Meet Dr. Chandra, Our Newest Foot and Ankle Surgical Fellow What does an Advanced Foot and Ankle fellowship mean? A fellowship is a period of training that a physician may undertake after completing their residency. This is done in order to gain further exposure in a specific area of interest and to truly master that specialty. The length of the fellowship can vary, but it is usually at least one year long. During this time, the fellow is fully licensed and acts as an attending physician in their specific field of medicine. A fellowship in advanced foot and ankle surgery entails a period of training in which the fellow gains exposure to complex pathologies affecting the lower extremities as well as the methods and techniques utilized to appropriately manage them. These pathologies can range from forefoot abnormalities such as bunions to severe foot and ankle deformities requiring complete reconstruction to help relieve pain and improve function. It builds upon the experience and knowledge gained during residency and provides the fellow with the tools needed to tackle the most difficult and complex foot and ankle issues. About Dr. Chandra Dr. Amar Chandra was born and raised in [...]

Most Common Shoulder Injuries   Dr. Kazemi is one of the only board-certified fellowship-trained shoulder surgeons in the Pacific Northwest. We’re so glad to have him at Washington Orthopaedic! Dr. Kazemi treats all shoulder conditions, but here are some of the most common injuries that he sees:  Shoulder Arthritis  Shoulder Arthritis is one of the most common shoulder issues that people have. Arthritis is typically defined as joint inflammation that could promote damage or loss of cartilage surrounding the bone. Without the cartilage that surrounds each joint, two bones will rub against each other during movement which creates pain for the patient.   The most common type of arthritis is osteoarthritis, which typically develops in older patients from normal wear and tear of the bones.  Another form of arthritis is rheumatoid arthritis, which is connected to rheumatoid disease. Because rheumatoid disease is an autoimmune disorder, the body attacks the tissue that surrounds the bones, which causes the destruction of cartilage in joints. When the cartilage is destroyed, it causes pain and stiffness in the joints that most arthritis patients suffer from. A particular type of arthritis, called Cuff-tear arthropathy, damages cartilage only on one side [...]

Washington Orthopaedic Center would like to extend our thanks and appreciation to the “Milestone” years of service individuals listed below.  The loyalty and dedication to Washington Orthopaedic Center and our patients does not go unnoticed and is greatly appreciated. 🎈 2021 Years of Service 🎈 Ashleigh Linn One Year of Service Kimberly Soares One Year of Service Chloe Whitaker One Year of Service Beau Boire One Year of Service Kalie Potter One Year of Service Jennifer Brown One Year of Service Beatriz Mejia One Year of Service Nicole Spencer One Year of Service Erin Anderson One Year of Service Dyanna Ramez One Year of Service Kelsie Morang One Year of Service Nikki Schroeder One Year of Service Denise Muller Three Years of Service Hailey Dickinson Three Years of Service Briana Reyes Three Years of Service Rodell Sunga Five Years of Service Debbie Moberg Ten Years of Service Christy Caple Ten Years of Service Traci King Fifteen Years of Service Nikki Wallis [...]

We recently interviewed our 2021 Washington Orthopaedic Center Employee Excellence (WOCEE) recipients. These employees are first nominated by fellow staff members and then chosen by the doctors on a monthly basis. Here’s what they had to say! Rodell Sunga What are your job duties at Washington Orthopaedic Center?  Facilities Coordinator (Maintenance) and IT What do you like most about working at Washington Orthopaedic Center? I like the flexibility in my work schedule What is your favorite memory so far while working at WOC? My favorite memory is the completion of the new roof. Outside of work, what do you like to do for fun? I love to spend time with my wife doing anything, even lounging around. If you were an animal, what would you be? I think I would be a gorilla because they are gentle, but don’t rile them up. If you could witness any historical event, what would you want to see? I would want to witness the moon landing. I was only a toddler when it happened. Jodi Urich Sayad What are your job duties at Washington Orthopaedic Center? ASC RN What do you like most about working at Washington Orthopaedic [...]

