New faculty spotlight: Sara Putnam, M.D.

Sara Putnam, M.D., is a new faculty member at UNMC.

• Name: Sara Putnam, M.D.
• Hometown: Wichita, Kan.
• Title and department at UNMC: Assistant professor, UNMC Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Rehabilitation

Research/professional interests:

• Orthopaedic fracture care;
• Care of the polytraumatized patient;
• Fractures near or involving joints (periarticular fractures), fractures of the pelvis and acetabulum, nonunions, and malunions; and
• How social support and access to care affect patient outcomes following trauma.

How I fell in love with orthopaedic surgery:
My dad fell from a semi that he was loading when I was five years old, and he broke his femur and pelvis. He laid in traction for a week before ultimately needing a hip replacement. Being a manual laborer, he was out of work for six months. From a very young age, I saw how medicine helped both my dad and my family. As time went on, I was drawn to the personal connections and impacts you could make with medicine, and how orthopedics could, in a very real way, get patients back on their feet, back to work and back to enjoying their lives.

Degrees

• B.S., University of Notre Dame, South Bend, Ind.
• M.D., Washington University, St. Louis, Mo.
• Residency, orthopaedic surgery, Washington University/Barnes-Jewish Hospital, St. Louis
• Fellowship, orthopaedic traumatology, Harborview Medical Center-University of Washington, Seattle

Memberships

• American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons
• Orthopaedic Trauma Association
• Mid-America Orthopaedic Association

Three things people may not know about me

• I love Smuckers Uncrustables.
• I once got a first-place ribbon at the Kansas State Fair for my homemade bread.
• I love hiking, camping and snow skiing, and I enjoy water sports despite not being very talented in that arena.