinck, DPM is a Board-Certified Foot and Ankle Specialist specializing in non-surgical and surgical treatments of foot and ankle conditions as well as diabetic conditions of the foot.

Before joining The CORE Institute, Dr. Stevelinck worked as part of a private podiatry practice caring for patients with podiatric conditions. He also serves as the Section Head for the Department of Podiatry at St. Joseph Mercy. Dr. Stevelinck completed his residency training at Kaiser Permanente Medical Center-Oakland and earned his doctoral degree from Ohio College of Podiatric Medicine. Dr. Stevelinck is active in the medical community, holding memberships with the American Academy of Podiatric Sports Medicine, the Association of Extremity Nerve Surgeons, the American Podiatric Medical Association and the Michigan Podiatric Medical Association. He is also a fellow of both the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons and the American Professional Wound Care Association.

PARTIAL KNEE, FULL ENJOYMENT

New approach to knee replacement restores Michigan man’s active lifestyle

By Elise Riley

Dennis Murphy had tried everything. Cortisone shots. Gels. Responsible strength training. He’d already altered his lifestyle and being mobile was becoming too painful to bear. The searing pain in both of his knees was a constant presence.

It’s a familiar pattern of decline for anyone who’s faced the prospect of joint replacement. At what point is the pain too unbearable? When is the right time to consider surgery?

But Murphy, 48, found out he had more than the binary choice of pain or total knee replacement. Dr.

Je erey Michaelson, a Board-Certified and Fellowship-Trained Hip and

Knee Surgeon of The CORE Institute presented Murphy with a third option: partial knee replacement.

LIFE-CHANGING DECISION

“This probably won’t be the last surgery I have, but it drastically changed my life,” Murphy said.

In October and December of 2020, Dr. Michaelson performed a partial knee replacement on Murphy’s le and right knees. Murphy, who had naturally bowed legs, had severe arthritis in the inner half of each of his knees. But, thanks to his active lifestyle, Murphy had essentially healthy knees otherwise. Rather than replace the entire joint, Dr. Michaelson recommended the partial replacement to target just the severely damaged area.

“With partial replacement we’re only resurfacing the one compartment that’s

“You have to think about not only the next 10-15 years, but beyond that as well. It’s still a joint replacement and it has longevity but the less high-impact sports you do with it, the longer it’ll last.”

– Dr. Je erey Michaelson

bad,” Dr. Michaelson said. “At the same time we do that, I can leave the alignment in a better mechanical position. I remove a lot less bone. The recovery is easier. The post-operative recovery is easier and the range of motion is substantially greater.”

RESTORING STABILITY

Dr. Je erey Michaelson

Utilizing robotic-assisted technology, Dr. Michaelson can target one of three compartments – inside, outside, or kneecap – with a partial knee replacement. It allows him to only address the damaged part of the joint while also restoring stability to the entire joint.

Three weeks a er his surgeries, Murphy was running again. Six weeks post-op, he was back at CrossFit doing box jumps. Although Murphy faced challenges in the early days a er the surgeries, he’s definitely pleased with the results.

“It was painful at the beginning, but it was a pretty quick recovery,” Murphy said. “They have you up, moving around, and walking stairs before they’ll release you. Then you’re in physical therapy the next day.”

BUILDING STRENGTH

Murphy not only dedicated himself to physical therapy a er the surgeries, but he also worked on strengthening his knees before the replacements.

“If you can, go and make sure you’re working out prior to getting surgery,” he said. “Especially strengthen the joint as much as possible. There’s a lot you can do. If you do pre-hab, you’re going to be in pretty good shape. Re-hab becomes exponentially easier.”

Today, Murphy is back playing 18 holes without pain – precisely the type of recovery Dr. Michaelson envisioned for a partial knee replacement like Murphy’s. But even a partial replacement is a replacement. These implants do wear out over time, which means it’s important to think about your health and mobility today, 20 years from now, and potentially 40 years from now or even longer.

“Someone with a partial knee replacement can water ski, they can play tennis, they can do light running,” Dr. Michaelson said. “You have to think about not only the next 10-15 years, but beyond that as well. It’s still a joint replacement and it has longevity but the less high-impact sports you do with it, the longer it’ll last.”

MAKING A DIFFERENCE

This evolution of partial knee replacements gives an option to people who previously had none. Dr. Michaelson tells his patients they may need to need a full replacement eventually – possibly 20 years in the future.

“The research shows that a partial knee replacement will usually last 15 to 20 years,” Dr. Michaelson said. “Depending on the progression of the arthritis, some patients will need a conversion to a total knee replacement. With a conversion from a partial (knee) to a total (knee), there’s excellent longevity.”