Keeping Orthopedic Trauma Cases Local

Since joining the Emergency Department team in August of 2016, Orthopedic Traumatologist Jason Reid, DO, estimates that he has performed more than 200 surgeries. Of these, he says, most fall into the “high-energy trauma” category (car accidents, serious falls) and involve complex injuries to multiple bones, joints, and soft tissues. Prior to his arrival, many of these trauma cases would have been transferred to a Boston-area hospital.

“Trauma is so unpredictable, you never know what’s going to come through the door or when,” says Dr. Reid. “It could be an elderly person who tripped down the stairs, an intoxicated person who fell off a balcony, or a teenager who was in a car accident. It could be an upper or lower extremity injury, a pelvic injury, or some combination of all these areas. No two cases are the same.”

On call 24/7 — his pager never far out of reach — Dr. Reid works directly for Lawrence General, but in close collaboration with the two local private orthopedic practices in the area, Associates in Orthopedics and Orthopaedics Northeast. If a trauma case comes in and the private practice surgeons are unavailable, or the injury is too complex, Dr. Reid assumes responsibility. Post-surgery, he sees patients two days per week in the Ambulatory Care Clinic on Lamprey 1.

Asked what drew him to ortho trauma, Dr. Reid draws a parallel to his love for woodworking and building furniture. “Not to be crude, but putting broken bones back together is a lot like doing fine woodworking. In both cases, if you take pride in your work, you always try and make it as perfect as possible.” 

Another aspect of the job he likes is working with colleagues from across the hospital and the orthopedic practices. He has a special appreciation for Lawrence General’s two orthopedic surgery physician assistants, Maria Pollicelli, PA-C, and Kerry Hanssen, PA-C, who are key members of his team and make themselves available as needed on nights and weekends.

A graduate of the University of New England Osteopathic School of Medicine, Dr. Reid completed a trauma fellowship at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio, and his residency at McLaren Oakland Hospital in Pontiac, Michigan. Earlier in his career, Dr. Reid also played professional hockey as part of the Edmonton Oilers minor league system in his native Canada.