“After being trained in the system at one SIGN project, doctors are inspired to establish SIGN projects at their own hospitals,” said Dr. Zirkle in an AAOS news release. The SIGN network has more than 130 projects in 47 countries and has been growing by 25 percent each year. The surgeons with the SIGN program have helped more than 75,000 patients worldwide.
Dr. Zirkle himself has responded to emergencies in Haiti, Mongolia, Ethiopia, Kenya and Tanzania. He currently serves as a professor in the University of Washington’s department of orthopedics and sports medicine in Seattle.
During his career, Dr. Zirkle has served as an Army orthopedic surgeon stationed in Vietnam, where he spent time treating soldiers as well as civilians. He has trained more than 50 orthopedic surgeons in Indonesia, a country that had only one orthopedic surgeon before he began his work there.
Dr. Zirkle earned his degree from Duke University.
Read more about orthopedic and spine industry leaders:
– Orthopedic and Spine Industry Leader to Know: Dr. Jonathan T. Deland of the Hospital for Special Surgery
– Orthopedic and Spine Industry Leader to Know: Dr. Brian Parsley of Foundation Surgical Hospital in Houston
