Meet your Orthopedic surgery staff at VA Boston health care

Meet Our Surgeons

Dr. Jorge Villafuerte is board certified in Orthopedic Surgery,  Section Chief of Orthopedic Surgery.  Assistant Professor at the Boston University School of Medicine.

Medical School: University of Costa Rica 1995
Residency: University of Costa Rica 1999
Fellowship:  University of Sheffield: Leg lengthening and limb reconstruction fellowship 2000.     
                       Brigham and Women's Hospital. Harvard Medical school: Sports Medicine 2001.
Board Certification: Orthopedic Surgery

Dr. Villafuerte clinical interests include joint replacement surgery, hip, knee and revision arthroplasty.

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Dr. Courtney Dawson [she/her/hers] is Board Certified in Orthopedic Surgery, Associate Chief of Orthopedic Surgery, Assistant Professor at Boston University School of Medicine, and Clinical Instructor at Harvard Medical School

Medical School: Penn State College of Medicine, MD, 2005
Residency: Harvard Combined Orthopedic Surgery Residency Program, 2010
Fellowship:  Hospital for Special Surgery, Sports Medicine and Shoulder Surgery, 2011
Board Certification: Orthopedic Surgery


Dr. Dawson's clinical interests include meniscus tears, ACL tears, rotator cuff tears, shoulder instability, knee and shoulder arthritis, tendon tears, and fractures, with a special interest in sports-related injuries. In the surgeon's spare time, Dr. Dawson enjoys spending time with her family, cycling, cooking, and traveling.

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Dr. Dina H. Galvin is Board Certified in Orthopedic Surgery, Clinical Instructor at Harvard Medical School.

Medical School: Dartmouth Medical School
Residency: Brown University/ Rhode Island Hospital
Fellowship:  Harvard Hand Fellowship, Brigham &Women's, Hand & Upper Extremity 2000
Board Certification: American Board of Orthopedic Surgeons:  

Dr. Galvin's clinical interests include nerve compressions, dupuytren's disease, ligament injuries, and hand arthritis with a special interest in nerve surgery. In her spare time, Dr. Galvin enjoys travelling, playing tennis, and photography.

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Dr. Joseph W. Marchese is a staff orthopedic surgeon

Graduate School:  University of Utah 2009
Medical School: Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine, MD, 2013
Residency: University of Connecticut Health Center, Orthopedic Surgery, 2018
Fellowship:  New England Baptist Hospital, Sports Medicine and Shoulder Surgery, 2019
Board Certification: Orthopedic Surgery

Dr. Marchese's clinical interests include rotator cuff tears, meniscus and knee ligament injuries, nerve compression syndromes of the elbow and hand, and osteoarthritis of the shoulder, hip and knee, with a special interest in shoulder replacement surgery. In Dr. Marchese's spare time, he enjoys spending time with his family, playing tennis, skiing, and playing piano.

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Dr. Prabhudev Prasad Purudappa [he / him / his / himself] is an Assistant Professor at the Boston University School of Medicine.

Medical School: Mysore Medical College, Mysore, India 2001
Residency: Postgraduate Institute of medical education and research (PGIMER) , Chandigarh, India
Fellowship:  Mass General Hospital, Boston. University of Minnesota Medical center, Minneapolis. TRIA Orthopedic center, Minneapolis

Dr. Purudappa's clinical interests include primary and revision joint replacement surgeries of the Knee, Hip and Shoulder and also arthroscopic surgeries of the knee and shoulder.

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Meet our Advanced practice practitioners

Nicolas J. Desjardins is a physician assistant in Orthopedics

Undergraduate: Merrimack College

PA School: MCPHS University

Certification: PA-C NCCPA

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Jessica Fougere is a nurse practitioner in Orthopedics

Undergraduate School:   University of Maine, ASN, 2012; University of Phoenix, BSN, 2014
Nursing or PA School:  Walden University, MSN, 2019
Board Certification: American Academy of Nurse Practitioners: Adult Gerontology Nurse Practitioner (AGNP-C)

Jessica started with VA Boston in 2015. She has worked with veterans since 2008. Veterans are her favorite patient population. In her spare time, she enjoys gardening, travel, and caring for animals.

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Alyssa Friedman, PA-C is a certified physician assistant in the Orthopedic Surgery Department.

Undergraduate School:   Quinnipiac University, Entry Level Physician Assistant Program, BHS, 2017
Nursing or PA School: Quinnipiac University Physician Assistant Program 2019
Board Certification: NCC PA-C

Alyssa's clinic interests include general orthopedics, joint replacement surgery, sports medicine, and orthopedic conditions involving the hands and upper extremities. In her spare time Alyssa enjoys playing tennis and cheering on her favorite Boston sports teams.

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Alexandra Jureller [she / her / hers / herself] is a physician assistant in Orthopedics

Undergraduate School:   Northeastern University 2018
PA School:  Tufts University School of Medicine 2021
Board Certification: PA-C NCCPA

Alexandra Jureller's clinical interests include general orthopedic surgery with a special interest in hand surgery and sports medicine.

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Emma Moser [she / her / hers / herself] is a physician assistant in Orthopedics

Undergraduate School:   Marywood University, Bachelor of Health Science, 2020
PA School:  Marywood University Physician Assistant Program, 2021
Board Certification: PA-C NCCPA
 

Emma’s clinic interests are general orthopedics/Surgery, sports medicine, hand and upper extremity

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Effie  Saly [she / her / hers / herself] is a nurse practitioner in orthopedics

Undergraduate School:   Tel Aviv university
Nursing or PA School:  Regis college
Board Certification: FNP-BC Family Nurse Practitioner
 

Dr. Saly enjoys spending time with her family and being outdoors

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