Dr. Jocelyn Compton, MD, MSc
Jocelyn T. Compton grew up the youngest of three in Hingham, Massachusetts. She was raised in a family of doctors and engineers and encouraged to “question everything” from an early age. After high school, she went on to Yale University where she earned a combined Bachelors of Science and Masters of Science in Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry. It was here that she discovered an interest in basic science and original research at the bench.
After college, Jocelyn attended medical school at Columbia University. While in New York City, she spent as much time as possible attending musicals and exploring the vibrant food scene. She married Tom Compton during her third year, and together they acquired an adorable but stubborn beagle puppy named Stringer Bell. Given her upbringing, Jocelyn found orthopedic surgery was a natural choice to satisfy both her surgical and engineering inclinations. She moved her family to Iowa to pursue surgical training and cartilage research.
Throughout her education, Jocelyn has been drawn to the bench to perform basic science research. At Yale, under the (extremely) patient tutelage of Dr. Elizabeth Rhoades, she examined protein folding dynamics in the protein tau as a means to elucidate its role in Alzheimer’s Disease. In medical school, she again found herself in the lab with Dr. Jessica Kandel researching Tie2 regulation of bony metastatic disease in neuroblastoma. Jocelyn elected to take a year off from her studies to examine the mechanisms of fracture healing with Dr. Francis Lee, further solidifying her interest in orthopedics and basic science investigations.
Since starting residency, Jocelyn’s research interests have only expanded. She has delved into several clinical questions, from S. aureus nasal colonization and infection in trauma patients, to biases in patient-reported outcome measures, to dextrocardia and scoliosis. She has also spent time in the lab with Dr. Mitch Coleman and Dr. James Martin investigating the effect of sirtuins, a protein family implicated in mitochondrial biogenesis and regulation, on cartilage regeneration and chondrocyte progenitor cells. After graduation she looks forward to continuing her training at Washington University in Saint Louis where she will be doing a fellowship in hand surgery and continuing to perform research in an academic setting.
Jocelyn would like to thank her family, and especially Tom, for their ongoing support through the training process. Tom has been a stalwart source of love, humor, and sanity in the face of the trials of residency. She would also like to thank her co-residents, past and present, for tolerating her antics. Finally, she would like to thank the staff, both in the lab and the clinics, for their incredible dedication to education and patience.
Dr. Molly Day, MD, ATC
Molly grew up on her family’s 140-year-old homestead in Elderon, Wisconsin, a town of <180 people, with her parents, Lawrence and Mary Day, and one older sister, Erin. As a child, she was fascinated with the dynamic world around her and loved the outdoors. She could frequently be found playing sports, hunting and fishing, spending time in her father’s workshop or running in the woods (possibly from a bear).
She graduated from Wittenberg-Birnamwood High School in 2006, and went on to attend the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, where she was on the women’s track and field team. She majored in athletic training and was recognized as the top scholar in the university’s graduating class in 2010, the first time this was awarded to an individual in her major. After graduation, she completed a post-graduate athletic training residency in Manchester, NH at the New Hampshire Musculoskeletal Institute from 2010-2011. She believes her decision to obtain a degree in athletic training provided her with unique experiences and perspectives which strongly impacted and shaped her future career path in orthopaedic surgery.
Molly returned to Wisconsin for medical school at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health. While obtaining her medical degree, she continued to work per diem as an athletic trainer to help fund her education, and on a Friday night was often with notebooks and flashcards on the sidelines of a high school football game.
After completing a sub-I rotation, Molly was thrilled to match at the University of Iowa for orthopedic surgery residency. Starting residency as a trauma team intern, she quickly became interested in clinical outcomes of the challenging trauma patient population, leading to her project, “3D Joint Space Width from Weightbearing CT Correlates with Outcomes after Intra-articular Calcaneal Fracture,” with Drs. Marsh and Anderson. Throughout residency, she has maintained wide research interests with a variety of faculty mentors. Molly has chosen to pursue a career in sports medicine, and after residency, is excited to head east to complete her fellowship at Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City.
Molly has many friends and family to thank for their endless support and encouragement. She credits her parents for instilling motivation, perseverance, and the importance of serving others. Their unwavering support and sacrifices are the reason she is here today. Her sister, brother-in-law, Derek, and nephew and niece, Colin and Isabelle, provide joy, laughter and fierce but friendly board game competition. Molly is fortunate to have incredible mentors in medical school and residency who have demonstrated endless possibilities, influencing her decision to pursue a fellowship in orthopaedic sports medicine. The energy and dedication of the faculty in the University of Iowa Department of Orthopedics have inspired a strong interest in research and a future career in academics. Lastly, Molly would like to thank her co-resident family for making this a fun and exhilarating journey throughout residency.
