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Hand Center Welcomes Back Old Friend

When Dr. Stephanie Sweet walked through the doors of the Hand Center’s Mercy Wellness Center office on the morning of June 12, she had the feeling that she had been there before. That’s because she had. A one-time Fellow with the group, Dr. Sweet was recently named the Hand Center’s seventh surgeon and the first female doctor in the twenty-seven year history of the practice. Though she is proud of the honor, she is careful not to allow herself to be identified solely with issues of women’s health.

“It’s definitely an honor to be the first female doctor,” said Dr. Sweet. “Of course I’m interested in women’s issues and women’s sports. It’s only logical. But I’m also quite interested in many aspects of surgery that are not only women-oriented. Pain and discomfort are not gender-based issues.”

Dr. Sweet’s journey to the Hand Center is a most impressive one. Graduating Cum Laude from Harvard University, she was the recipient of the Harvard Scholarship for Academic Distinction. After graduation, she enrolled directly in Mount Sinai Medical School. An extra year of study there helped solidify her passion for surgery and she immediately entered Mount Sinai’s intense Orthopaedic surgery program, where she had the privilege of training under world-renowned tumor specialist Dr. Dempsey S. Springfield.

It was then that Dr. Sweet made her first visit to the Hand Center. As the recipient of a Fellowship to study under the organization’s highly respected doctors, she had the opportunity to not only become familiar with the many strengths of the practice, but with the charms and amenities of the Philadelphia area as well.

After her Fellowship, Dr. Sweet returned to Mount Sinai where she served as both a clinical assistant professor and worked in their level 1 trauma affiliate at Elmhurst Hospital. It was during this time that she heard about the opportunity at the Hand Center and she immediately explored the possibility of a return.

In addition to a full surgical and patient schedule, Dr. Sweet will also be doing some teaching as well. She has written a number of articles in the field of hand surgery, and has interest in working with the current Fellows, seeing it as an opportunity to give back some of the instruction that was so helpful to her.

Dr. Sweet is an active member of the Ruth Jackson Orthopaedic Society, the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons and the American Society for Surgery of the Hand. A native New Yorker whose family still predominantly resides in Long Island, she is an avid runner, logging close to 35 miles per week and was a participant in the Boston Marathon. We welcome Dr. Stephanie Sweet with great enthusiasm.