By Gregory Hill, DO, FAOAO

The orthopedic surgery residency program at Cuyahoga Falls General Hospital (CFGH) in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, was founded in the mid-1970s by Richard A.  Josof, DO, FAOAO.  At that time, Cuyahoga Falls General was an osteopathic hospital just outside of Akron, Ohio.  Before 1978, the hospital was known as Green Cross Osteopathic Hospital, which was founded in 1943.  

In the early years of the osteopathic profession, all osteopathic graduates were required to complete a rotating internship year. This year consisted of rotations in internal medicine, emergency medicine, general surgery, obstetrics and gynecology, orthopedic surgery, and house nights.  After the internship year, a separate application process existed for orthopedic residency.  

The first two orthopedic residents, Howard A. Pinsky, DO, FAOAO, and Paul J. Deppisch, DO, FAOAO, started their residency at Green Cross Osteopathic Hospital in July 1973. There were issues of concern among the house staff at that time, and a strike ensued, leading to the transfer of residents to other institutions to complete their residency training.  Dr. Pinsky completed his residency at Lansing General Hospital in Lansing, Michigan, and Dr. Deppisch completed his residency at Brentwood Hospital in Warrensville Heights, Ohio. 

Following the completion of their residency training, Drs. Pinsky and Deppisch returned to Cuyahoga Falls General Hospital (CFGH) to join Dr. Josof in practice at the North Hill Orthopedic Surgery Group in Akron, Ohio. During my residency at Cuyahoga Falls General Hospital, Drs. Pinsky and Deppisch were program directors. James Boes, DO, FAOAO, William McLain, DO, FAOAO, and Bill Kennen, DO, FAOAO were early residents at CFGH.  Following graduation, they had very successful practices.  They were also highly active in the American Osteopathic Academy of Orthopedics (AOAO).  Their involvement in the AOAO provided examples of commitment to resident education, leadership, growth of the academy, and commitment to our profession.

Dr. Pinsky was the first resident from our program to complete a postgraduate fellowship in pediatric orthopedics at the A.I. Dupont Institute for Crippled Children.  Our program continued to produce top-quality graduates, some of which completed fellowships in pediatrics, hand, total joints, sports medicine, and spine surgery.  Our graduates’ relationships with many of the osteopathic medical colleges in Ohio, Michigan, Florida, Oklahoma, Texas, California, and Pennsylvania, further increased the program’s success. Dr. Alvin Crawford, from Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, has trained many of our residents. Dr. Crawford has been a great mentor of residents within our program. He is also a member of the AOAO.

With the steady increase in the number of osteopathic medical colleges, the number of orthopedic training programs consistently grew. During the late 1980s and 1990s, however, many medium-sized and small osteopathic hospitals began to experience financial troubles.  Some of those hospitals joined larger health systems. Some, regretfully, were closed.  

Our residency program has been in existence for 52 years.  Western Reserve Hospital is now partnered with University Hospitals of Cleveland, Ohio.  However, the hospital remains physician-owned and physician-run.  Our physicians are still the majority shareholders at our institution. Many of our graduates have become Program Directors or Assistant Program Directors, including the following physicians: Doctors Gregory Hill, Joel Rush, Brian Cross, Wade Faerber, K. Brian Williams, and Koan Heindel.  

We are proud that the Orthopedic Residency Program at Western Reserve Hospital was one of the first five programs to achieve Initial Accreditation from the ACGME. In addition to producing excellent surgeons, our residents are also involved in research and scholarly activities, community service projects, and leadership roles in their hospitals and the AOAO. 

We have trained over 50 orthopedic residents, and we currently have 10 residents. Our current residents include Jordan Wood, DO, PGYI; Alexander Fishbach, DO, PGYI; Alyssa Kendrick, DO, PGYII; Jeffery Gibson, DO, PGYII; Spencer Moore, DO, PGYIII; Nicholas “Cole” Brott, DO, PGYIII; Gregg Brandle, DO, PGYIV; Christina Schultz, DO, PGYIV; Jordan Read, DO, PGYV; and Derek Renner, DO, PGYV. Currently, approximately 85-90% of our residents match into a post-residency fellowship. Our program director is Koan Heindel, DO, Sports Medicine specialist. He is passionate about continuing the legacy of our program and continuing to produce top-notch residents.

Current DO Residents