Home › Blog › Happy Thanksgiving! What I am Thankful For…

What am I thankful for professionally this year? Too often, I, like everyone else, can forget the meaning of this holiday. After all, it’s the official kick-off party for the commercial Christmas and holiday season, so there is much to distract us from the true meaning of Thanksgiving. However, in quiet moments when I can reflect, like in the morning writing a blog, I can focus on “giving thanks.”

My Patients

I am thankful for my patients. All too often it’s easy, as a physician, to take for granted that people place their problems and lives in your hands in the hope you can fix them. It’s an immense act of trust and confidence, and on days like this, the true meaning of this relationship between doctor and patient can be grasped.

My Partners and Network Physicians

Regenexx doesn’t work without top-notch physicians. Since we so heavily screen our physicians who get trained in fellowships, become partners, or who become network affiliates, Regenexx is a bit like a family. We get to know each other well through sharing ideas and challenges. I am thankful that I have the privilege to work with such thoughtful physicians.

Orthobiologics

I’m thankful that orthobiologics, like platelet rich plasma and stem cell therapies, exist. Before I became the first physician in the world to perform many of these procedures, I was trapped in steroid and “nuke it” land. Meaning that all I could inject that might help patients was harmful steroids. My other option was frying a nerve taking pain from an area (radiofrequency ablation)  but that nerve, of course, was there for a reason! Hence, orthobiologics changed my world and ability to help patients.

Our Clinical Staff

While the doctors are like the lead vocalist in a band that gets all of the attention, the staff is like the others behind him or her that make it all sound good. Our staff in Colorado and at our licensed site in Grand Cayman receive too many accolades to mention here. I constantly hear from patients about how great they are and how they often go the extra mile to make patients comfortable and feel heard.

Our Fellows

We’ve had a fellowship program now for many years. These hardworking physicians start by helping our attending physicians while learning, but they also do much more. They literally are the engine that keeps our research humming. They, along with our research staff, pull all of the pieces together to make sure publications get out the door.

Our Research Staff

Regenexx is nothing without its research. We have dedicated scientists in the lab and who collect and analyze data. It’s hard to understand how hard these things can be, how many hours it takes to produce finished and credible research. I am thankful that they are backing up our science every day.

Our Training Staff

We have a dedicated staff that train physicians and their office staff. These dedicated people not only train in Colorado but sometimes need to go on the road to make sure the quality remains high. I am thankful that they are willing to sacrifice to make sure everyone is on the same page.

Our Administrative Staff

Regenexx is now a big company, and it takes a small army of people to make sure that everyone rows in the same direction. This includes a board, CEO, COO, CFO, and many others. I am thankful that these folks have increasingly taken this load off of my shoulders!

Our Patient Education Center

This is the dedicated team that communicates with and educates patients about how we are very different. This is often a thankless job, but I again often hear great things from patients about this team. I am thankful that they are there to make sure people understand what’s possible and not possible with platelets and stem cells.

My Blogging and Social-Media Staff

Last but certainly not least, it’s hard to imagine the amount of time that goes into getting out a daily blog. While I still do much of the writing, I now have a writer who can help make sure that I watch my grammar and create some content. I also have a dedicated staff to help deal with the massive number of social-media conversations and comments that these posts generate. This is a full-time-plus job, as comments come in at all times from around the world. So I am thankful that this team has my back and it helps me turn 5:30 am writing into reality!

The upshot? I have much to be professionally thankful for in 2017! Thanks also to anyone whom I forgot to mention, as there is a small army around me of dedicated people who make the magic happen!

Chris Centeno, MD is a specialist in regenerative medicine and the new field of Interventional Orthopedics. Centeno pioneered orthopedic stem cell procedures in 2005 and is responsible for a large amount of the published research on stem cell use for orthopedic applications. View Profile