Dr. Nathan Hendrickson, MD, MS
Dr. Hendrickson, a title and surname which were previously thought to be incompatible, grew up in Prescott, WI. He is the youngest of four children born to Randall and Suzanne Hendrickson, and was the first member of his family to attend college. He graduated in 2004 from the University of Wisconsin-River Falls with a BS in Health and Human Performance Studies and minor in Biology. Following completion of his Bachelor’s degree, he joined his brother and close friends on an 18-month mobilization, including eleven months in Iraq. It has been rumored that his actions there were the basis for the Marvel character Captain America, although this has not yet been confirmed.
Nathan earned a Master of Science degree in Exercise Science at the St. Cloud State University (St. Cloud, MN). During this time, he was a Graduate Assistant in the Human Performance Lab under Dr. David Bacharach. Following graduate school he spent a blissful season as a Minor League Strength and Conditioning Coach with the Milwaukee Brewers. He then joined the Military Performance Division at the U.S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine (USARIEM). While at USARIEM he worked with a number of remarkable basic and translational scientists who inspired Nathan to pursue an academic career in musculoskeletal medicine. During medical school at the University of Wisconsin, his aspiration to be an academic orthopedic surgeon was reinforced by the research mentorship of Dr. Paul Anderson.
Dr. Hendrickson was fortunate to join the University of Iowa Department of Orthopedics and Rehabilitation, where he counts many of the attending orthopedic surgeons as mentors and friends. Dr. Hendrickson has undertaken numerous research endeavors including multiple spine-related projects with his mentor, Dr. Andrew Pugely, as well as an ongoing prospective trial examining the effect of nutritional supplementation after operative fixation for acute musculoskeletal trauma with Dr. Michael Willey. He will go on to the University of Utah for a fellowship in spine surgery. He plans to pursue a career in academics in the Midwest.
He would like to recognize his parents, siblings, dear friends, and the mentors along the way that helped mark out the long and sometimes circuitous path he has traveled to arrive here today. Most importantly, he is grateful for the unwavering support, endless patience, and unconditional love of Anna and his children, Leif (7), Piper (5), and Nile (3).
Dr. Jessell Marie Owens, MD
Jessell was raised in Winnemucca, Nevada with her two older brothers (Ryan and Shawn) and her parents Mike and DeAnna Owens. She graduated, valedictorian, from Lowry High School in 2007. Jessell completed her undergraduate education at Pepperdine University in Malibu, California. Her undergraduate studies introduced her to international travel for which she quickly developed a passion. As a Division 1 swimmer, Jessell was named an NCAA All Academic Honoree and Female Scholar Athlete of the Year while earning summa cum laude honors upon graduation.
Jessell moved down the coast of California to continue studies at the University of California, San Diego Medical School. While serving as a senior anatomy teaching assistant her interest in orthopaedics began to develop. This interest grew as she was chosen as the recipient of the Ruth Jackson-Steindler Award for Diversity in Orthopaedics. This opportunity lead her to residency at the University of Iowa after medical school graduation in 2015.
Jessell entered residency with an open mind with respect to subspecialty choices. Early on, she developed an interest in carpal tunnel pressure changes after distal radius fractures. This interest sparked the development of her project investigating changes in carpal tunnel pressures during volar plate fixation of distal radius fractures. As her interests evolved, she was also involved in several studies using large databases to evaluate pre-operative care of hip and knee arthritis and trends in hip and knee arthroplasty.
Following residency, Jessell will be moving to Denver, Colorado for fellowship at Colorado Joint Replacement. The potential for great mentorship and excellent training were important components in choosing this program.
Jessell is surrounded by amazing people that she would like to thank for the never ending support throughout residency. Her parents have been constant pillars of strength, encouragement and guidance throughout her life and she would certainly not be who or where she is without them. Her brothers have been the very best teammates, competitors and cheerleaders along the way. Iowa City also brought her Jim, who changed her life. Jessell will always be appreciative of his focus on growing through service to others. Finally, Jessell would like to thank her co-residents and faculty with whom she has shared the past 4 years. She is proud to have the opportunity to learn alongside some of the most incredible surgeons now and in the future.
