About

About Me

Vernon Sechriest is a skilled, experienced, and dedicated physician, orthopedic surgeon, and medical Educator who has served in the military, as a civilian, and as a government employee. Thousands of medical residents and students have received his training to become medical educators. He is dedicated to research projects that advance healthcare delivery and quality improvement.


Dr. Sechriest attended Johns Hopkins University for his undergraduate studies before enrolling in the University of Alabama School of Medicine. Later, he completed his fellowship in adult hip and knee reconstruction at the Insall-Scott Kelly Institute in New York City and his orthopedic surgery residency at the University of Minnesota.


Dr. Sechriest is a seasoned healthcare professional with a proven track record of providing effective, moral, and transformational leadership, including hiring, supervising, and mentoring outstanding clinical staff, fostering a culture of continuous improvement, developing and implementing patient safety programs, and launching initiatives to increase patient access to care. His leadership approach is focused on helping people change so they can better support the healthcare purpose.


From 2015 to 2021, Dr. Sechriest served as the Minneapolis VA Medical Center's Chief of Orthopedics and Podiatry. (VAMC). The Department of Orthopedic Surgery at the University of Minnesota also hired Vernon Sechriest as an Adjunct Associate Professor since the Minneapolis VAMC is a crucial training institution for medical students and residents. In this capacity, he was effective in planning, organizing, and directing educational activities and carrying out clinical training and research. Based on his accomplishments as an educational leader, the University of Minnesota Department of Orthopedic Surgery will elevate him to Adjunct Professor of Orthopedic Surgery in 2021. In addition, Vernon was chosen to win the Educator of the Year Award by the University of Minnesota Orthopedic Residency graduating class of 2021 in honor of his abilities as an orthopedic educator.


Dr. Sechriest was named Chief of Staff of the VA Loma Linda Healthcare System on November 21, 2021.


Registration and Accreditation in Medicine


2015 until the present, Minnesota


The State of Maryland from 2011 to 2013


2004 to the present: the state of California


From 1998 to 1999, Alabama was a state.


Certified by the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery since 2008


being licensed as an X-ray supervisor and operator for radiography and fluoroscopy by the State of California Hospital Affiliations since 2015


2021 to the present Veterans Health Administration Loma Linda Healthcare System Loma Linda, California


the Minneapolis, Minnesota, Veterans Administration Medical Center 2015 - 2021


Hospital Sharp Coronado in San Diego, California 2012 - 2015


San Diego, California's Sharp Memorial Hospital San Diego, California's Sharp Grossmont Hospital, 2012–2015 2012 - 2015 California's Naval Medical Center in San Diego 2012 - 2015


Hospital Johns Hopkins in Baltimore, Maryland 2011 - 2012


The Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center in Baltimore, Maryland San Diego, California's 2011–2012 Naval Medical Center San Diego Honors, and Commendations from 2004 to 2011


Numerous awards have been given to Vernon Sechriest for his remarkable work in medicine, the military, and education.


VISN 23 receives the Department of Veterans Affairs Network Star Award (2022)


Academic


Department of Orthopedic Surgery, University of Minnesota, Teacher of the Year (2021)


Medical staff clinical excellence award finalist for the Minneapolis VA Health Care System (2019)


The Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery Journal Club receives an honor (2001)


The Russell S. Hibbs Clinical Award for the top clinical science presentation (2000)


Tinsley Harrison Society of Honor at the University of Alabama School of Medicine (1994)


The Richard Rose Traveling Award from the Johns Hopkins Institution (1990)


Marine Corps Achievement Medal for the Navy (2011) Medal for Meritorious Unit Achievement (2011)


Ribbon for Military Service (2011).


Exceptional Humanitarian Service Award (2010)


Honorable Unit Commendation (2006)


Medal for Meritorious Service in the Navy and Marine Corps (2006)


Exceptional Humanitarian Service Award (2006)


Global War against Terrorism Ribbon (2006)


Medal for Meritorious Service in the Navy and Marine Corps (2005)


Medal for Distinguished Service (2004)



A veteran of the U.S. Navy with 17 years of active duty and reserve service, Vernon Sechriest. He is interested in addressing and resolving the wide range of healthcare problems that are particular to the veteran community in the United States.


Throughout his military career, Sechriest supported four deployments for humanitarian aid and disaster relief from medical ships in the U.S. Navy. He also took care of combat victims. Thus, he has a thorough awareness of both the psychological and physiological repercussions of military duty and global healthcare challenges. He has detailed details of his experiences in writing.


