Dr. Bobby Chhabra has dedicated his entire career to UVA Medical Center and School of Medicine, joining the faculty in 2002 and serving as Chair of Orthopedic Surgery since 2013. Under his leadership, the department has more than doubled in size and developed the UVA Orthopedic Center, a project he considers one of his proudest accomplishments.
"It took ten years to open the Orthopedic Center," Dr. Chhabra said. "We consolidated into one building outpatient orthopedic care, a therapy gym, imaging, and operating rooms. It's a culmination of a lot of effort and collaboration to build a premier orthopedic center for our patients."
The center represents Dr. Chhabra's vision of creating both a patient-centric and team-centric environment. His focus now is "continuing to hire the right surgeons and team members" as demand for their services grows. He said, "We are looking to become a national destination site, and that people come from across the country for their orthopedic care.”
What makes the orthopedic care at UVA unique is its comprehensive approach. "We have nationally recognized surgeons in every specialty and an incredible level of access to our care," says Dr. Chhabra. In March, they launched an orthopedic after-hours walk-in clinic, which he describes as "an enormous service to our community and to the university."
Dr. Chhabra emphasized that what truly sets the center apart isn't just the facilities. "It's not just the building; it's the people who work in the building and a culture focused on providing the best patient care possible. We want each patient to feel like they're the most important person in the building."
Community engagement is central to Dr. Chhabra's mission. He hosts a weekly radio show discussing sports injuries to educate the community, and the UVA Orthopedic Center holds an annual community open house with educational opportunities about injury prevention. His department is involved with the Charlottesville Free Clinic, where his wife, Sandhya Chhabra is one of the Directors, providing orthopedic care to under-resourced members of our community.
The department serves multiple missions beyond clinical care. "We educate the next generation of orthopedic specialists," Dr. Chhabra notes. "We have a strong research program, and I'm proud that we have been recognized as one of the top orthopedic residency training programs in the country."
For the future, Dr. Chhabra hopes to continue providing "the highest level of access for patients with orthopedic needs in our community " while recruiting and retaining top talent.
It's not just the building; it's the people who work in the building and a culture focused on providing the best patient care possible. We want each patient to feel like they're the most important person in the building.