Dr. Thomas Philip San Giovanni, MD

Thomas San Giovanni, M.D., is a Board-certified orthopedic surgeon with Baptist Health Orthopedic Care and a member of Baptist Health Medical Group, an organization of more than 180 physicians in multiple specialties closely aligned with Baptist Health South Florida. He specializes in the field of Foot and Ankle sports medicine, trauma and reconstructive surgery. He is recognized for his expertise in foot and ankle sports medicine conditions and serves as a team physician for several professional sports teams while consulting for many athletes nationally and internationally. His colleagues regard him as an innovator in this field with his development of several surgical techniques, implants and orthopedic devices which are now used worldwide. These include minimally invasive arthroscopic techniques for ankle cartilage injuries, techniques for ankle ligament and Achilles tendon repair, specialized orthopedic screws and plating systems and total joint replacement designs for foot and ankle reconstruction. Years of experience have led to Dr. San Giovanni’s comfort level with complex operative cases; he was the first surgeon to perform a total ankle joint replacement in Florida with several new generation designs and the only surgeon to perform this procedure in a live webcast broadcasted live in unedited form. Besides his reputation in sports medicine, Dr. San Giovanni is regarded as one of the world’s foremost leaders in joint replacement surgery of the great toe. He designed the first anatomically contoured great toe total joint replacement used for hallux rigidus. Dr. San Giovanni is one of only few orthopedic surgeons that perform great toe joint replacement and is recognized as a pioneering the technique. His individualized approach to each patient’s case and creative techniques has led to improvement in patient function and outcome. Dr. San Giovanni remains actively involved in academic medicine and clinical research. He has published his research and given presentations at many national and international orthopedic meetings. Besides his academic position as a Clinical Professor at Florida International University College of Medicine, Dr. San Giovanni serves as a Team Physician for the Miami Dolphins NFL Football team, Florida Panthers NHL Hockey team, Miami FC NASL Soccer team, tournament physician for the Miami Open Tennis tournament, Medical Director for the Miami Marathon and Half Marathon, the Orthopedic Foot and Ankle surgeon for the Miami City Ballet. He serves as an instructor and is one of the founding surgeons of the Miami Anatomical Research Center and MARC Institute; a recognized Mecca for surgical education where thousands of surgeons are trained yearly on the most modern technologically advanced orthopedic surgical procedures.

As a family and primary care orthopedics sports medicine physician, Alejandro Centurion, M.D., helps people of all ages keep their bones, joints, muscles, and ligaments healthy so they can stay active. He evaluates and diagnoses acute, chronic and overuse injuries and develops individualized treatment plans utilizing conservative, nonsurgical methods. He also provides the highest level of care to athletes of all ages, sports and levels of competition — from youth competitors to weekend warriors to professional athletes. Dr. Centurion is involved in education, research and hands-on field experience in the sports medicine specialty. He has served as team physician for major league soccer teams, fellow team physician for major and minor league baseball programs and assistant team physician for several collegiate and high school athletic programs. He also has provided medical coverage for many national sporting events, such as the Arnold Palmer Invitational Golf Tournament, NCAA Big 12 Women’s Basketball Championship Tournament and USA Triathlon Championships. He speaks English and Spanish.

Alexander van der Ven, M.D., is a fellowship-trained, Board-certified orthopedic surgeon with Baptist Health Orthopedic Care and a member of Baptist Health Medical Group, an organization of more than 180 physicians in multiple specialties closely aligned with Baptist Health South Florida. He specializes in total joint replacement, revision replacement and reconstruction of the hip and knee.Dr. van der Ven completed the Otto E. Aufranc Fellowship in Orthopedic Adult Reconstruction at New England Baptist Hospital, and served as a clinical instructor in orthopedic surgery at Tufts University. A Massachusetts native, Dr. van der Ven earned his undergraduate degree from Boston College and his medical degree and MBA in healthcare management from Tufts University School of Medicine. He completed several research projects at the Massachusetts General Hospital Bioengineering Laboratory in knee reconstruction, and was elected to the Alpha Omega Alpha medical honors society. Dr. van der Ven completed his internship and residency in orthopedic surgery at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine/Jackson Memorial Hospital. During residency, he also served as a team physician for the Miami-Dade County Public Schools sport programs. His clinical interests include degenerative, congenital and inflammatory disorders of the hip and knee, with a focus on less invasive techniques, arthroplasty longevity and early rehabilitation. Dr. van der Ven has published articles in several peer-reviewed medical journals and has lectured nationally. He is currently a clinical assistant professor of orthopedic surgery at Florida International University's Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine.