PADGETT
Douglas
E.

• 1. Career and education

Career and education

Dr. Douglas Padgett was born and raised in Seaford, New York. He received his undergraduate education at St. Michael's College (B.A. 1978) in Vermont where he was a starting member of the varsity soccer team. A recipient of a Naval Health Professions Scholarship, he completed his medical school education at New York Medical College (M.D. 1982). Following graduation from medical school, Dr. Padgett began his surgical training at The Roosevelt Hospital (1982-83, 1984-1985). From 1983-1984, Dr. Padgett was the Battalion Surgeon for the 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment during combat operations in Grenada, West Indies and in Beirut, Lebanon, where he was awarded the Naval Achievement Medal for meritorious service.

From 1985-1989, Dr. Padgett was a resident in orthopedic surgery at Hospital for Special Surgery and subsequently performed a one-year postdoctoral fellowship at The Rush Presbyterian Medical Center in Chicago in Adult Reconstructive Surgery of the hip and knee (1989-90). From 1990-1993, Dr. Padgett was the Director of the Adult Reconstructive Service at the Naval Hospital, San Diego and developed the Adult Reconstructive Education Program. In 1991, Dr. Padgett was deployed to the Persian Gulf with Fleet Hospital #6 in support of military operation during Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm.

In 1993, Dr. Padgett joined Hospital for Special Surgery as an attending surgeon on the Hip and Knee Service. In 2006, Dr. Padgett became the chief of the Hip Service, and in 2008 chief of the Adult Reconstruction and Joint Replacement Service. In addition to his duties at Hospital for Special Surgery, Dr. Padgett is also a consulting physician for the Bronx V.A. Medical Center. 

Dr. Padgett has served as a board member of the American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons as well as The Hip Society. He has served on the program committee of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons as well as the program chair of the Orthopaedic Learning Center in Chicago.

Dr. Padgett enjoys his role as surgeon, educator, and researcher, and is dedicated to exploring the cutting edge of medicine for his patients. While clinical outcomes and biomaterials research have been his main focus, two fields of current interest are robotic surgery and deep vein thrombosis prevention.

Robotic assisted surgery combines surgical navigation with mechanical guidance. In this procedure, a robotic arm guides the surgeon in positioning the implant. The hope is that this will lead to improved implant position which results in better function and durability of the implant.

Historically, the risk of deep vein thrombosis was reduced through the use of medications such as aspirin or Coumadin. Now there is another method being explored, an active compression device. The Active Care SFT device works by applying intermittent pressure to the lower legs, to encourage circulation and reduce the development of blood clots without medications. It is hoped that using less medications after surgery will reduce the risk of possible side effects and escalating drug interactions for patients.