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As the newly elected president of the American Board of Foot and Ankle Surgery, Dr. Michael Dujela has new responsibilities on his plate, but he says his dedication to patients in Lewis County is stronger than ever.
Dujela came to the area in 2002. He joined Dr. John McCord’s practice at the Western Washington Foot and Ankle Specialists and worked with him for several years before McCord’s retirement. After six years in practice, Dujela ventured out into the world to complete additional training in advanced surgical fellowship programs in Germany, Switzerland and the U.S.
“Each time, I came back with a little bit better skillset, and I was supported by the community while I was gone,” Dujela said.
This pattern of professional betterment has continued. In 2014, he was invited to join Washington Orthopaedic Center, which he said was a very positive move both personally and professionally.
Dujela leaves the office 16 to 20 times a year to speak at national and international conferences teaching other surgeons foot and ankle surgery and the advancements that are being made.
“I’m thankful for my partners and surgical fellows here that they undoubtedly end up picking up my slack. That’s a huge absence from this clinic for me to be gone that frequently, and there’s no way I could do this job without their support,” Dujela said.
Most professionals with similar schedules are typically in an academic center or at a university hospital where they have a whole team of people around them to absorb their absence.
“Everyone has been phenomenal,” Dujela said of his team at Washington Orthopaedic.
His absences from the clinic, however, do not bode negatively for community members receiving treatment.
“All of our partners here in this practice have such a high level of expertise. People might think that because we’re in a small town that we couldn’t succeed in a larger city; however, we have some of the most highly trained surgeons anywhere in this practice,” Dujela said.
While expressing his gratitude for his team at Washington Orthopaedic, he also highlighted his appreciation for the patients who come from Lewis County’s community.
Dujela said local patients are accepting, open minded and forgiving.
“You make lots of friends over the years, and the community has been really good,” he said.
“There's just a lot of nice people here.”
He continued: “Our patients are so appreciative of what we do for them. They recognize that we’re trying really hard.”
Dujela also mentioned how appreciative he is for the community spirit that is evident in Lewis County.
As Dujela begins his new journey as president of the American Board of Foot and Ankle Surgery (ABFAS), he’ll be faced with new responsibilities, including presiding over 10,000 surgeons in the United States and continuing to serve on the committee creating the examination that deems them board certified.
These responsibilities are not being thrust upon someone who is unprepared.
Dujela graduated from Kent State University, formerly the Ohio College of Podiatric Medicine, in 2000 and completed his surgical residency at University Hospitals Health System, Southwest General, in Cleveland. Along with his additional training in advanced fellowship programs during the early stages of his career, Dujela has spoken at conferences and attended meetings all over the world, including Germany, Switzerland, India and South Korea.
“I think that's one of the things I’ve been most thankful for is the opportunity to collaborate with people from other countries,” Dujela said. “Having friends and colleagues worldwide that we can collaborate with has been tremendous.”
He is currently the chairman of the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons annual scientific conference, which is the largest foot and ankle surgical meeting in the world. More than 2,000 surgeons from around the world will meet to discuss the latest research and advancements in the field of foot and ankle surgery.
“It’s really great. It’s where we come together as surgeons and have the opportunity to yearly advance our profession,” Dujela said.
There will be 175 speakers from around the world and 50 different sessions with hundreds of lectures.
Among some of the future prospects within the realm of foot and ankle surgery that Dujela is personally involved in are surgical implant design and development as well as artificial intelligence analysis of patient imaging.
“I'm in the process of designing an implant right now as part of a surgeon-led team,” Dujela said.
He and a team of surgeons around the country are working on three dimensional implants for reconstructions where people have bone loss. The implant uses silicone nitride and other types of materials to try to replace bone and reorient the foot appropriately.
“I’m also with a company in Finland to look at how artificial intelligence analysis of patient imaging and CT scans can be used to help guide surgical treatments,” he said.
According to Dujela, the AI would recommend what types of procedures to use and what types of implants a surgeon might need.
