Hospital has his back Posted on March 27, 2014 by Dakota PikeFirst printed in the Albany Times Union October 19, 2013Dr. Jian Shen has a vision.He has chosen Fulton and Montgomery counties to make it a reality.“Even though it’s a small area, I feel I can really do something big,” Shen said.Although the 42-year-old former molecular biologist has been a surgeon for less than three years, he is building a reputation for cutting-edge minimally invasive operations at Nathan Littauer Hospital in Gloversville and St. Mary’s Hospital in Amsterdam. He has performed several surgical “firsts” in the region, including the first robotic-assisted spine surgery, at Nathan Littauer, this summer.And that’s the beginning. Shen’s goal is to create a “minimally invasive spine surgery destination” here, he said. He envisions patients from around the nation traveling to the region for the highest level of surgical care.Sound far-fetched? Maybe. Medical “destinations” are typically large, long-established institutions with national reputations, like Minnesota’s Mayo Clinic, said Alwyn Cassil of the Washington, D.C.-based Center for Studying Health System Change.But it’s also tough to discount Shen. In two and a half years, he has brought patients in from New York City, Florida, Texas and Tennessee. He is among fewer than 100 surgeons in the nation, he said, who do endoscopic surgery of the spine — correcting problems with tiny incisions and a camera that projects the body’s interior onto a screen.After 1,300 minimally invasive spine surgeries, Shen said his patients have had no resulting serious complications, such as infections or spinal cord injuries.“We did not make anybody worse,” Shen said. “We made lots of people better. We made lots of people pain-free.”About 15 percent of people who come to Shen’s practice, Mohawk Valley Orthopedics, for back pain end up having surgery, Shen said. One of his best-known local patients is Alan Chartock, president and CEO of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.After a year of incessant, debilitating back pain, Chartock traveled to the Hospital for Special Surgery in Manhattan, but left unconvinced about having a procedure there. He’d had Shen as a guest on WAMC’s call-in program, Vox Pop. Chartock says he liked the doctor because he spoke to him as an equal. Shen had also performed a successful surgery on Chartock’s friend. So Chartock decided to have his back surgery performed at Nathan Littauer.Given a couple of surgical options, Chartock chose the less aggressive one, Shen said. It didn’t help him; soon afterward, Chartock was in pain again. So he returned for a second, more intensive operation.“When I left, I had no pain, and I have had no pain since that time,” Chartock said. “I’m very grateful to Dr. Shen.”But he recalled friends’ responses when he said he would have spine surgery in Gloversville.“Each of them had said, ‘What, are you crazy?”’ Chartock said.So why did Shen, who lives in Loudonville, choose to work in Fulton and Montgomery counties? His decision was fueled in part by interest in treating patients in an underserved community — and in part as a strategic career move.“At a major medical center, I would be nobody,” Shen said. “I would say, ‘Get me a robot.’ It would take longer to approve. Here, I get it in a week.”Nathan Littauer and St. Mary’s hospitals have each invested about $1.75 million in robotic equipment, microscopes and other technology to support Shen’s surgeries, the institutions’ CEOs said.Nathan Littauer administrators believed the investment was necessary to attract a highly trained specialist to the area, where there was tremendous need for a back surgeon, said hospital President and CEO Laurence E. Kelly. Shen has had patients waiting to see him every week since he arrived.“We took a big risk, and it’s worked out fine,” Kelly said.Now the question is whether more spine surgeons can be lured to the region to work with the surgeon.“I’m looking for partners right now,” Shen said, “because it’s getting so busy, I cannot handle it myself.”chughes@timesunion.com • 518-454-5417 • @hughesclaireVitalsDr. Jian Shen , 42Born near BeijingLives in LoudonvilleMarried to Wencui Shen, father of 7-year-old IvyannMedical degree from Weill Cornell University Medical CollegeSpine surgery fellowship: University of California at San FranciscoMoved to the Capital Region in 2011 ProfileDr. Jian Shen, 42Born near BeijingLives in LoudonvilleMarried to Wencui Shen, father of 7-year-old IvyannMedical degree from Weill Cornell University Medical CollegeSpine surgery fellowship: University of California at San Francisco
Nathan Littauer Featured in International Publication Posted on February 7, 2014February 7, 2014 by Dakota PikeNathan Littauer Hospital and the special relationship we have created with Dr. Jian Shen was recently featured in the prestigious Orthopedic Weekly Magazine. The entire article can be found here: 12 2013 BY Trust Wins Star For Rural Hospital
2013 was an oustanding year at Nathan Littauer Posted on February 7, 2014 by Dakota PikeAs Nathan Littauer welcomes 2014, we take a look at all we accomplished in 2013 Nathan littauer Heals In 2013
