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, knee and shoulder replacements, joint replacement
revisions, bilateral knee replacement, unicompartmental knee replacement,
reverse hip and reverse shoulder. 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, as well as shoulder specialist John Costouros,
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.
John Costouros, MD, shoulder disorders specialist and shoulder surgeon
John Costouros, MD, joined the medical staff of Washington Hospital in
2020. Dr. Costouros has devoted his entire career to becoming an expert
in the comprehensive treatment of all disorders affecting the shoulder
— from sports injuries, to fractures, rotator cuff tears, instability
problems and arthritis. As a prior full-time member of the Stanford Orthopedic
Surgery Faculty, he has trained hundreds of surgeons from around the world
and has shared the very latest advancements and techniques. Although many
injuries of the shoulder can be treated without surgery, those that will
require an operation can be treated today with arthroscopic surgery –
a minimally-invasive technique that requires minimal downtime and enables
faster recovery. Dr. Costouros also specializes in shoulder joint replacement
surgery for more complex problems such as advanced arthritis or some irreparable
rotator cuff tears. He has been a leader in developing cutting-edge technology
for shoulder surgery and has led multiple FDA clinical trials which have
benefitted patients throughout the country.
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.