New faculty spotlight: Daniel Firestone, M.D.

Daniel Firestone, M.D., is a new faculty member at UNMC.

• Name: Daniel Firestone, M.D.
• Hometown: Lincoln
• Current position: Assistant professor, UNMC Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Rehabilitation

Research/professional interests:

• Wide awake/local anesthesia hand surgery
• Complex wrist fractures
• Hand and wrist surgery implant design

How I fell in love with orthopaedic hand surgery:
During my training, I was exposed to all areas of orthopaedic surgery, and I found myself most attracted to hand surgery. People often ask why I chose to specialize in hand surgery, and I typically tell them the same main reasons:

First, I wanted to do something special and different. Hand surgery is special because there are not a lot of people comfortable treating hand and wrist injuries or conditions. Typically, this is due to the complexities of the injuries and smaller/complex size anatomy in the hand and wrist. I saw a need that I could fulfill as a hand surgeon.

Second, I really enjoying talking and interacting with my patients. As a hand specialist, this is made easier because most people are comfortable socially interacting with their hands (i.e., shaking hands to greet someone). This makes the office visit and physical exam more natural and comfortable for me and my patients.

Third, I enjoy the fact that most of the time there is a dependable solution for my patients’ hand and wrist injuries/conditions. I love the satisfaction I share with my patients when we make their hand problems go away!

Degrees:

• M.D., University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City, Iowa, 2002-2006
• Residency, orthopaedic surgery, Creighton University/University of Nebraska Health Foundation, Omaha, 2006-2011
• Fellowship, hand and upper extremity surgery, Indiana Hand to Shoulder Center, Indianapolis, 2011-2012

Memberships:

• American Society for Surgery of the Hand — Candidate Member
• American Board of Orthopaedic Surgeons — Board Certified

Three things people may not know about me:

• I am an early adopter of technology/electronics.
• I have two French Bulldogs.
• I have been known to sing in the operating room.