معرفی
Thomas Hickernell, MD is an Assistant Professor of Orthopaedics & Rehabilitation at Yale School of Medicine and serves as the Associate Vice Chair of Clinical Affairs for the Yale University Department of Orthopaedic Surgery. He is also the co-director of the arthroplasty service at Greenwich Hospital, where he provides specialized care in hip and knee reconstruction. Dr. Hickernell completed his medical training at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, followed by an orthopedic surgery residency and fellowship in adult hip and knee reconstruction at Columbia University Medical Center/NYP.
Dr. Hickernell specializes in adult hip and knee reconstructive surgery with a focus on minimally-invasive, muscle-sparing anterior hip replacement, total and partial knee replacement, and complex revision surgery for problematic joint replacements. His research interests center on optimizing outcomes in joint replacement surgery, with particular emphasis on same-day discharge protocols, opioid-sparing pain management, and addressing health disparities in orthopedic care. He has published extensively in leading orthopedic journals including the Journal of Arthroplasty and the Journal of the American Association of Orthopedic Surgeons.
His recent publications demonstrate a strong focus on improving access to care for underserved populations, optimizing surgical efficiency, and developing predictive models for patient selection in outpatient joint replacement. Dr. Hickernell's work also addresses important issues such as implicit racial bias in surgical scheduling, the impact of medical cannabis laws on opioid prescribing, and innovative surgical approaches like the "Bikini Approach" for direct anterior hip replacement.
- Fellow of the American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons (AAHKS)
- Fellow of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgery (AAOS)
- Member of the Advocacy Committee of AAHKS
Dr. Hickernell is passionate about advocating for improved access to quality care for patients and serves in leadership roles including Associate Vice Chair of Clinical Affairs for the Yale University Department of Orthopaedic Surgery. His clinical practice emphasizes personalized care with a "no one-size-fits-all approach," providing both operative and nonoperative treatments tailored to individual patient goals. He utilizes Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) protocols and opioid-sparing multimodal pain control regimens to facilitate same-day discharges for appropriately selected joint replacement patients.
