As the newest member of the Syracuse Orthopedic Specialists Neck & Back Team, Jessica Albanese MD brings nearly seven years of experience to the care of spinal conditions and injuries. Dr. Albanese received her bachelor’s degree from Arizona State University and earned her medical degree from the University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine. She completed her residency at the Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine at University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Prior to joining SOS in August, Dr. Albanese completed a fellowship in adult spine surgery at the Duke University School of Medicine.
Q What orthopedic specialty do you practice?
Dr. Albanese: I diagnose and care for spinal conditions and injuries from age 12 and up. I treat a variety of spine disorders: degenerative conditions, such as scoliosis, stenosis, degenerative disk disease, deformity. Spinal infection and spinal tumors. Traumatic injuries— fractures and dislocations.
Q Why did you choose the spine?
Dr. Albanese: I actually started orthopedics wanting to treat trauma-fixing broken bones, fractures, acute injuries. But once I learned more about the orthopedic specialties, I discovered I like the spine. I thought the pathology of spinal injuries and conditions was really interesting. There are a lot of complex issues with the spine and a lot of ways to solve a problem. Then there is the surgery itself—I enjoy operating around the spinal cord and the nerves. There is a lot of innovation going on right now, so there are a lot of solutions we can offer patients.
Q Orthopedics in general is a very male-dominated field. In 2022, Medscape’s Physician Compensation Report found that the number of female orthopedic surgeons was at 9 percent. How do you feel about that?
Dr. Albanese: That’s actually starting to change. It’s important for patients to see more diversity, to have more options when seeking care. It’s exciting to be part of that change, growing the number of women in the field.
I’d like to help introduce The Perry Initiative (perryinitiative.org) locally. They offer a Medical Student Outreach Program that provides a hands-on introduction to orthopedic surgery for women in medical school. Participants are connected with local mentors and peers while completing two surgical simulations and participating in discussions. I hope to be a role model and show girls and young women that orthopedics is a viable option for them. Exposure is the largest limiting factor: If you don’t know the opportunity is there, you don’t know to pursue it.
Dr. Albanese is accepting new patients. Appointments can be made by calling 315 251-3232 or visiting sosbones.com to request an appointment.
Returning to CNY: As the Newest Surgeon on the Joint Replacement Team at SOS: David A. Quinzi, MD
David A. Quinzi, MD is returning toCentral New York as the newest surgeon on the Joint Replacement Team at Syracuse Orthopedic Specialists. Dr. Quinzi received his bachelor’s degree from Cornell University and earned his medical degree at Upstate Medical University in Syracuse. He completed his residency at the University of Rochester Medical Center and in July completed a one-year fellowship in adult reconstruction surgery at the Rothman Institute in New Jersey.
Q What type of orthopedic specialty do you practice?
Dr. Quinzi: I am a joint replacement surgeon for the hip and knee, performing joint replacement for hip and knee arthritis whether for general wear and tear or other reasons such as post traumatic arthritis. I also perform revision hip and knee arthroplasty for dysfunction or wear of previously replaced joints. I think that joint replacement as a sub-specialty has an innate ability to get people active again and doing what they like to do. Arthritis is a big quality of life killer, and giving people new joints is a great way to get people active and back to enjoying life and the things they like to do.
Overall, knee arthritis is more common than arthritis in the hip, although both are prevalent. The bulk of joint replacement surgeries are performed for arthritis whether it’s standard wear and tear (think tires wearing out), or arthritis related to previous trauma. Avascular necrosis can cause joint collapse and pain as well.
Q How has robotic technology changed the way you perform surgeries?
Dr. Quinzi: Robotics is the more modern way to perform knee replacements. It was available toward the mid-portion of my residency, and in fellowship it was a large portion of my training. Fifty percent of the knee replacements I performed used robotic technology. I think it adds benefit in patients that have arthritis with significant deformities. It further helps with planning how a surgeon will perform the surgery and allows you to more accurately rotate the components for a more “patient” specific technique.
Q Are there other ways joint replacement surgery has changed?
Dr. Quinzi: There are multiple approaches to hip replacement— posterior, anterior and lateral—and there has been a shift towards the anterior approach overall which is the approach I utilize. With the direct anterior approach you use a pathway between muscle planes so you don’t cut muscles which I think helps with early recovery. It’s also easy to obtain x rays intraoperatively, which helps with positioning and sizing the components as well as leg length restoration.
Q Do you have a philosophy about patient care you’d like to share?
Dr. Quinzi: Medicine today can be very mechanical and robotic. I try to keep it
very conversational with my patients. I like to talk about their day-to-day activities and find commonalities with them. I treat their conditions with those activities in mind. I try to stay away from typing notes while I’m with the patient and make it more informal.
Q You are from Upstate New York. Where did you grow up and why did you decide to return?
Dr. Quinzi: I from Rochester and my wife is from Fayetteville. We attended medical school for four years here at Upstate Medical University. She’s an anesthesiologist and we were lucky enough to couples-match together at the University of Rochester Medical Center. We love it here, so we decided to come back, settle down and raise our family. We just had a baby in August and we have another daughter who is 2 1/2. My wife is taking a little time off and will start back to work in November as an anesthesiologist in town.
Dr. Quinzi is accepting new patients. Appointments can be scheduled by calling 315 251-3100, extension 9814 or by visiting sosbones.com to request an appointment.