"A Joint Effort"

A native of Manhattan, Choy admits he didn't know where Delaware was when he heard of an opportunity at Beebe Medical Center. After driving for hours past cornfields in the pouring rain, he and his wife thought they were making a big mistake - until they arrived in Lewes. "I can't imagine living anywhere else now," he says.

After only two years, Dr. Choy's reputation as a joint replacement specialist is already spreading, with patients now coming from Wilmington and Maryland.

The most common reason for joint replacement is arthritis. Most of his patients are in their 60s or 70s, though some are younger, often victims of trauma.

The basic technique for joint replacement has been around for 15 or 20 years, says Choy. "My particular interest is revising joints that were done years ago and are now coming loose."

He completed a fellowship in joint reconstruction at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, after residencies in surgery and orthopedic surgery at Long Island Jewish Medical Center. "It is very rewarding. I like using my hands and surgical skills to create something concrete. One or two months later, patients come back and tell me about the new lives they are leading."

NOTE: This is a reprint of the article that appeared in the August 1998 issue of Delaware Today Magazine written by Marsha Mah.