Dr. Matthew Jimenez

He is a professor, but he is anti-dogma. He is a traumatologist, but doesn’t thrive on an adrenaline rush. Dr. Matthew Jimenez, Chief of Orthopaedic Trauma at the Illinois Bone and Joint Institute (IBJI), is just enigmatic enough to elevate the standards in the field.

A Clinical Associate Professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago, Dr. Jimenez was born in Salt Lake City and received a Catholic education up until he donned his high school cap and gown. “Despite the fact that I didn’t do well until 8th grade, my parents were rather mellow about grades. But then Sister Ellen got hold of me. When I broke my leg in 8th grade, I couldn’t go to gym class and instead spent time every day with Sister Ellen doing schoolwork and discussing my future. She shone a spotlight on me, and said, ‘You are bright, but you are not applying yourself.’”

“Her faith in me, as well as my natural interest in science and math, helped me turn my attitude—and life—around. Also, I was increasingly affected by my mom’s love of her career. She was a cardiothoracic nurse and always talked about how much fun she had in the OR. My dad was a businessman, and along with my mom, set a positive example for us. They gave my four siblings and me complete unconditional love; we were expected to work hard, but we were never chastised if we didn’t bring home an ‘A.’”

Medical School Mentors and Advice

Sister Ellen’s daily “devotions” paid off. Matt Jimenez graduated cum laude from the University of Utah in 1984 and entered medical school at The University of Iowa. “As I wound my way through the various specialties, the fact that as a child I had broken seven bones helped set the stage for a career in orthopedics. For me, the entire concept of ‘doctor’ was someone who took care of your bones. The same orthopedist treated me for all of those injuries. It wasn’t lost on me that he truly had fun at work…and that he never talked down to children.”

This “question every doctrine” doctor developed his skepticism when he spent an extra year of medical school in the NIH Physician Scientist Training Program. Dr. Jimenez:

Not only was I interested in biomechanical research, but it was clear that participating in such an activity makes one stand out in the residency applicant pool. It was fascinating to learn that things put forth as law in textbooks could actually be flawed. Taking a year to delve into the world of research allowed me to see how that information is created and how it can be biased. For example, is the study well controlled, what is the power analysis, what is the level of statistical significance, who wrote it, what kind of lab did it emanate from, etc. That year really opened my eyes as to the necessity of closely examining the literature.

A nod to his future bride then determined the next step in Dr. Jimenez’s career. “While I interviewed at a number of programs around the country, my fiancée had her heart set on Chicago. I knew that the residency at Northwestern University was very surgically intense, so I was pleased to be selected for that program. My primary mentor, Dr. Armen Kelikian, became a dear friend and imbued my days with his sense of enthusiasm for the field.”

Although Dr. Jimenez selected his next training program based on brains, he also found heart. Trauma, he learned, is personal. “In 1995 I began a fellowship at the University of Toronto Orthopaedic Trauma and Joint Reconstruction program. The director was Dr. Marvin Tile, a premier thought leader in pelvic and acetabular trauma. It was an exceptionally busy trauma center, and the one-on-one intellectual mentoring I received was amazing.”

“Dr. Tile spent a good deal of time making sure that his trainees understood the value of balancing one’s life, ” continues Dr. Jimenez. “‘Don’t forget your wife and kids, ’ he would say, ‘and don’t fall into the trap of treating your patients as diagnoses.’ It’s easy to reach the point where your language becomes, for example, ‘I did a femur fracture today.’ I actually think that this is one of the major challenges in trauma education today, namely, maintaining a personal relationship with the patient. These are human beings with other psycho-social issues and we must continue to teach our young surgeons to hold onto the caring aspect of medicine and surgery.”

Becoming an “Official” Orthopedist

In 1995 Dr. Jimenez received an offer to go back to Chicago. “The Director of IBJI, Dr. Wayne Goldstein, said that he saw ‘something’ in me and said that he would like to have me become a partner upon completion of my fellowship. It was a superb offer, and once my excitement settled in, it was in part replaced by fear…it is somewhat nerve wracking to be an ‘official’ orthopedist all of a sudden. Now those patients staring you in the face and asking pointed questions about why they have an infection or are in pain…well, those are your patients and yours alone.”

