History of Practice

The Beginning—Core Orthopedic Services

Dr. John E. Spieker, M.D., established Orthopaedic Associates of Southern Delaware (OASD) in 1990. At the time, he was practicing orthopaedics in Dover and Milford with Dr. James V. Gallagher. Dr. Gallagher was the first orthopaedic surgeon to practice in southern Delaware. Dr. Gallagher retired in 1990, and Dr. Spieker was recruited by Beebe Medical Center to help with the increasing orthopaedic volume in the Coastal Delaware area. With the tremendous growth in Sussex County, it became evident that the logical expansion of the practice would be from Dover to Lewes and the surrounding communities. Dr. Spieker closed his Dover office and started construction on the main office facility in Lewes. Additional satellite offices were later developed in Ocean View, Millsboro, and Milton. As the practice grew, additional physicians with specialty training were added.

Physiatry Services Added

Dr. William J. Barrish, M.D., joined the staff in 2001. Dr Barrish is a fellowship-trained physiatrist with specialty training from the University of Virginia. Dr. Barrish’s clinical interests include the non-surgical management of musculoskeletal disorders, as well as performing EMG and nerve conduction studies.

Spine Surgery Capability Added

Dr. Ronald C. Sabbagh, M.D., was recruited in 2002 to start the spine program in Lewes. Dr. Sabbagh completed his spine fellowship training at the Scoliosis and Spine Center of Towson, Maryland. He is Board Certified and one of two fellowship-trained spine surgeons in southern Delaware at present.

Expanding Total Joint Replacement Capacity

Dr. Edmund T. Carroll III, D.O., was recruited in 2005 to expand the total joint practice. Dr. Carroll is originally from Bucks County, Pennsylvania, and received his fellowship training in joint replacement at the University of Chicago in 2001. He was practicing in Florida when he was recruited to join Orthopaedic Associates of Southern Delaware. Dr. Carroll routinely performs inpatient joint replacements of the hip and knee. He has also developed the first outpatient partial knee replacement program in Delaware. He operates both at Beebe Medical Center and the Lewes Surgery Center.

Hand Surgery Capability Added

Dr. Thomas A. Otter, M.D., is a fellowship-trained hand surgeon who has been in practice in the Delmar area for more than 20 years. He joined Orthopaedic Associates of Southern Delaware in 2009. He is the only orthopaedic fellowship-trained hand surgeon in the Coastal Delaware area.

Expanding Spine Surgery Capacity

Dr. William L. Pfaff, M.D., joined the practice in 2010 to help with the increasing spine practice. Dr. Pfaff and Dr. Sabbagh, working together, created the Spine Institute of Southern Delaware. They provide total spine care for a wide spectrum of neck and low back conditions. They are also in the process of developing an outpatient surgery program in conjunction with the Lewes Surgery Center.

Shoulder and Elbow Surgery Capabilities Added

Dr. Gita Pillai, M.D., was recruited to join the practice as southern Delaware’s only fellowship-trained shoulder and elbow surgeon. She will be seeing patients starting in the fall of 2011. She has specialty training in joint replacement surgery of the shoulder and elbow in addition to the management of complex rotator cuff and shoulder instability problems.

OASD’s Orthopaedic Physician Assistant Services

Orthopaedic physician assistants have been part of the practice for years. Gerard J. Haines, A.T.C., P.A.-C., has been working with Orthopaedic Associates since 2003. He works closely with Dr. Carroll on total joint services. He also sees patients at the Lewes and Millsboro locations.

Mr. Henry N. Mensack, P.A.-C., has been with the practice for more than five years. He works closely with Dr. Spieker in the operating room. Mr. Mensack also sees patients in the Milton and Lewes offices.

Foot and Reconstructive Ankle Surgery Services Added

Roman Orsini, D.P.M., is a Board-certified podiatrist with specialty foot and ankle training from Chicago School of Podiatry, with additional training in trauma from University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. He has been in practice in the Coastal Delaware area since 2001. He combined services with OASD in 2008. He recruited Claire Capobianco, D.P.M., to join the practice in 2010. Dr. Capobianco has specialty training in management of the diabetic foot and reconstruction of complex foot deformities from Temple University and Swedish Medical Center in Seattle, Washington.

OASD Plays an Important Role in Regional Medical Care

We are proud of the fact that as a result of our services, sophisticated surgical and medical techniques are now available for patients in southern Delaware who previously required referral to major university centers. Orthopaedic Associates of Southern Delaware has been pivotal in Beebe Medical Center receiving five-star ratings for orthopaedic surgery. Beebe has been rated in the top 5% of hospitals in the nation, as noted in the 2011 HealthGrades® Review for orthopaedics.

Dr. Spieker, Dr. Sabbagh, and Dr. Barrish have been named on numerous occasions as a Top Doc by Delaware Today Magazine. Orthopaedic Associates is the largest orthopaedic practice in southern Delaware. So that we will always be in the best position to serve the healthcare needs of our neighbors, continued growth is expected.