Sarah Bush Lincoln is pleased to welcome Orthopedic Surgeon Jeremy Stevens, MD, to its medical staff.
Dr. Stevens comes to Sarah Bush Lincoln after practicing five years as an orthopedic surgeon at Baystate Medical Practices Valley Orthopedic Surgeons & Sports Medicine in Greenfield, MA. He joins Orthopedic Surgeons Aaron Eubanks, MD, Louis Mendella, DO, and Don Sandercock, DO.
“I enjoy the hands-on carpentry-like aspect of orthopedics...the fact that we get to fix our patients,” Dr. Stevens said. “It gives me a great deal of satisfaction knowing that I’ve helped someone return to a normal and active lifestyle. Helping people is just about the most rewarding thing I can think of.”
Growing up in Arcola, Dr. Stevens moved with his family to California after the fifth grade. Following high school, he entered California Polytechnic State University as a computer science major. However, he quickly changed majors after being inspired to pursue medicine by watching knee replacement surgery. “I wanted the opportunity to fix problems and help people, and I was confident I could do it,” he said.
Graduating with Bachelor of Science in biochemistry in 1993, Dr. Stevens returned to Illinois to reestablish residency in Illinois with plans to attend the University of Illinois School of Medicine. He lived with his grandmother and worked in the bindery at R.R. Donnelley in Mattoon. In 1994, he entered the UIC school of Medicine where he graduated in 1998.
Dr. Stevens completed a five-year orthopedic surgery residency at Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn, NY. Working around the clock, he gained experience repairing fractures and handling numerous trauma cases. It’s also where he met his future wife, a fellow resident at the time, Asha Thomas, MD, a pediatric pulmonologist.
To gain advanced arthroscopic training, he spent an extra year after his residency in fellowship training, where he shadowed F. Harlan Selesnick, MD, team doctor for the NBA Miami Heat, as well as other teams. Meeting several professional athletes and celebrities, “it was an exciting year,” he said. “It was primarily an arthroscopic (minimally invasive) fellowship repairing knees and shoulders.”
His experience was put to good use taking care of college and high school athletes after he finished his fellowship in 2004 and joined Orthopedic Sports Medicine Center for Athletic Medicine in Chicago. There he served as the team doctor for DePaul women’s basketball, Robert Morris College, Moody Bible Institute, as well as other high school teams.
Getting married in 2007, Dr. Steven and his wife moved to Massachusetts where he joined his best friend at a general orthopedics practice. His wife also accepted a position as a Pediatrician. Their already busy schedules became even more challenging after their son was born in 2008. Juggling schedules for several years, Dr. Stevens and his wife decided to move closer to family when she became pregnant with their second child.
With family in Arcola and Effingham, Dr. Stevens is exciting to begin caring for people at Sarah Bush Lincoln. He specializes in arthroscopic surgery and has particular interest shoulder surgery- using the skills he developed during his fellowship, though also enjoys general orthopedics including knee replacements and routine fractures.
Dr. Stevens lives in Charleston with his wife, Asha, and their son, Jacob, 3. Their second child is due in February. To make an appointment with Dr. Stevens, call SBL Orthopedics & Sports Medicine at (217) 238-3435.