Dr. Christopher West, MD
Chris was born to Hugh and Julia West in Orange, California and grew up in Salt Lake City, Utah with 3 brothers and 2 sisters. Throughout childhood, he developed a strong love of nature as well as a keen interest in art and physics. After returning from a 2-year mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in Samara, Russia, he attended college at Brigham Young University where he played lacrosse and obtained a degree in Mechanial Engineering. His interest in medicine and orthopedics was heavily influenced by his engineering inclinations and his observations of his father’s orthopedic practice throughout his childhood. In fact, several members of his family have been orthopedic surgeons including his great-grandfather, father, uncle and cousin. The orthopedic track felt like a natural fit. It was during this time that Britt entered his life; his parents credit her with saving him from his more ‘bohemian’ tendencies. It has been a wonderful journey ever since. They now have three darling kids, Samson, Evelyn, and Addison.
In his undergraduate studies, Chris was a member of the BYU Applied Biomechanical Engineering Laboratory where he led projects in ligament and tendon material property characterization. In medical school at UT Houston, he conducted fracture healing experiments on rat femurs in the setting of endocrine abnormalities. His experience on a sub-internship at Iowa on the peds service sold him on Iowa and he was thrilled when he matched here for residency. During his time in residency he has continued his research interests in biomechanics, hip preservation, national registry data, boatbuilding, wood-fired hot-tub manufacturing, skate-ramp production, meme-generation, Zamboni design, and igloo making. He has impressively succeeded in not entirely losing his identity in the sea of Chris’s that have flooded the Iowa Orthopedics Department.
After graduation, Chris will continue his training in joint preservation and replacement at Washington University in St. Louis, MO with the goal of practicing with a comprehensive approach to the hip.
Chris would not have the wonderful opportunities he has had were it not for the unceasing support from countless mentors, family members and friends. Especially he would like to thank his parents for their constant willingness to listen and advise, faculty who have taken him under their wing, fellow residents who have taught him so much, his children for the joy and sanity they bring to life, and to Britt, who is his light through it all.
Dr. Brandon Wilkinson, MD
Born in Provo, Utah, Brandon was raised by his heroes Richard and Tami Wilkinson who placed a powerful emphasis on respect, integrity, faith, teamwork and work ethic. Their daily charge was “Each job is a self-portrait of the person who did it—autograph your work with excellence.” Little did Brandon know that success would not come from academia, but rather, adherence to the principles taught in his childhood home.
Inklings of a future in medicine first manifest in elementary school as Brandon was naturally drawn to those with physical disabilities. He was profoundly touched by Ksusha (a Russian immigrant with severe extremity deformities) and Zeek (who suffered from debilitating cerebral palsy)—both dealt with extraordinary physical limitations with grace and optimism. He could not have known then that those interactions would ultimately lead to a profession in orthopedic surgery.
Following high school, Brandon chose to postpone his university studies, instead choosing to serve a 2-year religious mission for the LDS Church in Sendai, Japan. Upon returning from Japan, he attended Brigham Young University graduating in Physiology and Developmental Biology with minors in Chemistry and Japanese. During this time, he married Erica Marie Wilkinson and ran a landscaping and construction service company. He then completed medical school at the University of Utah. His path to orthopedics took a short detour with a 1-year internship in general surgery at Vanderbilt University. This was a defining year for his family, providing priceless experience and grit.
Landing at UIHC was Brandon’s dream come true—now able to work in the shadows of the “pillars” in orthopedics. He took an early interest in research, culminating in opportunities to present research all across the country. He is particularly interested in comparative studies and medical stewardship in the era of cost containment. Brandon is humbled to work alongside the best co-residents in the country, noting that there is not a resident or faculty that has not touched his life for good. Specifically, he is deeply indebted to Dr. Weinstein, Dr. Callaghan, Dr. Marsh, Dr. Karam, Dr. Willey, and Dr. Hogue for tirelessly championing him to a fellowship in orthopedic trauma at R. Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore, Maryland. Building on their mentorship, Brandon plans to give back to residents and academics while practicing at a level-1 trauma center.
Most importantly, Brandon states "everything I am or will ever become is a direct result of my beautiful wife Erica. She is my advisor and companion. She is the constant in our home and the catalyst to everything good in my life—it should be her picture here, not mine. Orthopedics is a team sport and my five children have been true teammates. The burden they have borne on this journey is far greater than mine. Tenley (9), Taylor (7), Nash (5), Blaire (3) and Wyatt (1), I am most proud of you—you will always be my greatest and most cherished achievements."