Dr. Michele D’Apuzzo Named President of the Miami Orthopaedic Society
The Miller School professor of orthopaedic surgery hopes to bridge the gap between the private practice community and academic medicine.
Michele D’Apuzzo, M.D., professor of orthopaedic surgery and director of the Adult Reconstruction and Joint Replacement Fellowship Program at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, has been named president of the Miami Orthopaedic Society (MOS).
MOS, consists of 60 members. For the past five years, Dr. D’Apuzzo has been a member, advancing from board member to president-elect and now serving as president of the organization.
“My motivation to become president is to bridge the gap between the private practice community and the academic medicine we provide at the university,” Dr. D’Apuzzo said. “I am hopeful my efforts will provide better patient care for Miami and facilitate continuing education and referrals across both sectors.”
Pathway into Orthopaedic Medicine
Since 2020, Dr. D’Apuzzo has been part of the Miller School and UHealth—University of Miami Health System, focusing his research on wearable devices around surgery and preoperative optimization.
With a general surgeon for a father, Dr. D’Apuzzo was immersed in medicine at an early age. As Dr. D’Apuzzo watched how his father cared for patients, he knew medicine would also be his calling. Initially thinking he would follow his father into general surgery, an internship pivoted his career toward orthopaedics.
“I had a chance to witness a total knee replacement surgery and was simply hooked on the orthopaedic field after that experience,” Dr. D’Apuzzo said. “It was such an interesting procedure and much different than general surgery. Orthopaedics is very technical and structural, with a lot of engineering behind the best outcomes for the patient.”
Connecting Academic Medicine to Miami
Dr. D’Apuzzo began in private practice, where he connected with local Miami orthopaedic surgeons, many of whom were already involved with MOS. While he is a part of 10 other professional organizations, MOS holds special relevance to Dr. D ‘Apuzzo due to its local relevancy.
“I attended a few meetings during my time in private practice and learned of the discontent and lack of connection from the local surgeons to the university,” Dr. D’Apuzzo said. “There seems to be a barrier there, as most specialists will refer internally and not to the university.”
When Dr. D’Apuzzo joined MOS, the organization was on the verge of dissolution due to limited resources. His commitment led him to join the board to revitalize the society. As president, he plans to use his two-year term to expand local orthopaedic surgeons’ access to university resources, enhancing education and patient care to improve surgical outcomes across Miami.
Tags: Adult Reconstruction Fellowship, Department of Orthopaedics, Dr. Michele D'Apuzzo, Orthopaedic surgery