Meet Our Team at the IJRR
The team of the IJRR includes members and staff of the Institute as well
as staff of the Washington Joint Restoration Clinic, which is a department
of Washington Hospital.
Comprehensive Care
The IJRR team provides comprehensive care for joint replacement patients,
including total hip and knee replacements, joint replacement revisions,
bilateral knee replacement, and unicompartmental knee replacement. Led
by co-medical directors Dr. John Dearborn and Dr. Alexander Sah, the Institute
for Joint Restoration and Research (IJRR) specializes in joint care. At
the IJRR, we offer the very best care from our most talented team. Their
knowledge and expertise will help you get back on your feet. Fast.
Expert Team
A team of joint care specialists including co-medical directors John Dearborn,
MD, and Alexander Sah, MD, are part of the Institute for Joint Restoration
and Research. Our surgeons are among the world's best in joint replacement.
They perform hundreds of successful total joint replacements each year
using the most advanced surgical procedures available. Our nurses'
and occupational and physical therapists' patient-centered, compassionate
approach to healing ensures a full return to normal, active living. Whether
"normal living" for you means a return to the workplace or an
active lifestyle, our rehabilitation program is tailored to get you back
on track in short order.
John T. Dearborn, MD, Co-Medical Director
John T. Dearborn, MD, 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.
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. In 2004, he joined leading surgeons
in implementing minimally invasive knee surgery. This surgery, which reduces
the amount of mobilization of the kneecap during surgery, results in a
significant reduction in rehabilitation time.
Alexander Sah, MD, Co-Medical Director
Alexander Sah, MD, currently serves as Director of the Outpatient Joint
Replacement Program and as Co-Director of the Institute for Joint Restoration
and Research at Washington Hospital in Fremont, CA. He was born at Washington
Hospital and raised in Fremont. He earned his medical degree, graduating
Magna Cum Laude, from Thomas Jefferson Medical College in PA. He then went on to complete
his residency at the Harvard Combined Orthopaedic Program and then a joint
reconstruction fellowship at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago.
Dr. Sah specializes in total knee and total hip replacement, and developed
the outpatient program in Fremont in 2014. He is the only surgeon performing
anterior hip replacement at IJRR. He has expertise in partial knee replacement
and is the United States Lead Investigator for one of the newest partial
knee prosthesis. He teaches courses and lectures on this procedure, as
well as on advanced pain management techniques and outpatient joint replacement.
Dr. Sah is a member of leadership committees for the American Academy
of Orthopedic Surgeons, the California Orthopedic Association, and the
American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons. In 2016, he was selected
as 1 of 10 orthopedic surgeons in the nation to the prestigious AAOS Leadership
Fellows Program. He is a multi-year recipient of the “Best of Fremont”
Doctor and Orthopedic Surgeon Awards and named a California Top 10 Orthopedic
Surgeon, among many other honors. He also serves as a reviewer for
Clinical Orthopedics and Related Research and an editor for
Techniques in Orthopaedics. Dr. Sah is widely published and is an esteemed speaker, having presented
at more than 50 meetings and conventions across the United States.
Much of the success of the IJRR is driven by the multidisciplinary teams
of physicians, nurses, therapists, and physician assistants who provide
integrated care for every patient. Drs. Dearborn and Sah direct their
teams, which include:
- Dedicated, seasoned surgical teams in the operating room
- Physician assistants, who work in surgery and provide care on the IJRR unit
- Registered nurses specializing in the post-surgical needs of joint replacement patients
- Physical therapists trained in hip and knee rehabilitation using the IJRR approach
- Occupational therapists who educate patients on safely resuming daily living
- A case manager coordinating home care after the patient leaves the IJRR
- IJRR alumni patients who volunteer on the unit and provide guidance to
patients on what to expect after they go home.
Pictured left to right: Alisa Curry, P.T., D.P.T., P.T. Clinical Coordinator;
Samantha Avila, R.N, Nurse Manager, Vicky Feng, M.S.P.T., Physical Therapist;
Fritz Buschman, R.N.