From humble beginnings, Dr. Espinosa started his medical career with the United States Army as a Combat Medic and Air Ambulance Medic. He later became an "A Team" Executive Officer with the 19th Special Forces Group. He returned to college, earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree, was accepted to medical school, and graduated from the University of Colorado School of Medicine with a Medical Doctorate in 1987 and he returned to active service in the United States Army. Dr. Espinosa pursued his medical education in the field of Orthopaedic Medicine with an Internship and a Residency and a subsequent fellowship in Hand Surgery. He has served in a multitude of executive leadership positions, ranging from service, department and command to operational theater consultant. He has completed senior executive level management schools in the United States Army, including the AMEDD Officer Advanced Course, U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, Senior Executive Leadership Course, Strategic Medical Leadership Course, the Forward Surgical Team Commander’s Brigade Combat Team and Division Surgeon’s Courses. He is licensed in Colorado for the Active Practice of Medicine and Washington for Active Physician and Surgeon: Dr. Espinosa has contributed more than 50 works of publications or presentation to the medical community.
Certified by the American Board of Orthopedic Surgery and Fellowship trained as a Hand Surgeon, Dr. Espinosa is a Member of the Diplomat National Board of Medical Examiners, a Fellow of American Academy of Orthopedic Surgery, a Fellow of American College of Surgeons, and an Active Member of the Society of Military Orthopedic Surgeons. His interests include teaching, strategic medical humanitarian aid and medical missionary work. Dr. Espinosa desires to start-up a strategic humanitarian non-profit NGO to initiate and sustain overseas medical and cultural initiatives. His past humanitarian work includes Pediatric Orthopedics for the Shriner's Hospital for Crippled Children, as well as missionary and humanitarian work in Burma, Haiti, Thailand, Afghanistan and Iraq. He retired from the United States Army on 30 September 2008 after 28 years of active federal service.
Awards
Boy Scouts of America Eagle Scout Award: 1968
Expert Field Medic Badge: 1975
Army Aircraft Crewmember Medal: 1976
U.S. Army Good Conduct Medal: 1977
Overseas Service Ribbon: 1975-1976
U.S. Army Parachutist Badge: 1981
ROTC George C. Marshall Award: 1982
ROTC Distinguished Military Graduate: 1982
ROTC American Legion Scholastic Excellence Medal: 1981
Metropolitan State College Meritorious Service Medal: 1981
Colorado Scholars Scholarships: 1981, 1982, and 1983
U.S. Army Service Ribbon: 1987
U.S. Army Commendation Medal: 1989, 1996
U.S. Army National Defense Ribbon: 1991
Department of Defense Joint Services Commendation Medal: 1996
U.S Army Meritorious Service Medal 2000, 2001, 2004
Order of Military Medical Merit 2002
Chilean Foreign Parachutist Badge 2005
The Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal (2004)
Afghanistan Campaign Medal (2003-2004)
Iraqi Campaign Medal (2005-2006)
Army Achievement Medal 2006 (Iraq)
Bronze Star 2006 (Iraq)
Legion of Merit 2008
Publications / Presentations:
"Emergency Medical Services Training: The need for standardization", EMTAC STAR, August 1978
"Emergency Management of Orthopedic Trauma", EMTAC STAR, August 1979
"Southwest Asia: The Arc of Uncertainty", George C. Marshall ROTC Annual Award Conference Report, presentation and publication, April 1982
"Application of Microvascular Surgical Technique in Management of Limb Trauma at a Military Medical Center", poster presentation; 42nd Annual Meeting of the American Society for Surgery of the Hand; San Antonio Texas, September 1987
"Closed Intra-medullary Osteotomy and Intra-medullary Nailing for the Treatment of Femoral Anteversion", paper presentation; Carrie Tingley Children's Hospital Annual Orthopedic Meeting; Albuquerque New Mexico, February 1992
