Addison Lahmers from West Lafayette, Ohio is a busy teenager. She’s plays volleyball, throws the discus and is an elite softball pitcher with more than 200 career strikeouts in a season and a half. She participates in school clubs and committees, 4-H and Coshocton County Youth Leadership. But among her biggest achievements to date is […]
Hands-on workshop promotes women in orthopedic surgery
Akron Children’s is unique in that three of its 11 orthopedic surgeons are women, well above the national average of just 7%. Orthopedic Surgeon Julie Samora, MD, PhD, chairs the Akron Children’s Orthopedics department, which is also rare. The trio of female orthopedic surgeons – Drs. Samora, Lorena Floccari and Sheryl Handler-Matasar – recently led […]
Marty Joe overcomes clubfeet and clefts
Martin Joseph Kurowski – or Marty Joe – has been through a lot. With a team of specialists and determined parents, nothing slows down the toddler who was born with clubfeet, a cleft lip and cleft palate. A shocking diagnosis Marty was diagnosed in-utero with clubfeet and a cleft lip. “You want the best for […]
Dr. Julie Samora is new chair of Orthopedics
Pediatric orthopedic surgeon Julie Samora, MD, PhD, is the new department chair of Orthopedics at Akron Children’s. Dr. Samora comes to Akron Children’s from Nationwide Children’s Hospital, where she served as associate chief quality officer; surgical services director for diversity, equity, and inclusion; and director of clinical fellowship in quality and safety leadership at Nationwide […]
Akron Children’s appoints physicians to new leadership roles
Akron Children’s has appointed three physicians to new leadership roles that report to Akron Children’s president and CEO Chris Gessner. Shefali Mahesh, MD, serves as pediatrician in chief. She is responsible for the overall performance and effectiveness of Akron Children’s pediatric medical subspecialty and primary care physicians and related services. She also oversees marketing and […]
Get to Know Sheryl Handler-Matasar, MD
As a little kid, Sheryl Handler-Matasar, MD, was fascinated by injuries and broken bones. “I used to put casts on my Barbie® dolls and perform surgery on them. I never wanted to be anything else,” she said. “When I was in high school, I truly fell in love with orthopedics. My mom had a business […]
