Welcome Dr. Campbell: Expert in Hand Orthopaedic Care

As a fellowship-trained hand and upper extremity surgeon, Dr. Hilary Campbell treats every manner of condition from the elbow to the fingers. One does not have to look far to see why hands are so vital; they are involved in nearly all of one’s daily activities, so an issue with them is seldom a minor matter for long. It could be a case of trigger finger that makes itself known each morning, or numbness at two in the morning, perhaps a wrist fracture requiring the right kind of healing, or an elbow that has just given up on you. Before any discussion of treatment gets under way, Dr. Campbell will want to get the full picture from her patients.

Dr. Campbell Education

Science was not Dr. Campbell’s first calling. A Dartmouth College alumnus, she put in four years to obtain a philosophy degree, time well spent in learning to pose the right questions and have the patience for the difficult ones. As it happens, that is fine preparation for a career in medicine. There are plenty of surgical decisions where one cannot point to a single correct answer; the surgeon one wants on the other side of the table is at ease in saying “this is what we know and this is what we do not, and here is my take on it.” Her aptitude was recognized during her NYU residency with the Sarah Pettrone and Nate Bondi Awards, honours reserved for those who show the kind of integrity, teamwork and devotion to their work that set them apart.

A Dartmouth College alumnus with a BA in Philosophy, Dr. Campbell went on to obtain her medical degree from the Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, an institution where she was made a member of the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society. For her orthopaedic surgery residency she chose NYU Langone Orthopedic Hospital in New York City, putting in the time at what is one of the most rigorous and high volume training programs in the nation.

Later she took up a fellowship in hand and upper extremity surgery at Philadelphia’s well known Rothman Orthopaedic Institute. It was a year devoted to nothing but the hand, wrist and elbow. In her view, that kind of singular focus is what separates a surgeon who specializes in these areas from one who does not.

Dr. Campbell’s work in hand and upper-extremity surgery is well documented in her peer-reviewed papers, book chapters and national presentations. One can find her bylines in the Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, as well as in the Journal of Hand Surgery Global Online and the Journal of Orthopaedic Trauma. She has been a presenter at the annual meetings for the AAOS and the Hand Society, of which she is a member. For the patient, this research is of some import. It is a matter of knowing that the individual on one side of the table is the very same one who has done the reading and put the evidence behind the treatment to the test.

Comprehensive Hand Care

Under Dr. Campbell’s care, patients receive treatment for any number of upper extremity ailments. Her practice covers carpal tunnel and nerve compression, trigger finger and other tendon problems, and arthritis of the thumb and wrist. She is also the one to see for hand, wrist and elbow fractures, or for reconstruction work where an injury has not healed as it should. Dr. Campbell has a special affinity for wide-awake surgery. With this method she can perform many hand procedures using only local anesthesia, eschewing both a tourniquet and general anesthesia. For the right patient it can mean a shorter day and an easier recovery; there is something in the way of surreal about being able to hold a conversation with your surgeon as she operates. But she is straightforward about the fact that not all cases are surgical ones, and will make no bones about it when an operation is not called for.

Contact POA to schedule a consult!

You can learn more about Dr. Campbell here. Don't hesitate to contact our office today to schedule your appointment with Dr. Campbell.