"Frontometaphyseal Dysplasia Syndrome: Case Report and Review of the Literature", paper presentation; Carrie Tingley Children's Hospital Orthopedic Meeting; Albuquerque New Mexico, January 1993
"Osteomyelitis Caused by Kingella Kingae: Case Report and Review of the Literature", paper presentation; Carrie Tingley Children's Hospital Orthopedic Meeting, Albuquerque New Mexico, January 1993
"Orthopedic Arthrography", lecture, Texas Tech School of Medicine Grand Rounds, El Paso Texas, May 1993
"A Technique for Delayed Primary Wound Closure by Viscoelastic Relaxation", poster exhibit, Society of Military Orthopedic Surgeons Meeting, Hilton Head South Carolina, November 1995
“Patellar Button Size in Total Knee Arthroplasty”, Journal of Orthopedic Surgery, June 1996, 4(1): 35-40
Scientific Hand Surgery Session Moderator, Society of Military Orthopedic Surgeons Annual Meeting; Lake Placid New York, October 1997
“Plantar Neurovascularized PIP Joint Transplantation of the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Toes-Microsurgical Anatomy”, poster presentation at the 13th Annual Meeting of the American Society for Reconstructive Microsurgery; Scottsdale Arizona, January 1998
“Microarterial Anatomy of the Lesser Toe Proximal Interphalangeal Joints”, Journal of Hand Surgery, March 1998, 23A (2) 256-260
Primary Physician Instructor, US Army Occupational Therapy Neuromuscular Evaluation and Treatment Course; Ft Knox Kentucky, August 17-21 1998, and August 16-20 1999.
“Principals of Arthritis and Acute Pain Management”, lecture presentation as Visiting Consultant at Camp LeJune Naval Hospital, Jacksonville North Carolina, March 1, 2000.
“The Arthritides from an Upper Extremity Perspective”, lecture presentation as visiting consultant, Wilmington, North Carolina, March 2, 2000.
“New Therapeutic Options in the Treatment of the Arthritides and Acute Pain”, lecture presentation as visiting consultant, Womack Army Medical Center, Fayetteville North Carolina, 3 March 2000.
“Principals of Surgical Management of the Arthritides in Hand Surgery”, lecture presentation as visiting consultant, West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine, Lewisburg West Virginia, 9 May 2000.
“Updates in Orthopedic and Hand Surgery Pain Management”, lecture presentation as visiting consultant, Donaldson Brown Center, Virginia Tech University, Blackburg Virginia, 11 May 2000.
“Acute Pain Management in Adults”, Lecture presentation to Salisbury Medical Society, Ward Museum of Wildfowl Art, Salisbury Maryland, 2 June 2000.
Primary Physician Instructor, US Army Medical Specialist Corps Occupational Therapy Upper Extremity Neuromuscular Evaluation and Treatment Course, Fort Bragg North Carolina, August 21 through 1 September 2000.
“Examination and Treatment of Common Knee Problems”, lecture presentation as visiting consultant, Veteran’s Administration Medical Center, Hampton, Virginia, 9 January 2001.
Primary Physician Instructor, US Army Medical Specialist Corps Occupational Therapy Upper Extremity Neuromuscular Evaluation and Treatment Course, Ft Bragg North Carolina, August 15 through 30 August 2001.
“Examination and Treatment of Common Hand Problems”, lecture presentation at Grand Rounds, MAHC, Fort Leavenworth Kansas, 22 February 2002
“Imaging and Evaluation of the Upper Extremity”: lecture presentation Society of Medical Radiology Technicians, St. Luke’s Medical Center, Kansas City Kansas, 20 April 2002.
“Management of Post-Operative Pain in Orthopedic Patients”: lecture presentation Bergen Mercy Medical Center, Omaha Nebraska, 19 June 2002.
“Overuse Syndromes in the Upper Extremity”: lecture presentation at Grand Rounds, McConnell Air Force Base, Wichita Kansas, 24 July 2002.
Primary Physician Instructor, US Army Medical Specialist Corps Occupational Therapy Upper Extremity Neuromuscular Evaluation and Treatment Course, Ft Bragg North Carolina, 19 through 30 August 2002.