And because the visionary Dr. Jimenez could see the number of patients needing assistance was on the rise, in 1997 he created an unusual program. “Of all of my accomplishments I am perhaps most proud of our Physician Assistant Residency Training Program, one of only a handful of such programs in the country. Orthopedics will only see an increase in manpower needs in the coming years, so the fact that we are training individuals who are qualified to take call, see patients in the ER, and assist in the OR, is critical.”

And while they weren’t exactly barring the doors and locking up the prescription pads, the hospital administration initially had to undergo a bit of education. Dr. Jimenez: “Physician Assistants (PAs) were not something that was often seen in Chicago at the time. We had to work with hospital administration to help them understand what a PA does. They came to see that PAs can result in an increase in productivity without a decrease in the quality of care.”

Elevating Standards

As for Dr. Jimenez, he would like to have fewer patients in the waiting room. As Founder and CEO of the Foundation for Education and Musculoskeletal Research (FEMR), he was determined to help the elderly adopt an attitude and practice of prevention. “Fragility fractures in the elderly are outrageously common. A past mentor used to say that we human beings come in through the pelvis and out through the hip. FEMR is meant to educate the elderly in my community—and hopefully nationally—on things they can do to have healthier bones and prevent falls. The challenges are huge, in part because there are so many charities competing for funding. And it’s not just that…how do you make bone health compelling, or to use the common parlance, sexy?”

While Dr. Jimenez brings passion to his trauma work, he knows when being dispassionate is the more appropriate route. “In 2003 I started the Chicago Trauma Symposium, which has gradually grown to 50 lecturers, 300 surgeon-attendees, and 50 industry sponsors. When I initiated the symposium, most non-society courses were associated with a single vendor (device company), with the faculty typically being consultants representing that vendor. While they weren’t necessarily biased, I could see that we were running the risk of having the course become an infomercial. In fact, because I was experiencing increasing pressure to have faculty solely from a certain vendor, I decided to switch to a multi-vendor format to prevent even the hint of bias.”

And that was a fitting decision for someone on the AAOS Board of Councilors who is poised to head the state orthopedic society. Dr. Jimenez, President-elect of the Illinois Association of Orthopaedic Surgeons, states, “I hope to encourage orthopedic surgeons to remain actively involved in advocacy and politics. By getting involved at the local, state and national levels, orthopedic surgeons can help maintain and improve patient access to quality care.”

Regarding his work with the Board of Councilors, he adds, “This position has enabled me to meet thought leaders from around the country, as well as like minded people who enjoy donating their time. To be able to address the question, ‘How we can do orthopedics better in this country?’ is truly exciting.”

A thinker and a doer, Dr. Jimenez approaches trauma with the eye of a scientist and the hand of an artist.

Trauma is not really an adrenaline rush at all, ” he states. “It is more like a challenging puzzle that needs to be reconstructed. Each patient requires hours of preoperative planning and thoughtful analysis to choose the appropriate surgical approach and then execute the procedure successfully. Remember, surgery is not a pure science, rather an art predicated on science. Like an artist, an accomplished surgeon develops a body of work over time.

Life at Home

Fallen Soldier by Matthew JimenezAnd his personal body of work? It greets him at the door each evening…times three. “My wife and I have been blessed with triplets—Jack, Luke, and Sophie—who are now four years old. Thank goodness our 16-year-old daughter Grace is around to help with the nightly feeding, cuddling, bath marathon.”

“I can sometimes be found running ultra marathons, i.e., 50 mile races. I was inspired by a runner named Dean Karnezis, and thought, ‘what one man can do, another can do.’ My average week consists of 70 miles on the road or treadmill, depending on the weather (cold Chicago winters). This year I am slated to run four marathons (26.2 miles) and one ultramarathon (50 miles). The best part? I can eat whatever I want and not gain a pound!”

But his newest love is painting. “While I never thought my art would amount to anything, it has actually been featured in the AAOS art show, has traveled around the U.S. and then ended up at the Chicago Cultural Center.”

Dr. Matthew Jimenez…envisioning and creating the possible.