Chief Autobiographies (2016)
I was born and raised in Flint, Michigan, as the oldest of five
children. My parents instilled in us the values of compassion,
hard work, teamwork, integrity, and loyalty. Later, I attended
Johns Hopkins University where I solidified my interests in
medicine and scientific research. My first exposure to the field
of orthopaedics came while in college, and I was struck by the
fact that a life as an orthopaedic surgeon would allow me to
rebuild patients’ mobility and quality of life. This interest in
orthopaedics only grew during my time at the University of
Michigan Medical School.
Throughout my research and clinical experiences, I realized that orthopaedic surgery is uniquely positioned at the
center of ongoing health care reform and innovation. As such,
I wanted to learn more about the changes that will be affecting our profession. I thus decided to take an additional year during medical school to pursue a Masters of Business
Administration with a focus on health care management at The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania.
During my residency interview, it became immediately apparent how special Duke Orthopaedics is, and I am forever
grateful to Hardaker for the opportunity to become a part of the Duke Orthopaedic family. Residency at Duke has afforded
me a wealth of opportunities. I have been able to treat a diverse patient population and engage in research while learning
from inspiring and knowledgeable faculty in all orthopaedic subspecialties. I would like to give a special thanks to the
sports medicine faculty for their mentorship in leading me to a career in sports medicine.
In addition to my professional experiences, I am also indebted to Duke because I met the love of my life – Morgan Rogers –
here. Morgan, a Duke ophthalmology resident, and I met early in my PGY-2 year, and we were married in October 2014.
Next year, I will be completing a fellowship in sports medicine at the Steadman Clinic in Vail, CO. Words cannot
express how proud I am to become a member of the Piedmont Society upon graduation from residency.
Jonathan Godin MD, MBA
I was born and raised in Lexington, KY. As the son of an
English teacher mother and a physician father, I was taught
the value of hard work from an early age (I was also taught
to bleed UK blue). I have two older sisters, Katie and Amy,
who are wonderful to me. For undergraduate study, I ventured
up north to the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.
Thereafter, I sought to expand my horizons by studying
economics at the University of St Andrews in Scotland, UK.
In addition to the personal adventure that year provided, I
think it also taught me a new way to look at the world and
the manner in which people make decisions.
My next step in a very fortunate life thus far was to
Durham, NC, for medical school at Duke. While there,
I had the great privilege of working with Bolognesi which opened my eyes to the myriad opportunities in the field of
orthopaedic surgery. When I was lucky enough to match to Duke for residency, under the guiding light of Hardaker,
I could not have been more grateful.
Chief Autobiographies (2016)
In my 5 years as a resident at Duke, I have learned a great deal about orthopaedics. But the truth is, going forward
I will value far more the relationships this time period has allowed me to forge. My classmates in the Class of 2016 have
been wonderful colleagues and friends from start to finish. The residents in classes above and below have been great
examples of the virtue of hard work. And above all else, meeting my wife Brittany during my intern year was by far the
best thing that has ever happened to me.
After residency concludes, Brittany and I will be moving back to Philadelphia for a year of fellowship in adult
reconstruction at the Rothman Institute. We are excited for this next step in our adventure and eager to see what the Lord
has in store for us beyond that. He has been great to us this far, and we enter that next step with enthusiasm and gratitude.
But wherever we go, we will both treasure our time in Durham and at Duke Hospital. We look forward to many Piedmont
meetings for years to come!
Drew Henderson MD
I was born just outside of New Orleans in a happy city and home to
many crawfish eating Cajuns-Metairie, Louisiana. When I was five, my
parents moved an hour and a half northwest to Baton Rouge where I
ultimately grew up. In fact, my parents and four younger brothers and
sisters still reside in the Red Stick, a college town known to laissez les
bons temps rouler (let the good times roll)! My college years were also
spent in Baton Rouge where I had the chance to don LSU’s purple and
gold soccer jersey and run onto the field before each varsity home game
to “Eye of the Tiger.” College was a bit of a blur, not because LSU was
a party school, but because most of my time was devoted to athletics
and keeping my position in the Honors College.
Both of my parents are physicians, so the choice to travel back down
to the Big Easy for medical school was an easy one for me. Medical
school, where my love for orthopaedics truly blossomed, prepared me
to join the Duke Orthopaedic residency squad. This decision turned
out to be the best thing that has ever happened to me, as these last
5 years at Duke have been very special. Being that it was the first time
I had ever lived outside of Louisiana, I experienced substantial culture
shock after discovering that drive-thru daiquiri shops do not exist, bars/clubs actually close, and the ultimate double
whammy—Wal-Mart does not carry hard liquor and has a mediocre-at-best selection of camo attire. Joking aside, here
I have met seven of the most wonderful and inspirational people who are my cochiefs, and I was fortunate enough to be
touched by Hardaker before his passing. Being a resident in orthopaedics at Duke means I am now part of a family and
culture that continues to push me day in and day out not only to be an excellent doctor, but also to be a better person. My
attending mentors and colleagues at Duke are some of the most intelligent, selfless, and genuine people I have ever met.
