Our Member of the Week blog introduces you to our fellow level members, showcasing their unique work and commitment to IOF. We feature different fellows who have made extraordinary contributions to the field of Interventional Orthopedics. To be considered for this feature, please email us.
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Connect with Dr. Tortland
Meet Dr. Paul Tortland
Today, we are very excited to introduce you to an IOF member with an impressive first in the regenerative medicine community– Paul Tortland, D.O., FAOASM was the first physician in the world to become board certified in Regenerative Medicine by the American Academy of Regenerative Medicine.
Dr. Tortland has been practicing regenerative medicine since 1995, when he began learning Prolotherapy during his fellowship. He then began doing PRP in 2007, bone marrow-derived treatments in 2008, and adipose-derived treatments in 2009, being among the earliest in the country to perform all three. He was also in the first group of physicians in the country to become Registered in MSK Ultrasound by the AIUM. Dr. Tortland is a nationally recognized expert in MSK Ultrasound, and he has published many instructional videos for physicians (www.UltrasoundDocs.com).
A graduate of the University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine, Dr. Tortland went on to complete a Fellowship in Sports Medicine. He is board certified in Family Practice, Sports Medicine, and Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine. He is an Associate Clinical Professor of Medicine at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine. Dr. Tortland is a Team Physician for US Figure Skating.
Dr. Tortland founded both Valley Sports Physicians & Orthopedic Medicine and the New England Stem Cell Institute, and he has offices both in the greater Hartford, CT area and in Jupiter, FL, where he specializes in sports medicine, non-surgical orthopedics, and regenerative medicine. He lectures and teaches frequently at conferences around the country.
He is married (33 years!) and has three children. An avid musician, Dr. Tortland can be found most Sunday mornings playing guitar or sitting behind the drums on his church’s worship team. He is also an accomplished woodworker, a former competitive cyclist, and a self-avowed “gym rat!”
Q&A with Dr. Tortland
IOF: What do you treat most frequently with regenerative medicine?
Dr. Tortland: By far, osteoarthritis.
What is your best advice for others wanting to get into regenerative medicine?
Without a doubt, the most important advice is to become the best you can at ultrasound diagnostics and needle guidance! The best orthobiologics in the world are worthless without a proper diagnosis and the ability to deliver them accurately and safely! Everything else is easy to learn.
Which IOF course was/is your favorite and why?
My favorite courses are Advanced Knee & Hip and Advanced Spine. I had little training in fluoroscopy, and these courses enabled me to take my practice to the next level.