Dr. Bender is to be mobilized for active duty service with the United State Army Reserves for approximately four months (mid-April 2021 to mid-August 2021). Please read his message to the patients and staff below: 𝑊𝑂𝐶 𝑓𝑎𝑚𝑖𝑙𝑦 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑓𝑟𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑑𝑠, 𝑐𝑜𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑔𝑢𝑒𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑝𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑠, 𝐴𝑠 𝑚𝑎𝑛𝑦 𝑜𝑓 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑘𝑛𝑜𝑤, 𝐼 𝑎𝑚 𝑎 𝑝ℎ𝑦𝑠𝑖𝑐𝑖𝑎𝑛 𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑈𝑛𝑖𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑆𝑡𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑠 𝐴𝑟𝑚𝑦 𝑅𝑒𝑠𝑒𝑟𝑣𝑒𝑠. 𝑂𝑐𝑐𝑎𝑠𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑦, 𝑡𝑜 𝑓𝑢𝑙𝑓𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑚𝑦 𝑜𝑏𝑙𝑖𝑔𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑡𝑜 𝐴𝑚𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑐𝑎, 𝐼 𝑎𝑚 𝑚𝑜𝑏𝑖𝑙𝑖𝑧𝑒𝑑 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑎𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑣𝑒 𝑑𝑢𝑡𝑦 𝑠𝑒𝑟𝑣𝑖𝑐𝑒. 𝑂𝑛𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑜𝑠𝑒 𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒𝑠 ℎ𝑎𝑝𝑝𝑒𝑛𝑠 𝑡𝑜 𝑏𝑒 𝑎𝑝𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑎𝑐ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑦 𝑞𝑢𝑖𝑐𝑘𝑙𝑦. 𝐼 ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑟𝑒𝑐𝑒𝑖𝑣𝑒𝑑 𝑜𝑟𝑑𝑒𝑟𝑠 𝑡𝑜 𝑑𝑒𝑝𝑙𝑜𝑦 𝑡𝑜 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑀𝑖𝑑𝑑𝑙𝑒 𝐸𝑎𝑠𝑡 𝑖𝑛 𝑠𝑢𝑝𝑝𝑜𝑟𝑡 𝑜𝑓 𝑂𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝐸𝑛𝑑𝑢𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝐹𝑟𝑒𝑒𝑑𝑜𝑚. 𝐼 𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑏𝑒 𝑑𝑒𝑝𝑎𝑟𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑖𝑛 𝑚𝑖𝑑-𝐴𝑝𝑟𝑖𝑙 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑎 𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑜𝑑 𝑜𝑓 𝑎𝑝𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑥𝑖𝑚𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑙𝑦 𝑓𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑚𝑜𝑛𝑡ℎ𝑠. 𝐼 𝑠ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑 𝑟𝑒𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑛 𝑏𝑦 𝑚𝑖𝑑-𝐴𝑢𝑔𝑢𝑠𝑡, 𝑏𝑢𝑡 𝑝𝑜𝑡𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑖𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑦 𝑎𝑠 𝑙𝑎𝑡𝑒 𝑎𝑠 𝐿𝑎𝑏𝑜𝑟 𝐷𝑎𝑦. 𝐼 𝑤𝑎𝑛𝑡 𝑡𝑜 𝑒𝑥𝑝𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑠 𝑚𝑦 𝑠𝑖𝑛𝑐𝑒𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑡 𝑔𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑡𝑢𝑑𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑚𝑦 𝑐𝑜𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑘𝑒𝑟𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑐𝑜𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑔𝑢𝑒𝑠 𝑤ℎ𝑜 𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑒𝑛𝑠𝑢𝑟𝑒 𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑊𝑂𝐶 𝑝𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑠 𝑟𝑒𝑐𝑒𝑖𝑣𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑏𝑒𝑠𝑡 𝑝𝑜𝑠𝑠𝑖𝑏𝑙𝑒 𝑐𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑑𝑢𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑚𝑦 𝑎𝑏𝑠𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑒. 𝐼 𝑤𝑎𝑛𝑡 𝑡𝑜 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑣𝑒𝑦 𝑚𝑦 ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑡𝑓𝑒𝑙𝑡 𝑎𝑝𝑝𝑟𝑒𝑐𝑖𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑡𝑜 𝑚𝑦 𝑝𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑠 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑢𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑟𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑑𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑑𝑢𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑢𝑛𝑐𝑒𝑟𝑡𝑎𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑦. 𝑅𝑒𝑠𝑡 𝑎𝑠𝑠𝑢𝑟𝑒𝑑, 𝑊𝑎𝑠ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔𝑡𝑜𝑛 𝑂𝑟𝑡ℎ𝑜𝑝𝑎𝑒𝑑𝑖𝑐 𝐶𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑢𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑣𝑖𝑑𝑒 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑒𝑥𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑡 𝑐𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑤ℎ𝑖𝑙𝑒 𝐼 𝑎𝑚 𝑎𝑤𝑎𝑦. 𝑇ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑘 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑝𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑒, 𝑏𝑢𝑡 𝐼 𝑡𝑟𝑢𝑙𝑦 𝑢𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑟𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑖𝑓 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑑𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑐𝑎𝑛𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑤𝑎𝑖𝑡 𝑓𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑚𝑜𝑛𝑡ℎ𝑠 𝑡𝑜 𝑏𝑒 𝑎𝑑𝑑𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑠𝑒𝑑. [...]

Dr. Namdar (Nami) Kazemi originally set out to be a biomedical engineer, following in his father’s footsteps. However, once his coursework turned to Medicine, he knew that his true passion was in the medical field and caring for people.  He chose orthopedics, as it relates closely to biomedical engineering and the function of the human body’s joints, with the hope to help all of his patients in getting back to what they love to do.   He completed his undergraduate degree at the University of Maryland. Following that he spent one year at the prestigious National Institutes of Health and conducted research studies in the field of biophysics. He then went on to The George Washington University and earned his medical degree. Subsequently he completed one year of orthopaedic traumatology research and five years of orthopaedic residency training at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center.  For additional training & to further his education, Dr. Kazemi completed a shoulder and elbow fellowship at the Mt. Sinai Hospital in New York. He trained under world renowned shoulder surgeon, Evan Flatow. His other mentors included internationally recognized surgeons: Leesa Galatz, Michael Hausman, and Bradford Parsons.  Dr. Kazemi has published more than 14 peer-reviewed articles, 4 [...]