New Faculty Updates

Thomas Cha, MD, MBA

It is a great pleasure to welcome Thomas Cha, MD, MBA, to the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at Massachusetts General Hospital. Dr. Cha is an Assistant in Orthopaedic Surgery at the MGH and Instructor in Orthopaedic Surgery at Harvard Medical School. He received his medical degree from Drexel University College of Medicine in Philadelphia and finished his orthopaedic residency at New York Presbyterian Hospital – Columbia. After an outstanding fellowship in spine surgery at Rush University Medical Center, he returns to the MGH with a distinct interest in degenerative spine conditions, cervical spine disorders, myelopathy and spinal stenosis. Dr. Cha will use his Masters in Business Administration to continue his interests in health care quality and outcomes after spinal surgery. His specific expertise includes an interest in minimally invasive spine surgery, decompression and spinal fusions, as well as motion sparing procedures. Dr. Wood, Chief of the Spine Service, says “Dr. Cha brings a new and exciting perspective to the Division of Spine Surgery. With a Masters Degree in Business Administration, Dr. Cha has already begun meaningful research into the cost and utility of much of our decision making in Spine surgery. In addition, he has focused his clinical and laboratory attention on the cervical spine with an emphasis on techniques aimed at preserving motion and function in the least invasive manner possible.” We look forward to Dr. Cha’s many contributions to the Department. Please join me in welcoming him and his wife Janet to the Spine Service.

Jeffrey Kreher, MD, FAAP

It is a great pleasure to welcome Jeffrey B. Kreher, MD, FAAP, to the Pediatric Service in the Orthopaedic Department. Dr. Kreher completed his medical training at the University of Missouri – Columbia School of Medicine, after a successful career in the U.S. Air Force Academy. He completed his residency in Internal Medicine and Pediatrics at Indiana University, followed by a Primary Care Sports Medicine fellowship at Boston University Medical Center. His interests include pain in the throwing athlete, football injuries, as well as a variety of other sports-related conditions in the pediatric and young adult population, which makes him an outstanding addition to the service. He will be working closely with Dr. Maurice Albright, Dr. Gleeson Rebello and Dr. Brian Grottkau as they create a comprehensive network of Pediatric Orthopaedics in the surrounding area. Please join me in welcoming Dr. Kreher. Dr. Grottkau, Chief of the Pediatric Orthopaedic Service, says "Dr. Kreher adds a unique non-operative perspective to our practice of pediatric orthopaedics. The majority of the patients we see in our office have conditions that require evaluation but not surgery. Dr. Kreher has outstanding training and experience in musculoskeletal medicine. Because of his training as a pediatrician and interist, he also relates well to our primary care referral base."

William Healy, MD

The Department of Orthopaedic Surgery is pleased to welcome William L. Healy, MD, to our staff at the MGH and NWH. Dr. Healy joins us after a highly successful career at Lahey Clinic, where he has practiced for 28 years, serving as Chairman for 22 years. Dr. Healy is a world-renowned orthopaedic surgeon who has developed expertise in Adult Reconstructive Orthopaedic Surgery and he is a member of the Hip Society and the Knee Society. Dr. Healy will practice and teach primarily at the MGH Newton-Wellesley Joint Center starting on January 1, 2013.

Dr. Healy was educated at Needham High School, Amherst College, and S.U.N.Y. Downstate Medical Center. He graduated from the Orthopaedic Surgery Resident Training Program at Johns Hopkins Hospital, where he served on the faculty before returning home to Boston.

Dr. Healy and his wife Angela C. Healy, MD, live in Concord, MA, where they have raised five children. He is an avid golfer and a loyal fan of the Boston Red Sox. We welcome Dr. Healy to our faculty. He is a gentleman, a scholar, an academic leader, a gifted surgeon and a good friend!

Jenna Galloway, PhD, Musculoskeletal Genetics & Regenerative Biology

We also welcome Jenna Galloway, PhD, to the Orthopaedic Research Laboratories. Dr. Galloway received her PhD in Genetics from Harvard University. Her graduate research, performed in the laboratory of Dr. Leonard Zon, focused on the genetic pathways regulating blood stem cell and progenitor cell biology. These studies resulted in several publications, and laid the groundwork for her interests in stem cell biology and zebrafish genetics. After receiving her PhD, Dr. Galloway became a postdoctoral fellow with Dr. Clifford Tabin in the Genetics Department at Harvard Medical School, where she studied musculoskeletal development. Her early research in this field led to a molecular understanding of the mechanisms underlying phocomelia, a specific type of congenital limb abnormality; this work was published in the journal Nature. She subsequently established the zebrafish as a model system in which to study tendon development and regeneration. Her new laboratory will use zebrafish genetics and stem cells to understand how tendons and ligaments form, organize and repair, with the ultimate goal of applying this knowledge toward the development of improved therapies for tendon and ligament injuries. We look forward to her many scientific contributions and welcome her to the MGH.