Abraham Theodore Appleton, MDWelcome from Program Director

Located in Sayre, Pennsylvania just south of the Finger Lakes region of New York, The Guthrie Clinic is an integrated health care system that has provided high quality patient care and medical education since 1910. It now comprises five hospitals situated in Pennsylvania and New York, and currently hosts ten Graduate Medical Education programs with close to 150 residents and fellows.  

The Guthrie Robert Packer Hospital Orthopaedic Surgery Residency program was initially accredited in 2021 for a complement of 15 residents.  In compliance with ACGME and ABOS guidelines and regulations, and with strong institutional encouragement, we provide comprehensive training under the tutelage of a dedicated, well-trained core faculty in a close-knit, family-like, team atmosphere. In addition to their responsibilities at the main campus in Sayre, our residents cover cases in Corning Hospital and obtain their Pediatric Orthopaedic experience at St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children in Philadelphia.

We have worked hard to foster an academic environment by establishing a comprehensive didactic schedule, educational resources, and research support. Our residents are given the opportunity for graduated autonomy by encouraging early hands-on surgical experience under close supervision.                       

We welcome and thank you for your interest. Any inquiries may be directed to me or our Program Coordinator, Kierstin Bonning.

A T Appleton, MD
Program Director

Mission 

The Robert Packer Hospital Orthopaedic Surgery Residency will promote Guthrie’s environment of compassion, learning, and excellence in the care of musculoskeletal disease in our community. More specifically, the training program will prepare future orthopaedic surgeons to provide integrated, clinically advanced and scientifically based orthopaedic surgery services to prevent, diagnose, and treat musculoskeletal conditions disease within the rural communities we serve.

Aims

The Robert Packer Hospital Orthopaedic Surgery Residency will develop the next generation of outstanding orthopaedic surgeons with a focus on caring for the rural community population served by the Guthrie healthcare system as well as rural underserved communities. We will do so this through an ACGME-approved residency program that produces competent and well-trained board eligible orthopaedic surgeons. The program will maintain a culture of compassionate patient care, while providing world-class orthopaedic surgery services, a high volume, well-rounded surgical experience, and developing a culture of inquisitiveness, evidence-based practice, and research to contribute to the body of orthopaedic surgical knowledge. The on-site clinical rotations and intensive didactic curriculum are designed with this mission in mind. The pediatric rotation at St. Christopher's Hospital in Philadelphia exposes our residents to an underserved population. The institutional support and emphasis on research is expected to bear fruit in the coming years.

Vision

To produce competent and well-trained board eligible orthopaedic surgeons.

Values

  • Patient-centeredness
  • Teamwork
  • Excellence
  • Professionalism
  • Compassion
  • Empathy 
  • Integrity