These relationships made in small town Durham, North Carolina, will be cherished for my lifetime. Duke Orthopaedics,
in my opinion, is the best orthopaedic residency in the country and I am excited to watch the unmatched tradition, spirit,
and camaraderie of our Duke family continue to flourish. Additionally, during my time in North Carolina, I have lost my
grandpa, met my best friend and rock Stacey, and have begun the grueling task of raising Tater Salad Neumann, our very
terrible English bulldog. It is hard to believe that this amazing journey is quickly coming to an end, but I will forever be
grateful and honored to have been “Duke-trained.” Stacey and I are very much looking forward to our next year which
will be in Los Angeles for a sports medicine fellowship at Kerlan Jobe Orthopaedic Clinic, followed by another fellowship
(Stacey’s idea, not mine) in a location TBD in foot and ankle surgery. Finally, I plan to carry on Hardaker’s Duke legacy
by using the tools and influence that Duke has given me to make a difference in the lives of patients, friends, family, and
colleagues in the great state of Louisiana.
Julie Neumann MD
The Duke Orthopaedic Journal
I was raised in Arizona, along with my brother, under the
guidance of my fabulous parents. They are a constant support
in my life. I will be forever thankful for the opportunities,
guidance, and experiences they have provided me. I am who
I am because of them and I am honored to say I am equal
parts each. Growing up in Arizona I participated in multiple
sports but focused most of my energy on riding horses.
I have ridden horses and competed from a very early age and
continue to find time during residency to compete.
I completed all of my education in Arizona until moving
across the country to Duke for my orthopaedic training. I
am often asked what brought me East and my answer is
always the same—the great program I am privileged to be
a part of here at Duke University. Duke has exceeded all of my expectations and has made a huge impact on my life. The
faculty and residents are world class. I would not trade my time here for anything. I have made life-long friends in my
coresidents and hope to foster those in the years to come. I am very grateful for the people this program has brought into
my life and the family I am fortunate to be a part of. For my next adventure, I will be heading back across the country to
Rady Children’s Hospital in San Diego, California, to begin my Pediatric Orthopaedic Fellowship. I look forward seeing
everyone at the Piedmont!
Kathleen Rickert MD
I grew up in Raleigh, North Carolina, with a twin brother
and little sister. I was raised by two attorneys, Richard and
Marjorie, and the dinner table arguments in our house were
a true sport. I attended the University of North Carolina at
Chapel Hill, graduating in 2003. I majored in English but
luckily avoided applying to law school. The smartest thing
I have ever done was to get married to my wonderful wife of
10 years, Morgan. I worked in business and as a stock-broker
before taking prerequisite classes at UNC and NC State to
gain acceptance to medical school at the Medical College
of Georgia. Thanks to Hardaker, I was able to come back to
North Carolina for residency at the top training program in
the country. My life outside of residency revolves around
my family: my wife, Morgan, our twins, Mercer Anne (6)
and Woodson (6), and our youngest, Elizabeth Grace (4).
It was a true win–win situation for me to come to Duke for
residency: our training is second to none and it was exactly where I wanted to be. In my opinion, Duke’s greatest asset is
the quality of the people and I will always be grateful to Hardaker and our faculty for accepting me into the Duke family.
I want to thank our faculty for the many sacrifices they make in order to contribute to resident education, and for the time
and effort spent teaching me how to take care of patients and how to operate. I have great appreciation for my senior
residents, cochiefs, and junior residents for their teaching, friendship, and hard work. I would like to thank Morgan for her
love and support through the ups and downs of residency. In July, we will be moving the family to Denver, Colorado, for
fellowship in adult reconstruction and we look forward to seeing our Duke family at the Piedmont in the years to come.
Richard Rutherford MD
Chief Autobiographies (2016)
I was born in Warren, Michigan, the oldest of two children to
Dave and Lynn Templeton. Due to parental job transfers, we
ended up spending our formative years in Ohio, Arizona, and
Illinois. Growing up, I was involved in a variety of sports,
but eventually followed in my parents’ footsteps and focused
my efforts entirely to swimming. I am incredibly thankful
for the support of my parents and brother throughout all of
my endeavors athletically and academically.
During college at Michigan State University, I was
recruited to be a member of the varsity swim team. I remain grateful for the academic foundation that Michigan State
provided and also the lasting relationships that evolved with my teammates during this timespan. Academically, I decided
to pursue a combined Bachelor’s/Master’s degree in physiology. During this time, the focus of my thesis involved muscle
physiology and, in retrospect, began to lay the groundwork for my interest in orthopaedic surgery.
