Congratulations to our orthopaedic surgery residency graduates!

Thank you to Dr. Michael Daubs for his work in establishing the orthopaedic surgery residency at the Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine at UNLV and congratulations for the honor of serving as the endowment chair for the school’s Department of Orthopaedics.

It’s well-documented that Southern Nevada needs more doctors. According to the Association of American Medical Colleges, 68% of doctors who complete their training

in one state end up practicing there. That is happening—now.

As a graduate of the University of Nevada, Reno and the University of Nevada School of Medicine, Dr. Michael Daubs had to leave the state to pursue graduate medical education training in orthopaedic surgery because this

type of specialty training was not available.

He made it his goal to return to his home state and start a residency program in orthopaedic

surgery. After holding faculty positions in orthopaedic surgery at Washington University

in St. Louis, the University of Utah and UCLA, he returned home in 2014 and took on the position of professor and chief of the division of orthopaedic surgery at the UNLV School of Medicine. His experience at some of the top orthopaedic training programs in the country allowed him to develop the blueprint needed to successfully build a high-quality program in Las Vegas and attract top-notch orthopaedic surgeons as faculty.

Dr. Daubs has relied on the support and feedback of colleagues, including Dr. Sukanta Maitra, Dr. Brock Wentz and Dr. Erik Kubiak, who served as attending physicians for the program.

The Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine at UNLV already has excellent residency training

programs. Without these programs, our physician shortage would be even greater.

This June, the Kirk Kerkorian School of

Medicine at UNLV/Optum Department of Orthopaedic Surgery Residency Program graduated its inaugural class of orthopaedic surgeons. They are:

Sean Davis, MD; Aaron Gray, MD, PhD; Tyler Kent, MD and Brandon Romero, MD

“I’m a native Nevadan and attended medical school out of state, but I came back for the

residency,” says Dr. Romero. “The residency program provided the opportunity to remain in Las Vegas. I might easily have ended up in Arkansas or Louisiana, otherwise. The program has meant a great deal to me, being able to

practice medicine locally.”

Michael Daubs, MD, is professor and chair for the school’s Department of Orthopaedics. He’s also medical director of Optum Care Orthopaedics and Spine.

“Our collaboration with UNLV as an academic orthopedic group keeps us up to date on the latest in technology and evidence-based medicine,” Dr. Daubs says. “We’re continuously

learning, conducting research and testing the most innovative technologies to ensure we deliver the most positive impact on our

patients lives.”

Optum Care Orthopaedic and Spine is proud to support this effort.

To learn more, visit oc-orthopaedic.com