Maggie McKay (Host): Welcome to Stoughton Health Talk. I'm your host, Maggie McKay. Today we're going to get to know Dr. Joseph Henningsen, Orthopedic Surgeon. Thank you so much for joining us.

Joseph D. Henningsen, MD: Thanks for having me.

Host: So let's start with your background, what it is, where you went to school, all that good stuff.

Joseph D. Henningsen, MD: Yeah, absolutely. I, I'm excited to be joining Stoughton Health because I'm sort of coming home. I was born and raised just outside of Milwaukee in Menominee Falls, so hopefully some people in Stoughton are familiar with the area. I did my undergraduate education at UW Madison as an engineer and then went to UW Madison for four more years as a med student.

And then my orthopedic training commenced in Dayton, Ohio at Wright State University. And then I finished up by sub-specializing in adult reconstruction at University of Louisville, under the tutelage of the adult reconstruction specialist there.

Host: That's all very impressive. Why did you choose Stoughton of all the hospitals you could be at?

Joseph D. Henningsen, MD: Yeah, I think that when I was looking for hospitals to practice at, one, I did want to be closer to home. So coming back to Wisconsin from a total of seven years out of state in Ohio and in Kentucky, it was exciting to have the prospects of being able to come home. I was looking for a community setting because, I think that during my time in Dayton, most of that was a community setting, a smaller town, where you can really get to know the community, be known within the community, and then, you know, you go to Louisville and you're just sort of a cog in the machine.

So getting back to sort of home and then being able to be involved in the community and provide a service that is really not available right now to Stoughton because I'm adult reconstruction specialist and I can provide services that the hospital can't, wasn't ready to do yet.

Host: How did you choose orthopedics as your focus?

Joseph D. Henningsen, MD: Long story short would be that I wanted to be an engineer my whole life. And then, when I was in engineering at UW Madison, I was a biomedical engineer. And I was working to solve problems with surgeons, and working on developing and designing surgical devices. And it was while I was working with surgeons that I decided actually, I think surgeons are the ones who are sort of the front line of solving problems.

And that was what sort of drove me to become a surgeon. And then why orthopedics is a great question. I do have a history and a background in athletics. I grew up playing athletics. I had three brothers and we all competed all the time and I think that that competitive nature, with the athletic background sort of lent me towards orthopedic surgery where you're operating on people who like to be active, getting people back to doing what they want to do.

So it's a little bit of a combination of engineering, my background in athletics and just loving surgery.

Host: And when you were in sports, did you find yourself in the hospital a lot with orthopedic surgeons. Did you have a lot of injuries?

Joseph D. Henningsen, MD: No, I, I avoided the injury. That's not to be said though. Actually, all of my, I have three brothers, all three of them have had orthopedic surgery, but I have never had orthopedic surgery.

So, no, my, my first experience with orthopedic surgery was really, as a med student where we were able to rotate through the surgical services and I really fit in, in the orthopedic crowd, and I have a passion for caring for orthopedic patients, is really what it came down to.

Host: And what's your philosophy when it comes to patient care?

Joseph D. Henningsen, MD: Well, first and foremost, I think it is making sure that the patient feels at home and heard. I think that at times can be, especially in a, a surgical setting, a struggle with patients sometimes feeling like they're just sort of, in an assembly line. I don't want people to feel like they're in an assembly line.

I want them to feel like, they're being cared for, that their needs are heard. They're not, just a cog in the machine, so to speak. That's also sort of brings me back to why you choose a community setting, right? Because you get to know the people. You have a little, you get to know the community.

So, my philosophy with patient care in general is not only patient centered and education based, but also relationship based. As a surgeon, I'm going to get to know my patients. You know, I'm not going to be, uh, unknown to them and they're not going to be unknown to me, per se. And I don't like the industrialization per se of medicine.

Host: Well, I bet your family was excited when you came back there, you know, came back home to practice.

Joseph D. Henningsen, MD: Yeah. My parents still live in Menomonee Falls. They're obviously very excited to have another of their sons close to home. My older brother actually lives right up the road in Wanaki, and me and my wife chose here because of the proximity to family, honestly. And that was a huge reason for choosing Stoughton. My brother's close by, my parents are a short distance away.

Host: And how do you spend your free time if you have any?

Joseph D. Henningsen, MD: Uh, of course we have some free time. I'm a big sports fan. I have always been a huge fan of the Brewers, Packers, Badgers, and the Bucks. But, I always stay active. I'm a runner currently.

I, I used to lift and play basketball, but those days are behind me. As I've grown older and wanting to avoid injuries, I've transitioned to more of a running, staying active with exercise. I love to read. I read fantasy books, history books. I'm a avid reader. I'm in a book club with my wife and with my family, so two different book clubs.

 I like to do board games and just sort of spend time with each other and with our family.

Host: Yeah. That's cool. Well, in closing, Dr. Henningsen, is there anything else we should know about you or your patients should know about you?

Joseph D. Henningsen, MD: I just think that the subspecialty that I'm providing is really a, an approach to hip and knee reconstruction surgery, that has a focus on rapid recovery and muscle sparing in order to allow patients to return to what they want to do faster. And the other sort of component that I'm bringing from Louisville is the robotic nature and training that I have.

 I trained with my mentor is the number one consultant for the Mako robot. So I don't get any kickbacks or royalties from them. But I can tell you that my mentor is very experienced with it, and that training with the robot will allow me to provide very patient specific surgical care. I think that being able to fill that role in the community is what I want to do and what I want patients to know that I'm doing.

Host: Well, that all sounds so good. It's been so fun getting to know you for a few minutes. Thank you for making the time.

Joseph D. Henningsen, MD: Thank you so much as well. I really appreciate it.

Host: Again, that's Dr. Joseph Henningsen. To find out more, please visit orthoteam.com. And if you found this podcast helpful, please share it on your social channels and check out our entire podcast library for topics of interest to you, I'm Maggie McKay. Thanks for listening to Stoughton Health Talk.