Jonathan Lescheid
Qualifications:
BSc Biochemistry, UBC, Vancouver, Canada 1998; MD Queen’s University, Kingston, Canada 2003; FRCSC (Orthopaedics), Toronto, Canada 2009
Adult Upper Extremity Reconstruction Fellowship, Sunnybrook Hospital Campus, University of Toronto, 2010
Paediatric Orthopaedic Surgery Fellowship, University of British Columbia, 2011
Paediatric Orthopaedic Surgery Fellowship, Chris Hani Baragawanath Hospital, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2014
Profile:
At the age of 11, I read a book on the impact of hand reconstruction on leprosy patients in India; then, when I visited Kenya for three months with my family, I was touched by the suffering produced by physical impairments. Ever since then I have devoted myself to acquiring the skills and judgement to bring people from disability to ability and to relieve pain.
I have continued to focus my surgical interests during medical school, general orthopaedic training and beyond on hand and upper extremity problems, expanding my interests to include paediatric orthopaedic surgery when I was informed during a missions conference that this was a special area of need in the developing world.
After completing my training in Canada and South Africa, I moved to New Zealand in order to pursue a broader practice than was possible in Canada. After an initial fixed term contract in Hamilton, it was my pleasure to move into a permanent role in Rotorua to serve the entire community there.
Initially based solely at the DHB, I happily acquired non-DHB resources upon achieving Vocational Registration in late 2021.
Although my primary interest is in hand and upper limb surgery, I love working with and helping children, and my experience in paediatrics on two continents has given me the tools to develop a treatment approach to even the most unusual problems at all ages.
Furthermore, with two years of postgraduate training in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, I believe I have a wholistic approach to musculoskeletal problems that maximizes the use of non-operative modalities to minimize surgical risk.
I also have a collaborative approach to health care which places self-care at the centre while being devoted to providing compassionate care when that fails. Whereas I maintain a broad knowledge base to assess any and all musculoskeletal problems, I am quick to refer patients to their best provider.
Interests:
Upper extremity arthroplasty, reconstruction and trauma
Paediatric orthopaedic surgery
General adult orthopaedics
Injuries and their complications
Title or Designation
Orthopaedic Surgeon
Full NZ Registration Date
08 September 2021
