Alfred V. Hess, MD Dr. Alfred Hess is an orthopedic surgeon who specializes in disorders of the upper extremity, including shoulder, elbow and hand surgery. He began his practice with Florida Orthopaedic Institute in March 1995. Prior to Florida Orthopaedic Institute, Dr. Hess was a full-time physician with the University of South Florida. He is a native of Ohio and a graduate of John Carroll University. He received a Master of Science Degree at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland. He graduated from the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine in 1985 and completed his residency in Orthopaedic Surgery at the University of Pittsburgh College of Medicine. Dr. Hess then completed a year of fellowship training in Hand and Microvascular Surgery at the University of South Florida and is the current director of the FOI Hand and Upper Extremity Fellowship Program. Dr. Hess is board certified by the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery and also has attained the Certificate of Added Qualification of Hand Surgery. He is a member of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, the American Society for Surgery of the Hand and the American Association for Hand Surgery. He is also the Director of hand surgery at the University of South Florida. Dr. Hess does his surgeries at the Florida Orthopaedic Institute Surgery Center and Tampa General Hospital. Dr. Hess is still an active participant in the hand trauma service at Tampa General Hospital.

John M. Small, MD Dr. Small is board-certified by the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery and fellowship-trained in Spine Surgery. Since 1996, Dr. Small has treated patients seeking cervical, thoracic and lumbar spine care. With advanced training in endoscopic and microscopic surgery, Dr. Small maintains many ongoing clinical research projects. He is a member of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons and has made numerous presentations to his peers about spine surgery. He is an Associate Assistant Professor at USF Department of Orthopaedics and is the University of South Florida Residency Site Director at the University Community Hospital. Dr. Small is a team consultant at the University of South Florida and has been a Course Chair at Selby Spine Conference since 2002. He has been named a Best Doctor of America every year since 2005. Dr. Small’s personal interests are running, biking and participating in triathlons.

Mark A. Frankle, MD Dr. Frankle has been with Florida Orthopaedic Institute since 1991 and received his fellowship training at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. He is board-certified by the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery and specializes in shoulder and elbow surgery. In response to encountering a subset of patients for whom there was no effective treatment, Dr. Frankle is the surgeon responsible for bringing reverse shoulder arthroplasty to the United States. His original implant design utilized a lateralized center of rotation which was revolutionary compared to the accepted standard in Europe and it took many years of presenting his durable results to garner acceptance of his work from his peers. He has consistently devoted himself to the refinement of surgical technique and implant design to optimize the device to treat an ever-expanding list of surgical indications. His surgical outcomes remain an enduring testament to the viability and utility of shoulder arthroplasty, both anatomic and reverse. The tenets of his implant design for reverse prostheses are now mirrored by every major orthopaedic implant manufacturer, the surgery he pioneered for American patients is now one of the fastest growing surgical procedures in the nation, and he now holds numerous patents on implants, including anatomic total shoulder, reverse total shoulder prosthetics and suture removal systems. Dr. Frankle’s ingenuity and dogged commitment to improving patient care have garnered him worldwide acclaim as the preeminent expert on reverse shoulder arthroplasty. One of the most active researchers in the field of shoulder and elbow surgery, Dr. Frankle has authored more than two hundred peer-reviewed articles in professional journals, has published a textbook on reverse shoulder arthroplasty, maintains ongoing research projects, and is consistently invited to present his findings at countless professional orthopedic conferences. He also reviews the Journal of Orthopaedic Research, Journal of Orthopaedic Trauma, Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery, Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research, Orthopedics, BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders, and BMC Surgery. This list expands every year. Dr. Frankle currently serves on the Executive Board of the Society of American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons and is a recent past President of the Society. He is the director of the Biomechanical Shoulder and Elbow Research Lab at the University of South Florida College of Engineering. He is also the director of the Shoulder and Elbow fellowship program, a collaborative effort between the Florida Orthopaedic Institute and the Foundation for Orthopaedic Research and Education responsible for the training of 3-4 surgical fellows every year. The program currently boasts 70+ alumni. His work is often nominated for and has received the prestigious Charles S. Neer award for Basic Science from the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. Dr. Frankle enjoys setting aside time for researching and finding new ways to innovate and progress orthopedics from a surgical perspective. His implementations continue to act as stepping stones that improve overall orthopedic care.

Neil S. Kumar, MD, MBA Dr. Kumar received his undergraduate degree at Lehigh University and his medical degree from Drexel University College of Medicine. He completed his residency in Orthopaedic Surgery at Drexel University, where he served as chief resident. He then completed an Adult and Pediatric Sports Medicine Fellowship at the University of Connecticut and Connecticut Children’s Medical Center. Dr. Neil S. Kumar is board-certified by the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery. Dr. Kumar has been widely published in several major sports medicine journals and presented at several orthopedic surgical conferences. He is also a reviewer for the American Journal of Sports Medicine and Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine. Dr. Kumar cares for all conditions related to sports medicine, including tendon, muscle, and ligament injuries. His special interests include arthroscopic minimally invasive surgery, knee ligament repair and reconstruction, cartilage restoration and shoulder instability. Dr. Kumar is passionate about his practice of medicine. He believes patient education and understanding of diagnosis and treatment options are extremely important. Dr. Kumar believes in working as a team with other caregivers and the patient to get them feeling better and back to work and activities as soon as possible. In his spare time, Dr. Kumar enjoys spending time with his wife, Bhumi, and their two children, Niam and Ava.

Thomas L. Bernasek, MD Dr. Bernasek is fellowship trained in adult reconstruction. Prior to becoming a founding member of Florida Orthopaedic Institute, Dr. Bernasek received his medical training at the Creighton University College of Medicine in Omaha, Nebraska, and completed his Orthopedic Residency training at the University of New Mexico. After residency, Dr. Bernasek completed a fellowship in joint replacement and adult reconstruction at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. He is known nationally and internationally as an expert in joint replacement with vast experience in total hip and knee replacement. His articles have been published in numerous professional journals, and he has presented research papers and lectured at medical conferences on the national and international level for over a decade. He maintains active involvement in numerous orthopedic research and development projects and has served as an Associate Professor in Orthopaedic Surgery at the University of South Florida College of Medicine. Dr. Bernasek served as the President of Hillsborough County Medical Association.