Community Spotlight Community Spotlight: Coastal Orthopedics Welcomes New Surgical Fellow Into Program

Dr. James Cottom

Coastal Orthopedics Sports Medicine and Pain Management (CoastalOrthopedics.com), a comprehensive and full-service orthopedic, sports medicine and pain management practice, recently welcomed Dr. Joseph S. Baker as its newest fellow.

The third doctor in Coastal Orthopedics’ fellowship program, Dr. Baker will work under the direction of Foot and Ankle Specialist Dr. James Cottom, FACFAS, the fellowship director of the 12-month foot and ankle surgical fellowship at Coastal Orthopedics. The fellowship program has received more than 30 applications in the past few years for one yearlong spot.

“Dr. Baker is being recognized for his significant achievements and leadership experience as a resident physician,” said Dr. Cottom. “Fellows of these recognized programs are given the advantages of an additional year of subspecialty training in lower extremity trauma including advanced techniques of all aspects of foot and ankle surgery and reconstruction, total ankle replacement and complex arthroscopic procedures of the foot and ankle. I am receiving applications from surgeons from all over the country and even seeing some international interest from orthopedic surgeons. This has allowed us to select the top candidates to complete the fellowship,” said Dr. Cottom.

Most recently, Dr. Baker, who has a doctorate from Dr. William M. Scholl College of Podiatric Medicine at Rosalind Franklin University in Chicago, Ill., was a resident physician in the Podiatric Surgery Reconstructive Rearfoot and Ankle program at Detroit Medical Center, which is regarded as one of the best three-year surgical residencies in the country.

Coastal Orthopedics Sports Medicine’s foot and ankle fellowship is recognized by the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons’ (ACFAS) initiative, which aims to foster high-quality fellowship programs through support, recognition and visibility.

Dr. Cottom is currently the only trained orthopedic fellowship foot and ankle surgeon in the region who is trained on seven FDA approved total ankle replacements. In addition, he is also helping to promote advanced arthroscopic techniques in treating chronic ankle instability and heel pain. He has authored numerous publications in the area of foot, ankle and leg surgery and received several research awards at the state and national levels for his work. Dr. Cottom and his fellows are extensively involved in research and publishing papers in peer-reviewed journals. Currently, the fellowship program is in the process of collecting data and publishing 14 papers.

Dr. Cottom is a devoted patient advocate who strongly believes that the quality of education and training make a difference in treatment outcomes. He is a member of the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons, an organization that helps deliver superior continuing medical education to surgeons in the U.S.

About Coastal Orthopedics Sports Medicine & Pain Management

Founded in 1973 and based in Bradenton, Fla., Coastal Orthopedics is home to 15 orthopedic surgeons and pain management physicians who maintain hospital affiliations with Blake Medical Center, Manatee Memorial Hospital and Lakewood Ranch Medical Center. In addition to three offices and two ambulatory surgery centers each servicing Florida’s West Coast, Coastal Orthopedics’ board-certified and fellowship-trained physicians and surgeons provide patients with the very latest in pain and orthopedic treatment technology. The company strives to repair and heal injuries relating to the entire musculoskeletal system. For more than 40 years, their highly skilled staff of physicians and surgeons has treated patients in specialty care including sports medicine, joint replacement, pain management and rehabilitation. Patients can experience restoration of function both surgically and non-surgically through the use of physician-guided strengthening, therapy, medications, injections and stretching. For more information, visit CoastalOrthopedics.com or call 941-792-1404.