“Management of Arthritis Related Upper Extremity Problems”: lecture Presentation at Grand Rounds, Irwin Army Community Hospital, Fort Riley, Kansas, 29 October 2002.
Medical Director and Instructor, Strategic World Impact Medical and Evangelism Training Course, Mae La Burmese Refugee Camp, Karen Kawthoolei Baptist Bible School and College, Thailand 31 November to 17 December 2002.
Medical Doctor and consulting Orthopedic Surgeon for Haitian Episcopal Learning Project mission trip to Ecole St. Hillaire/Petit River, Dubreis, Savinette, Torbeck, Cavillon Haiti, 12 to 21 March 2003.
“Overuse Syndromes in the Hand and Wrist”. lecture presentation at the 50th Annual Meeting of the Mid-Central States Orthopedic Society, Kansas City, Kansas 12 June 2003.
Primary Physician Instructor, US Army Medical Specialist Corps Occupational Therapy Upper Extremity Neuromuscular Evaluation and Treatment Course, Ft Bragg North Carolina, 8 through 19 September 2003 and 12 through 24 June 2004.
“What every provider should know about wrist sprains”: lecture presentation Grand Rounds, Womack Army Medical Center, 17 September 2003.
“Military Medical Support in Operation Enduring Freedom: An Orthopedic Surgeons perspective and experience in Afghanistan” Northeast Kansas Primary Care Physician’s Association 2nd Annual Conference, Kansas City, Kansas, 28 August 2004.
“What every provider should know about wrist sprains”: lecture presentation, Aspen/Carbondale Colorado, 14 September 2004.
“Management of Orthopaedic Problems in Primary Care”, 2nd Annual Fort Bragg Sports Medical Symposium, Fort Bragg, North Carolina, 6 May 2005.
“Management of Wrist Injures for the Primary Care Provider”: 2nd Annual Fort Bragg Sports Medical Symposium, Fort Bragg, North Carolina, 6 May 2005.
“Basic Principles of Casting and Splinting for Orthopaedic Injuries”: 228th Combat Support Hospital Grand Rounds October 2005, FOB Diamondback, Mosul, Iraq.
“Management of Infections in the Upper Extremity”: lecture presentation, Grand Rounds, 47th Combat Support Hospital, 13 November 2005, FOB Diamondback, Mosul, Iraq.
“Management and Diagnosis of Overuse Syndromes in the Upper Extremity”, Grand Rounds 47th Combat Support Hospital, September 2006, FOB Diamondback, Mosul, Iraq.
Primary Physician Instructor, US Army Medical Specialist Corps Occupational Therapy Upper Extremity Neuromuscular Evaluation and Treatment Course, 12-23 March 2007, Brooke Army Medical Center, Fort Sam Houston, Texas.
“Stress Fractures in Endurance Athletes”: CME lecture presentation at the annual Fort Bragg Family Practice Sports Medicine Symposium, 11 May 2007, Womack Army Medical Center, Fort Bragg, NC.
“Military Medical Care on the Battlefield”: lecture presentation, annual Strategic World Impact Disaster Assistance Response Team Training conference, June 2007, Bartlesville, Oklahoma.
Instructor and course facilitator, Forward Surgical team Commanders Course, July 2007, Fort Sam Houston, Texas.
Brigade Combat Team and Division Surgeon’s Course: October 15-19 2007, Instructor and Course Facilitator, Fort Sam Houston, Texas.
Primary Physician Instructor, US Army Medical Specialist Corps Occupational Therapy Upper Extremity Neuromuscular Evaluation and Treatment Course, 4-14 March 2008, Brooke Army Medical Center, Fort Sam Houston, Texas.
“Heroes in Hand Therapy: OTRs and COTAs on the Frontline”: Guest Editorial, April 2008 Special Military Edition of the Journal of Hand Therapy.
“James Traction Splinting for PIP Fractures”: Practice Forum article, April 2008 Special Military Edition of the Journal of Hand Therapy.
44th MEDCOM Forward Surgical Team Leadership Conference: Conference Director, Instructor and Session Mediator, 28-30 June 2008, Fort Bragg North Carolina.