Penn Medicine proudly welcomes Christopher Travers, MD — Assistant Professor of Clinical Orthopaedic Surgery — to Penn Orthopaedics. As an Orthopaedic surgeon, Dr. Travers brings his clinical expertise and advanced training to the treatment of his patients. We recently had the opportunity to ask him a few questions about his arrival to Penn Medicine and approach to patient care.
What types of patients do you treat at Penn Medicine?
As an orthopaedic surgeon at Penn, I treat adult patients, 35 years or older, who are struggling with hip and knee problems. This covers a wide list of conditions, ranging from acute injuries that came on quickly or chronic problems that has lasted years. I specialize in joint replacement procedures to treat arthritis or other joint problems within the knee and hip.
Where do you see patients?
I currently see patients at Pennsylvania Hospital and Penn Medicine Cherry Hill.
What made you want to pursue a career in medicine?
I chose to specialize in orthopaedic surgery because I felt like it gave me the ability to greatly improve a patient's quality of life. That principle is unparalleled
I love that I can take a patient with a chronic, debilitating problem and work with them to set them on a path to recovery. In the end, I can help patients to improve their quality of life- which I don't think is as present in other fields of medicine as it is in orthopedic surgery.
What's your favorite part of practicing medicine?
My favorite part of being a physician is seeing patients after their surgery with me who come in ecstatic that their pain is resolved. They talk to me about the trips they plan on taking and all of the things they're planning on doing, now that they have their life back!
What kinds of research are you involved in at Penn?
My clinical research includes types of hip implants, hip replacement design and testing, and robotics. I also am working on research on avascular necrosis, a type of bone disease.
What do you enjoy doing outside of practicing medicine?
I'm a big Boston sports fan – I enjoy watching baseball, football and basketball. I also like to stay active, as well as sailing and traveling.