It’s been said that orthopedic surgeons like to fix things. That’s certainly true for new orthopedic surgeon Dr. Stanford Israelsen. As a youngster one of his favorite things was to help his father fix ‘stuff’, from cars to air conditioners.
“It’s very gratifying to take something that’s broken and make it functional again,” he said.
Dr. Israelsen combined his passion for fixing things with community service during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. He spent weekends camping out in church parking lots with his LDS group, tearing homes down to the 2 x 4’s to clean up mud, debris and downed timber.
“We did a lot of work with chainsaws,” said Dr. Israelsen, with a grin.
He attended medical school at the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas and completed an internship in General Surgery at the
Mayo Clinic and his residency in Orthopedic Surgery at
Marshall University in Huntington, WV.
He’s no stranger to Wyoming, having spent summer vacations camping in the Wind River range with his family for more than 20 years. Dr. Israelsen looked at many opportunities in Montana, Colorado and Utah before choosing to practice with Powder River Orthopedics and Spine, (PROS).
“Gillette was hands down the favorite,” said Dr. Israelsen. “Everyone we met was excited for us to come here. Both the hospital and the job were ideal.”
Dr. Israelsen will be seeing patients for general orthopedic surgery, including joint replacement, orthopedic trauma, sports medicine and hand, foot and ankle procedures—in other words, just about everything except spine surgery.
When asked about his philosophy of caring for patients, he emphasized the importance of taking the time to listen, understand, and answer questions.
“I want to help my patients heal and regain function in the least invasive way possible, whether that choice is surgery or non-operative care,” he said.
Dr. Isrealsen and his wife Denae have four children, ages four months to ten years, and the family is looking forward to enjoying camping, hiking, biking and other outdoor activities.
“It’s one of the reasons we’re excited to be in Wyoming,” he said.
Expert Orthopedic & Spine Care In Gillette, Wyoming
The Board-certified physicians at PROS take an innovative and comprehensive approach to the treatment of acute and chronic orthopedic pain. Have your procedure in our modern operating rooms at Campbell County Health or
Powder River Surgery Center, nationally accredited by the AAAHC.*
See the PROS for:
- General orthopedic surgery
- Joint replacement surgery, hip and knee
- Anterior approach for hip replacement
- Spine surgery, including minimally invasive procedures
- Foot and ankle surgery, including ankle replacement
For a consultation, call 307.686.1413 or visit www.cchwyo.org/PROS.
*The Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care