Additionally, he is committed to research and quality improvement projects that advance the health and well-being of veterans. The following clinical areas of interest for Dr. Sechriest:


Health issues specific to the American military and veteran populations

Increasing patient access to care

Results of serious battle extremities injuries on the mental and physical health of American service members throughout time

Limb recovery

Amputation

Education and guidance of residents, fellows, and students

Assistance to the less fortunate and immediate relief

Healthcare in underdeveloped countries


Sports medicine focuses on the knee, arthroscopy, ligament restoration, patella-femoral surgery, cartilage repair, and primary and revision arthroplasty.



A prolific medical writer who has created educational and helpful health literature is Vernon Sechriest. Some of his writings are as follows:


Kelly BJ, Williams BR, Gravely AA, Schwanz K, and Sechriest VF came in second. Institutional reaction to enhance patient safety and practice following intra-articular corticosteroid injection into the hip joint that results in femoral head collapse. 2021 November 2;16(11):e0259242.


Second, Sechriest VF Mullen MJ, Covey DC, Kuskowski MA, Haffner JL, and Carney JR. A therapeutic pathway's effect on the prevalence of knee sepsis after ACL surgery at a single institution J Bone Joint Surg Am, 2013; 95(9):843-849


Second, Sechriest VF Healthcare Delivery Aboard U.S. Navy Hospital Ships Following Three Earthquake Disasters: Implications for Future Disaster Relief Mission Planning, American Journal of Public Health, vol. Am J Disaster Med. 2012 Fall; 7(4):281-94. Walker J., Aubuchon M., Wing V., and Lhowe D.H.


J Orthop Trauma, April 9, 2012. Melcer, T., Walker, G.J., and Sechriest


The Humanity of Orthopedics: Exporting Orthopedic Humanitarian Aid on U.S. Hospital Ships with a Mixed Military and Civilian Crew. 2009; 91 Suppl 5:37-9 Bone and Joint Surgery Journal


After recovering from a musculoskeletal injury, Silver SG, second-best V.F., sec, G. Scuderi and A. Tria edited Sports Medicine: A Comprehensive Approach. 2004; Elsevier Science; New York.


2008 Sep-Oct American Journal of Disaster Medicine 3(5):307-12 Sechriest VF 2nd, Lhowe DH, "Prolonged femoral external fixation during a natural disaster: Successful late conversion to an intramedullary nail aboard the USNS Mercy."


Following the 2004 Asian Tsunami, orthopedic care was provided on board the USNS Mercy during Operation Unified Assistance. 2008;90A:848-861. A Case Collection Bone and Joint Surgery Journal


Young individuals with primary THA who are active at least five years after diagnosis, In January 2007, Volume 22 Number 1, Pages 39–47 of the Journal of Arthroplasty, Sechriest VF 2nd, Kyle RF, Marek DJ, Saleh KJ, Spates JD, and Kuskowski M.


2003, 85A: 773–780, Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery. "Operative versus non-operative therapy of a thoracolumbar burst fracture without neurologic deficit: A prospective, randomized research," by Wood KB, Buttermann G, Mehbod A, Garvey T, Jhanjee R, and Sechriest VF 2nd


"Reconstruction of a torn patellar tendon using Achilles' tendon allograft following total knee arthroplasty," Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery, 84A: 1354-1358, Crossett LS, Sinha RK, Sechriest VF 2nd, and Rubash HE, 2002.


Second, Sechriest VF GAG-augmented polysaccharide hydrogel: A new, biocompatible, and biodegradable material to assist chondrogenesis, Journal of Biomedical Materials Research, vol. 49, no. 4 (2000): 534-541. Miao, Y.J., C. Niyibizi, C. Evans, A. Westerhausen-Larson, H.T. Matthew, F.H. Fu, and J.K. Suh.


Jaklitsch MT, McFalls EO, Ward HB, and Santilli SM, "Symptomatic coronary-subclavian steal syndrome: A case of effective therapy with carotid to subclavian artery bypass," Sechriest VF 2nd, Surgical Rounds, 20:5, 167–173, 1997


On March 23, 1969, Vernon Sechriest was born in Birmingham, Alabama. The Jerry L. Pettis Veterans Memorial Hospital is where he works.

Portfolio

Vernon Sechriest Portfolio