UH Rainbow Pediatric Orthopaedics Division Chief Report from Michael P. Glotzbecker MD

Pediatric Orthopaedic Update | Winter 2024

Michael P. Glozbecker, MD

I am extremely proud to be part of such a fantastic group of pediatric orthopaedic experts. Our UH Rainbow Orthopaedics team continues to provide the very best pediatric care to patients in the region. It is an exciting time at University Hospitals Rainbow Babies & Children’s, as we offer the very latest technology available to our diverse population of patients with wide-ranging orthopaedic conditions. This advanced care continues to add to the important body of pediatric research that will enhance the care of patients worldwide – improving pediatric orthopaedic outcomes for years to come. Our busy team has published more than 35 peer-reviewed articles, been invited to provide numerous lectures, and are members and/or hold leadership positions in national and international societies.  With this high level of involvement, Rainbow is leaving an indelible mark on the future of pediatric orthopaedics and its leadership.

I am excited to introduce and bring our newest teammate to the group -- Katharine Hollnagel, MD.  Kate completed a pediatric orthopaedic fellowship as well as a hip preservation fellowship prior to joining our team. Being dual-trained, she has the unique expertise and international relationships to provide regional leading clinical care for children and young adults with hip conditions. She is an outstanding individual and I am eager for her to begin enhancing the clinical services we offer.

As we look forward to our growth, we also were able to look back and honor two individuals who were instrumental in building the strong foundation upon which the Rainbow Orthopaedic program stands. To reflect our gratitude and respect, our team commissioned a portrait of George H. Thompson, MD that hangs in the Rainbow Orthopaedic offices as a testament of how he grew Rainbow orthopaedics to its national leadership position in pediatric orthopaedic research and clinical care. At the ceremony, we announced a new annual Rainbow Lectureship -- the George H. Thompson and Connie Poe-Kochert Rainbow Lectureship. This perpetual lectureship was made possible through a generous gift to Pediatric Orthopaedics at Rainbow and commemorates the close collaboration enjoyed by Dr. Thompson and Connie who together nurtured and grew the department to be the research and clinical powerhouse it is now. In addition, earlier in the year Connie made a very generous donation to establish a travel fund for our nurses and nurse practitioners to complete additional training that was previously not available.

Our spine program continues to offer comprehensive care for patients with all types of pediatric spine conditions. On the leading edge, we continue to take care of growing children with the latest technology and surgical techniques to make the care of these patients safer and tailored to their unique needs. With advancements in the past year including robotic assisted deformity surgery and vertebral body tethering, our team can take care of any child with any spinal problem. We offer the full complement of surgical techniques and enabling technologies for our patients and remain up to date on the latest research through participation in the two largest international spinal research groups.

As we have finally felt some normalization after the COVID pandemic and nursing shortage, the future is bright. We are fortunate to be supported by such strong research, administrative and nursing teams. It takes a great team to provide national leading care to our patients and I can’t emphasize enough how fortunate we are to be part of such a dynamic, caring and collaborative team!

We look forward to 2024 and to collaborating with many of you at national meetings or by email!