After spending more than 4 years in the Midwest at Loyola University, Chicago for medical school, I was excited
to have the opportunity be a part of the 2016 residency class of Duke Orthopaedics. As anticipated, Duke Orthopaedics
has provided for an excellent surgical and clinical foundation. What I did not anticipate, however, was to be a part of
a program that was so rich in tradition and alumni support that it would feel like an additional family. The past 5 years
have been challenging, but also incredibly rewarding and I am thankful to have been offered the opportunity for such
excellent faculty mentorship. I would specifically like to thank Hardaker, Ruch, Leversedge, Richard, and Urbaniak for
their direction during residency.
Following residency, I will be completing fellowship in hand surgery at The Philadelphia Hand Center. I will forever
be grateful for my training at Duke and look forward to being a part of the Piedmont Orthopaedic Society.
Erika Templeton MD
My journey to becoming an Orthopaedic Surgeon all began with a
Playschool doctor’s kit and an innate desire to help people. As a child,
I would subject my parents, Jesse and Becky, and my big brother, Josh,
to my medical questions and examinations; dispensing TicTac “pills”
and putting on plastic casts as deemed necessary. I watched my parents,
both elementary school educators in St. Petersburg, Florida at the time;
dedicate an incredible amount of time to teaching their students and
encouraging them to reach new heights. They instilled in me a strong
foundation and taught me to work hard toward my goals in life. This
work ethic carried me through the rigorous International Baccalaureate
Program at St Petersburg High School where I graduated with honors.
In keeping with my love of the Gators, I attended the University of
Florida where I graduated Summa Cum Laude and had the incredible
honor of giving one of the addresses to our graduating class. Having
lived in Florida my entire life, I wanted to experience what a true
winter was and had the incredible opportunity to attend University of
Michigan Medical School. There, I was able to continue to cultivate
my desire to help others, not only through clinical work in Michigan,
but also afforded several opportunities to help others through medical
mission trips to Guatemala and Honduras. I was honored to graduate
as the recipient of the Academic Achievement Award.
Having experienced such a supportive atmosphere at the University of Michigan, I knew I wanted to attend a residency
program where education was key and the residents were a family, qualities I was fortunate enough to find at Duke. I am
continually amazed at how Dr. Hardaker picked such a diverse yet cohesive group of residents for our class. They are a
The Duke Orthopaedic Journal
group I continue to learn from every day and I know they will remain my lifelong friends. During my residency, I have
been blessed to have an all-star group of mentors—Drs. Leversedge, Richard, Mithani, Goldner, and Ruch in hand surgery
department, as well as Dr. Lourie in Atlanta—who continually impress me with their knowledge, professionalism, and
desire to educate others. My time in North Carolina also brought the biggest blessing in my life as I met my husband, Alex
Nance, during my time here. Throughout my residency he has been an ardent supporter, a shoulder to cry on, a best friend
to laugh with and he has greatly enriched my life. We are excited to begin the next chapter of our lives in Indianapolis,
Indiana, as I complete my Hand and Upper Extremity Fellowship at the Indiana Hand to Shoulder Center.
Megan Crosmer MD
I was born and raised in Lafayette, Indiana as the oldest
child to Alvin and Dianne Tao and count myself fortunate
to grow up in a family that emphasized faith, love, and
hard work. During my time at Calvin College, I majored in
Biochemistry and had the opportunity to spend a summer
as a surgical research assistant at the University of Southern
California. For those few months, my life mirrored that of
the residents as I scrubbed cases, saw patients in clinic and
took call at Los Angeles County – USC. It was during that
time when I fell in love with the field of medicine. But more
importantly, my time at Calvin introduced me to my wife,
Shannon, and began an amazing journey together that now
includes our sweet daughter, Madelyn.
After college, I fulfilled a dream of being a ski bum out in Keystone, Colorado teaching 3–6 year olds how to ski. It
was so far removed from the rigors of academia, but I loved my time there and the people I met. After that season, I spent
the next 4 years in Chicago with Shannon and attended medical school at Northwestern University. We still have a warm
spot in our hearts for that city and all the fun we had there.
Reflecting back on these past 5 years, though, I could not be more grateful for my time at Duke. As for so many of
us, it all started with a handshake with Dr. Hardaker and then entering into the amazing legacy he built here. While the
days are long, the years have been short, and we look forward to an exciting year ahead in New York during my Sports
fellowship at Hospital for Special Surgery.
This is a special place for so many reasons, and Shannon and I have truly cherished our time in Durham. But without
question, the best part about Duke Orthopaedics is the people – from Piedmont members to attendings to my fellow
residents, I have loved the friendships that have been built and will continue to be fostered in the future. Thank you for
the incredible journey.
Matthew A Tao MD