Welcome to another episode of “Fixing Healthcare from the Trenches.” I’m Dr. Badia, your host, and today, we have a special guest, Dr. Nick Pappas, MD. He’s a board-certified orthopedic surgeon with a CAQ in hand surgery, focusing on various hand and upper extremity conditions.Originally from New Orleans, Dr. Pappas graduated from St. Martin’s Episcopal School and then went on to Princeton University, where he earned his B.A. in Philosophy and played college baseball.He earned his medical degree at Vanderbilt University and completed his orthopedic surgery residency at the University of Pennsylvania. Following that, he returned to Vanderbilt for a fellowship in Hand, Microvascular, and Upper Extremity Surgery.Dr. Pappas has over a decade of experience and currently serves as a Clinical Assistant Professor of Orthopedic Surgery at both Tulane University and Louisiana State University. He’s an active member of the American Society for Surgery of the Hand and contributes to the Journal of Hand Surgery, American, as a consultant reviewer.With over 30 peer-reviewed publications and multiple textbook chapters, Dr. Pappas is not only a practitioner but also a dedicated researcher. Today, he joins us to discuss potential solutions for the U.S. healthcare system.