Dr. Gillespie’s Medical Background
Dr. Gillespie joined the Shepherd Center medical staff in 2013 as a consultant in Orthopedic Hand and Upper Extremity Surgery. He and Dr. Allan Peljovich see inpatients at Shepherd Center and outpatients in the Hand and Upper Extremity Clinic.
He provides specialty surgical and non-surgical care to Shepherd Center patients who have sustained traumatic injuries to their hands, wrists, and arms. This includes fractures, tendon lacerations, and nerve injuries. He also works closely with the physical and occupational therapists to diagnose and treat conditions related to the initial traumatic injury or late effects of these injuries, including heterotopic ossification of the elbow/forearm, and hand/wrist/elbow contractures and spasticity.
Dr. Gillespie and Dr. Peljovich also provide highly specialized care for patients with brachial plexus injuries and upper extremity weakness due to spinal cord injuries. These surgeries include nerve grafting, nerve transfers, tendon transfers and other interventions, such as microsurgical tissue transfer, to help improve crucial hand and upper extremity function for these patients.
Dr. Gillespie is an orthopedic hand surgeon at The Hand and Upper Extremity Center of Georgia. In addition to working at Shepherd Center, he is affiliated with Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Northside Hospital, and Piedmont Hospital. Prior to moving to Atlanta, he was an Instructor in Orthopedic Surgery at Harvard Medical School and a staff orthopedic hand and upper extremity surgeon at Boston Children’s Hospital.
Dr. Gillespie graduated from the University of Rochester (New York) School of Medicine, where he received his Doctor of Medicine degree with Distinction in Research. He completed his orthopedic surgery training in the Harvard Combined Orthopedic Residency Program in Boston, Massachusetts. This training included working at Massachusetts General Hospital, Brigham & Women’s Hospital, Boston Children’s Hospital, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, and the Veterans Affairs Boston Healthcare System. He served as chief resident at Massachusetts General Hospital. Dr. Gillespie subspecialized by completing the Harvard Hand and Upper Extremity Surgery Fellowship at Harvard Medical School/Brigham & Women’s Hospital, Boston Children’s Hospital, and Massachusetts General Hospital.