LITTAUER WELCOMES DR. JIAN SHEN Posted on August 6, 2011August 16, 2012 by Dakota PikeFellowship-trained Orthopedic Surgeon Dr. Jian Shen joins LittauerSan Francisco physician brings minimally-invasive spine surgery to area Dr. Jian Shen at Nathan LittauerNathan Littauer Hospital is pleased to welcome Jian Shen, MD, PhD to their medical staff. Dr. Shen is practicing with Dr. Russell Cecil and Dr. Gerald Ortiz at Littauer’s new Johnstown Surgery Center. “This is a major announcement for our region.” stated Wally Hart, President of the Fulton County Chamber of Commerce who met Dr. Shen at a recent reception. He added, “It means a lot to our region to have this cutting-edge expertise here.” Laurence E. Kelly Littauer’s President and CEO agreed noting, “Dr. Shen could have chosen to practice anywhere in the country. And he is coming directly from the University here to our community.” He added, “To have him treating people at Littauer is an enormous boon to the people who suffer with pain in our region.” Dr. Shen arrived a few days ago from the University of San Francisco. He explained his reason to come here as, “I chose to practice here because I want to bring cutting-edge spine care from big academic centers to this community.” He added, “I am very happy with the choice I made, I feel like I can do more here.” He added, “The staff at Littauer is top-notch.”Dr. Shen offers complete spine careDr. Shen offers complete spine care to people who suffer with spine problems. He is versed in minimally-invasive and complex spine surgery. He has already completed New York State’s first Endoscopic Cervical Sine Surgery at Littauer. As an orthopedic surgeon, he is well-versed in non operative (including spinal injections) and operative treatment of all spine conditions for people of all ages. He also can address back pain, neck pain, sciatica, leg, shoulder and arm pain caused by spine problems. While surgery is not indicated for every patient, Dr. Shen is also able to provide non-surgical therapies as well. He explained, “If I can get the patient better using non-surgical techniques like ESI (Epidural Spine Injections) or physical therapy I am very happy.”Dr. Shen’s main expertise has been on minimally invasive decompression/fusion surgery, as well as complex deformity/scoliosis and revision spine surgery. Minimally invasive and endoscopic spine surgery is a technique that allows the surgeon to perform an operation that normally is done via a large midline incision. This type of surgery uses a much smaller incision, allowing for significantly less tissue damage and quicker recovery.“He has a stellar background.” stated Hospital Spokesperson Cheryl McGrattan. After getting a PhD in basic science research in Pharmacology, Dr. Shen went on and finished his medical school education at Cornell University Medical College in New York City, New York. After a surgical internship at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, he completed an orthopedic surgery residency at Wake Forest University Medical Center in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Dr. Shen went on to finish a spine surgery fellowship from 2010 to 2011 at UCSF Medical Center in San Francisco, California. He also has earned many accolades including: The Gold Medal, Residents’ and Fellows’ Research Day, Wake Forest University Medical Center, The Basil M. Boyd, MD Memorial Resident Award, 24th Annual Oscar Miller Day Symposium the Katherine Wolcott Walker Resident Research Award, Orthopaedic Research and Education Foundation (OREF) and the Academic Achievement Award, Wake Forest University Medical Center among others. In the coming years, Dr. Shen hopes to create a Spine Center of Excellence in the Adirondacks.Dr. Shen speaks to Fulton County President, Wally Hart at a Littauer receptionHospital staff, board members and community members met Dr. Shen on Monday August 1, 2011 at a special reception. “Many people are commenting on how personable he is.” said Ms. McGrattan. One Littauer staff person said upon meeting him, “What a brilliant man. He is the type of man I could listen to for hours. He truly knows his stuff! Very personable and an awesome asset to our hospital family!” Patients agree. A trauma patient who broke a vertebra in a recent car accident saw Dr. Shen this week and reported, “He was a very caring physician who was very empathetic to what I was going through.”Dr. Shen explains that one of his reasons he came to this area is because his goal is to “interact personally with each patient, so they do not feel like a number”. He said, “Practicing at Littauer allows me to do that. I cannot say enough good things about the staff at Littauer.” He concluded, “I want to practice traditional medicine- where the patient receives individualized care and gets my full attention. Yet, I can use cutting-edge technologies to treat all their spinal conditions.” Laurence E. Kelly states, “With Dr. Shen’s arrival, we now say, ‘Spines everywhere can rejoice’”.The hospital plans several outreach activities in the coming months. Patients who are experiencing spine problems are encouraged to contact his office at 773-4242. Further information can also be found at www.nlh.org.
