Peter Highlander, DPM, MS
Peter Highlander, ’07, is a founding member of the American Orthopedic Society of 3-D Printing. A reconstructive foot and ankle surgeon in Bellevue, Ohio, he has made headlines recently for his custom 3-D printed implants.
“Six months ago, I performed the first total custom ankle replacement in the state of Ohio,” Highlander says, “and from there I have done many other custom bone and joint replacements including metatarsals, navicular, and custom deformity corrections.”
The ankle-replacement patient, a healthy woman in her 30s with a deformed ankle resulting from a motor vehicle accident, had been told by numerous doctors that amputation was the only option. But within months after Highlander’s surgery, she was walking normally.
After graduating from Hillsdale, Highlander received his doctorate and master’s degrees from Barry University in Miami Shores, Florida, and completed his residency at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. He has written a dozen peer-reviewed journal articles and has been invited to co-author a textbook. He is the director and founder of the Wound Reconstruction Center at Bellevue Hospital, a consultant for two orthopedic implant companies, and an adjunct assistant clinical professor at the Arizona School of Podiatric Medicine.
“The expectation of doing well is pretty ubiquitous at Hillsdale,” Highlander says. “I was a chemistry major, which was very difficult, and learning how to write well made me a better medical researcher.”
Highlander is married to Lindsey Stevens, ’06, and they have three children.
Printed in the Spring 2018 Alumni Magazine