J. Dominic Femino, M.D., has joined City of Hope as associate director of the Musculoskeletal Tumor Program and as chief of the newly created Division of Orthopaedic Surgery.
An established expert in orthopaedics and oncology, Femino now directs the institution’s research and clinical care programs for sarcomas, as well as benign bone and soft-tissue tumors.
Femino most recently served as head of the Orthopaedic Tumor Program at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles, where he led the orthopaedic team in the successful separation of conjoined twins who were fused at the pelvis and shared multiple organs. He also was assistant professor of clinical orthopaedic surgery at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California.
City of Hope’s new Division of Orthopaedic Surgery provides clinical care for and expands research knowledge about cancers in the bone, joints and muscles. Femino’s research interests include treatment of bone tumors in children, limb-salvaging surgery and the monitoring of outcomes of patients with bone tumors.
“We are pleased to have Dr. Femino join City of Hope to direct this new division and expand our musculoskeletal program; his many years of clinical and research experience in this highly specialized field will benefit both our patients and the medical community at large,” said I. Benjamin Paz, M.D., vice chair of the Department of Surgery and chief of the Division of General Oncologic Surgery.
“This also enables City of Hope to provide better quality care for a wider variety of
cancer patients.” Femino is excited about his new role. “I look forward to this opportunity to develop innovative research and provide excellent care to patients with both benign and malignant bone tumors,” Femino said. “And I am looking forward to working with my colleagues to develop novel surgical and reconstructive therapies that will not only help patients overcome cancer, but also enable them to function well in their lives long after being treated.”
Femino received his bachelor’s degree cum laude from Yale University in 1987 and his medical degree from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in 1991. He was a fellow at the University of Washington Medical Center and at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles. He is a member of the Childrens Oncology Group, Connective Tissue Oncology Society, American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons and Health Volunteers Overseas.
His articles have been published in Pediatrics, Journal of Pediatric Orthopaedics and Current Opinions in Orthopaedics.
According to the American Cancer Society, nearly 2,400 people will be diagnosed with bone cancers and more than 1,300 people will die from such cancers in the United States in 2007. Most bone cancers are sarcomas, with the most common forms including osteosarcoma and chondrosarcoma.
