S. Robert Rozbruch, MD, FAAOSL
Dr. Rozbruch is Professor of Clinical Orthopedic Surgery at Weill Cornell Medical College, President of New York Limb Lengthening and Complex Reconstruction Surgery (NYLLCRS), Director of the Osseointegration Limb Replacement Center, and Chief Emeritus and founder of the Limb Lengthening and Complex Reconstruction Service (LLCRS) at Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS). He is actively engaged in several national medical societies, including fellowship in the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons (AAOS) and ASAMI — The Limb Lengthening & Reconstruction Society of North America, of which he was president (2012-2013). He has presented his clinical and research work at numerous national and international medical meetings, and has authored over 250 articles in medical journals and chapters in orthopedic textbooks. He edited two authoritative textbooks on limb lengthening and reconstruction. Dr. Rozbruch was educated at the University of Pennsylvania, graduating magna cum laude in 1985, and he attended Weill Cornell Medical College of Cornell University, from which he graduated with honors in research in 1990. Residency training at HSS in orthopedic surgery (1991-1995) was followed by two fellowships. He did specialized training in trauma as an AO fellow at the University of Bern in Switzerland. Additional training in adult and pediatric limb lengthening followed at the Maryland Center for Limb Lengthening & Reconstruction.
Austin T. Fragomen, MD, FAAOS
Dr. Fragomen is the Service Chief and Fellowship Director of the Limb Lengthening and Complex Reconstruction Service (LLCRS) and at Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS). He attended medical school at the State University of New York Downstate College of Medicine. He excelled through a very hands-on surgical internship at Montefiore and Jacobi medical centers in the Bronx. He launched into his orthopedic residency training program, under John R. Denton, MD, at the Saint Vincent Catholic Medical Centers. As chief resident, he took a strong interest in fracture care, limb reconstruction and joint preservation surgery. He then relocated to San Francisco, California, to dedicate himself to learning advanced techniques in surgery of the shoulder and knee with pioneer and innovator Eugene M. Wolf, MD. He returned to HSS to help start the fellowship in limb lengthening and reconstruction surgery. He is committed to clinical and biomechanical research, and enjoys his busy clinical practice. Dr. Fragomen is a clinical Professor of Orthopedic Surgery, and he has presented his clinical and biomechanical research at medical meetings and has authored articles for numerous orthopedic journals and textbooks. He served as the president of the LLRS-ASAMI North America from 2019-2021 and remains on the board. He is a member of the AAOS board of subspeciality societies. Dr. Fragomen is skilled in limb lengthening surgery as well as limb salvage projects. Dr. Fragomen takes pride in resolving the previously “unsolvable” problems from which his patients suffer, and he welcomes collaboration with other HSS surgeons who have complementary skill sets in an effort to guarantee that all of his patients are treated by the best of the best.
Taylor Reif, M.D., FAAOS
Dr. Taylor Reif is a member of the Limb Lengthening and Complex Reconstruction Service at Hospital for Special Surgery. He specializes in the comprehensive surgical care of musculoskeletal tumors as well as the reconstruction of limbs affected by primary bone tumors, metastatic disease, trauma, infection, and deformity. He has particular clinical and research interest in joint preservation and live bone reconstruction of tumor related deformity and bone loss.
Dr. Reif attended Northwestern University obtaining a degree in Biomedical Engineering. He was awarded Kappa Theta Epsilon honors for his engineering cooperative work at Procter & Gamble. He earned his medical degree from the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, achieving acceptance into the Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society.
He completed his orthopedic surgery residency at the Loyola University Medical Center in Chicago, during which Dr. Reif developed an interest in musculoskeletal tumors and limb reconstruction. To further develop this specialized expertise, he completed two fellowships: the Enneking fellowship in orthopedic oncology at the University of Florida Shands Cancer Center and the Limb Lengthening and Complex Reconstruction fellowship at the Hospital for Special Surgery.
Dr. Reif grew up in Colorado hiking the Rocky Mountains with his family and understands the joys of life that come from activity and the people with whom we share it. He will strive to see patients achieve their functional and rehabilitation goals as fast as possible and get back to an active life.
Jason Shih Hoellwarth, M.D.
A Chicago-native, Dr. Hoellwarth graduated from Case Western Reserve University with a B.S. in biochemistry and psychology. He attended the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California, leading the student-run free clinic, two high school mentoring programs, and completed a year of research in pediatric orthopedic surgery at Boston Children’s Hospital. Following orthopedic residency at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, where he was a chief resident and responsible for intern training, he completed four successive fellowships to broaden and deepen his experience.
Dr. Hoellwarth’s first fellowship was with the Osseointegration Group of Australia, led by Munjed Al Muderis, where he learned to perform transcutaneous osseointegration for amputees which provides a permanent skeletal connection between the patient’s bone and prosthetic limb. He then completed his pediatric orthopedic fellowship at Baylor College of Medicine, learning at Houston’s Shriners Hospital and Texas Children’s Hospital with Dr. Scott Rosenfeld focusing on traumatic injuries and hip disorders. The following fellowship of pediatric deformity reconstruction at the Paley Institute taught Dr. Hoellwarth how to manage stature and limb deficiency including achondroplasia (dwarfism), hypochondroplasia, and hemimelia or deficiency of the femur, fibula, and tibia.
Dr. Hoellwarth completed his fourth fellowship with his current Limb Lengthening and Complex Reconstruction partners at the Hospital for Special Surgery, where he solidified his skills with external fixation and hexapod techniques, minimally invasive osteotomies, osseointegration, joint replacement, and managing complex deformity problems such as soft tissue and bone infection, nonunion, malunion, osteochondromas, nerve compression, and chronic pain related to bone and joint disorders.
Beyond medicine, Dr. Hoellwarth tries to advocate for the environment and is a volunteer instructor for cultural Chinese lion dance. These hobbies remind him that physical mobility and social equity are essential to health. His hope is to help develop affordable and available care to populations living in limited resource environments.