A History of Excellence
John T. Dearborn, M.D. joined the medical staff of Washington Hospital
in 1997 after completing his fellowship training in joint replacement
surgery at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School in
Boston. He had previously earned two undergraduate degrees from Stanford
University and his medical degree from the University of California, San
Francisco.
Washington Hospital founded the Center for Joint Replacement in 1998 under
the leadership of Dr. Dearborn. The mission of the CJR was to deliver
state-of-the-art joint replacement care in a highly personalized environment.
In 2001, Dr. Dearborn developed a less invasive hip replacement technique
that promotes faster recovery. With this innovative technique, Dr. Dearborn
and a handful of surgeons across the country aimed to improve patients’
early outcomes following surgery.
By the end of the 2002 fiscal year, the CJR was treating 420 patients annually,
with more than 50 bilateral joint replacements. The surgical cases were
consolidated on two days per week in order to create specialized teams
in the OR. This increased OR efficiency and reduced surgical times substantially.
In 2004, Dr. Dearborn joined leading surgeons in implementing minimally
invasive knee surgery, which because of reduced mobilization of the kneecap
during surgery, results in a significant reduction in rehabilitation time
after surgery.
By the close of the 2006 fiscal year, the CJR was treating more than 1,100
patients per year, with more than 130 bilateral cases.
Alexander P. Sah, M.D. joined the CJR in 2008, having completed his fellowship
in minimally invasive and revision joint replacement at Rush Medical Center
in Chicago. Dr. Sah attended medical school at Thomas Jefferson Medical
School in Philadelphia after completing his undergraduate work at Haverford
College. He then did his Orthopedic Residency at Harvard Medical School.
The program grew exponentially over the years, and in 2012 the CJR ended.
The new Institute for Joint Restoration and Research was launched in 2012
to build on and continue the ground-breaking work pioneered by Dr. Dearborn
and Dr. Sah. The vision for the Institute is to advance joint replacement
surgery internationally through investigational research, teaching, and
technological innovation.
The Institute for Joint Restoration and Research is housed in a new building
adjacent to Washington Hospital. The 20,000 square-foot modern, light-filled
facility is designed to enhance every patient’s experience while
in our care. The new facility offers a seamless continuum of care, with
office visits, pre-op classes and your in-patient stays all under one roof.
For ten consecutive years, as a result of the Institute for Joint Restoration
and Research, Washington Hospital has been a recipient of the Healthgrades
Joint Replacement Excellence Award, consistently earning it a place among
the top 5% in the nation for joint replacement as one of America’s
100 best hospitals for joint replacement surgery. In addition, Washington
Hospital received a five-star designation for total hip replacement for
the thirteenth year in row, and total knee replacement for the eleventh
year in a row.
Today, with Dr. Dearborn and Dr. Sah at the helm, the Institute for Joint
Restoration and Research is on track to perform more than 1,300 joint
replacement surgeries annually for patients who come from all over the
Western United States for treatment in Fremont. Outcomes collected from
the thousands of patients treated at the Institute are continuously updated
in the Institute's comprehensive joint registry, which has become
a powerful clinical research tool.