Offering more options for children with hand and upper extremity ailments

The Children’s National Hand and Upper Extremities Program is one of few dedicated pediatric programs in the country, and it just added another hand surgeon to the team of extensively trained and experienced specialists.

Joseph Letzelter III, M.D., joined Children’s National Hospital and Pediatric Specialists of Virginia in September 2019 following comprehensive medical training in orthopaedic surgery with a focus on pediatric hand and upper extremity surgery. Dr. Letzelter received his undergraduate and medical degrees from Georgetown University, and also completed his internship and orthopaedic surgery residency there. He then completed a fellowship in hand and upper extremity surgery at New York University before continuing his studies with Dr. Michael Boland at the prestigious Hand Institute of New Zealand in Auckland. To round out his fellowship training, Dr. Letzelter focused purely on pediatric hand and upper extremity surgery at Shriner’s Hospital in Sacramento.

With the addition of Dr. Letzelter, the combined Hand and Upper Extremities Program expands its capacity to treat children with pediatric hand disorders. The joint orthopaedic surgery and plastic surgery program, led by Emily Hattwick, M.D., and Gary Rogers, M.D., uses pediatric-specific surgical methods to treat children without affecting their growth. Partnering with the world-class researchers at the Sheikh Zayed Institute for Surgical Innovation at Children’s National, the team is part of new discoveries that change the way we care for rare conditions. Learn more about the Hand and Upper Extremities Program here.