In his new role as president of the ABFAS, Dujela will be tasked with driving the organization by working with the board of directors and the executive director to help shape policy, oversee examinations and ensure the health and safety of the public is protected.
He hopes to continue to work on helping surgeons continue to improve year after year and ensure that the exams they deliver are the most fair and representative of capturing who is doing the best quality work.
“I’m on a committee that helps to develop the examination,” he said. “There are many people involved in the exam process. There are different teams doing different aspects of it. I’m part of the computer-based, problem-solving portion of the exam. So we build the cases that surgeons are going through in the exam.”
One area of special interest he has been his involvement in the AO Foundation in Switzerland.
“I was the chairman of the development of basic and advanced trauma courses for surgeons, and we’re rolling that out now,” he said. “That’s been a huge project that took years. It’s been a really great thing to be involved in.”
The AO is a nonprofit, worldwide leading network of medical professionals in the field of orthopedic trauma. Their mission is to improve trauma care for patients by providing and supporting education and research for medical professionals in orthopedic trauma.
He is the director of an advanced surgical fellowship training program at Washington Orthopaedic Center with support of his partners who also assist in training. This is a highly regarded program, one of 60 around the country recognized by the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons. Surgeons who have completed their residency programs come from around the U.S. to spend a year doing advanced trauma and reconstruction training at the center, developing new skills and learning techniques to be experts in their field.
Dujela’s career has been a long one that hasn't been without sacrifice and constant support of his wife, Liliana, and children, Christian and Maddie.
“You have to be willing to sacrifice time from family and friends and many years of study that are very costly,” he said. “I could not have done this without my wife and children. They have always been there for me.”
For aspiring surgeons, Dujela said the most important thing a student can do is, “Stick to a long term course of study, and really love not only medicine, but love people.”
“Because it’s such a long path, if you don’t truly want to do this, it’s going to be a very unhappy existence and you’re not going to do well for people,” he said. “Study what interests you. Whatever it is in life, follow your passion.”
Dujela has been following his passion since he was a child, as he has always wanted to be a foot and ankle surgeon.
“My whole upbringing, my whole life, I’ve wanted to be a foot and ankle surgeon,” he said. “And that’s because I was born with a club foot.”
He had surgery on his foot when he was a baby and had it corrected. Because he had the surgery, he was able to go on and play competitive hockey and soccer and never had any issues.
“To me that was just such an amazing gift,” he said. “I wanted to be able to share that with other people. I think a lot of us in medicine gravitate toward some type of personal experience or impact that a specialist had on us, and that was mine.”
His passion for the art of foot and ankle surgery is strong and, despite being in a field mostly dedicated to evidence-based approaches and time tested studies, he still finds the artistry within it all.
“My mother was a concert pianist, and we were just talking in the operating room about how I don’t play the piano anymore but this is my piano,” he said.
Being able to ascertain the differences between certain presentations within various patients and determining what the nuances are that make the approach to their treatment the best for them is recognizing subtle differences in behavior, body type, function and structure that lead surgeons to be able to pivot.
“That’s the beauty of art,” he said. “It’s not rigid or black and white. Even though this is an evidence-based profession, there’s still some ability to be not purely algorithmic with things.”
To Dujela, understanding a patient’s goals is key, and he plans to continue meeting the goals of his patients from abroad and right here at home.
“I love the fact that we can see somebody and rather than just giving them medication we can actually make a very meaningful difference to them,” he said. “I can think of various cases I’ve had over the years where people have literally not been able to walk and, as a team, we’ve been able to completely reverse that and get them to where they’re no longer in a brace or out of a wheelchair. It’s a fantastic thing to actually do something tangible with your hands.”
Dujela and his team are currently confined to the physical therapy clinic and a portable building in the parking lot at the Centralia office due to a recent flood in their main building. As they get started on repairs to the building, Dujela is excited for the future of Washington Orthopaedic Center in Centralia.
“We are thankful for the patients in this area,” he said. “We all came here because we love the community. We love the people. And we’ve all felt a great deal of support.”
To learn more about Dujela and his team at Washington Orthopaedic, visit https://waortho.com/.
