Dr. Gil Ortega is a trusted Scottsdale Orthopaedic Surgeon specializing in anterior hip replacement, complex fractures, and nonunion fractures.
Meet Dr. Gil Ortega
dr-gil-ortegaDr. Ortega’s interest in orthopaedic surgery began when he was an orthopaedic patient. While playing West Texas football, he suffered a multi-ligament knee injury that required multiple surgeries. He credits the outstanding care of his orthopaedic surgeon and physical therapists in his return to sports and in his desire to be an orthopaedic surgeon. Through his surgeries and recoveries, Dr. Ortega has experience as a patient, which he believes helps him provide high quality health care with a passionate and dedicated service to all of his patients.
While he was an undergraduate, Dr. Ortega explored his clinical interests in medicine by participating in two prestigious summer research fellowships at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital. His research included key investigations into basic science issues that have evolved into clinical medical breakthroughs. During his undergraduate studies, he engaged in critical cancer research projects while working at the world-renowned M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, TX. In addition, Dr. Ortega worked with leading clinical researchers from Baylor College of Medicine/Texas Children’s Hospital on basic science projects that produced key discoveries in the cell cycle cascades of important cell regulators that participate in many disease processes.
As a medical student at Yale University School of Medicine, Dr. Ortega continued to explore his interests in medicine and research by engaging in National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) sponsored telemedicine projects with one of his mentors at Yale. Through the use of this experience, Dr. Ortega was one of the first orthopaedic surgeons to publish on orthopaedic communication challenges, and he has been credited with coining the term, “Orthoinformatics,” which is the structure for organizing orthopaedic information for use and study in patient care.
While a medical student at Yale, Dr. Ortega realized early on the many challenges that face our healthcare system. He therefore undertook the rigorous challenge of completing a Masters of Public Health degree at Yale during his medical school studies. He received his MPH in Healthcare Policy and Administration. In addition, his quest for perfection led him to study the ways of Six Sigma. The processes of Six Sigma seek to improve the quality of systems by identifying and removing errors and variability. Dr. Ortega was the first orthopaedic surgeon in the United States to both present Six Sigma research projects at national meetings as well as publishing his results in peer-reviewed journals.
After graduating from Yale University School of Medicine, Dr. Ortega completed his orthopaedic residency at the highly respected Yale University Department of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation. He also completed his orthopaedic externship at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital. While a resident, he continued to explore his research interests by completing challenging research projects that led to publications in peer-reviewed journals.
Early in his orthopaedic residency, Dr. Ortega knew his passion in orthopaedics was that of orthopaedic trauma and reconstruction. He was invited to participate in the top orthopaedic trauma fellowships in the United States. He chose to receive his specialized training in pelvis and acetabular surgery along with upper and lower extremity complex fracture management while completing his fellowship at the U.S. News and World Report’s Top Ranking Parkland Hospital in Dallas, Texas under the guidance of very well-known and research published orthopaedic surgeons. He also completed an additional orthopaedic trauma fellowship in Computer Navigation training at the world renowned Trauma Center in Hannover, Germany. He then went on to obtain the prestigious John Border European AO Fellowship to work with Dr. Pohlemann in Homburg, Germany where his training included exposure to complex fractures and post-traumatic reconstructions as well as femoral-acetabular impingement treatments.
Dr. Ortega’s clinical interests include complex and challenging fractures, including the treatment of polytraumatic injuries, upper and lower extremity periarticular fractures, fracture nonunions, fracture and soft-tissue complications, pelvis/acetabular fractures, anterior hip and shoulder replacements. He continues his research interests with ongoing research projects in Orthoinformatics and technological advancements in relation to improving patient care, recovery and satisfaction.
Dr. Ortega is the Scottsdale Osborn Trauma Center’s Site Director of the Phoenix Orthopaedic Residency Program. He is responsible for leading the orthopaedic trauma educational development and training of the orthopaedic residents for which he enjoys greatly. He also serves as Co-Director of the group’s orthopaedic trauma fellowship program and is a clinical instructor of the University of Arizona College of Medicine-Phoenix Medical School, Arizona College of Osteopathic Medicine, and Arizona State University’s College of Nursing and Healthcare Innovation. He has also been nominated by his colleagues as Scottsdale Osborn Hospital’s Medical Staff President.
Dr. Ortega is board certified by the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgeons. He has served as a faculty member for several orthopaedic trauma courses, providing many different lectures, and has served as a course Chairman for an orthopaedic trauma advanced course offered to train other orthopedic surgeons. He is a member of the Orthopaedic Trauma Association, American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, AO North America, Southwestern Orthopaedic Trauma Association, Western Orthopaedic Association, Arizona Orthopaedic Society, International Society for Computer Assisted Orthopaedic Surgery, Yale Orthopaedic Association, and Sigma Chi Alumni Association.
Dr. Ortega lives in Scottsdale, Arizona. His wife is an orthopaedic trauma nurse. They have 3 lovely children. During his freetime, Dr. Ortega enjoys golf, basketball, staying in shape, and US politics. Mostly, he enjoys spending time with his family.
For more information, visit Dr. Ortega’s listing on the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons Web site.
