After dealing with six knee surgeries on both legs from mostly football injuries nearly 15 years ago, Craig Castleman Greene had a revelation. He decided he’d rather be the doctor than the patient.
By May 2000, Greene earned his medical degree from the LSU Health Sciences Center in New Orleans. And when he joined the Baton Rouge Orthopaedic Clinic in August 2006, his earlier injuries allowed him to empathize with his patients.
That helped Greene earn the reputation of an orthopedic surgeon who heals with his head, hands and heart.
“It gave me a deeper appreciation for both sides of what goes on. A patient has a lot of vulnerability and the doctor has a lot of responsibility,” he says. “Becoming a doctor became an interesting opportunity to expand as a person and make a living.”
As part of his holistic approach, Greene says he immediately set out to be the kind of doctor who connects with a patient. When he first meets his patients, he tells them he’s going to treat them like family.
“Maintaining a positive attitude is a huge part of the healing process and helps to avoid complications,” says Greene, who is among a handful of area surgeons who work in sports medicine and trauma. “If they can feel they’re not a spot in my schedule but instead in a corner of my heart, we have more trust and move forward better as a team.”
Greene says people who feel cared for and confident about their quality of care heal better and faster. Because he also wants patients to feel he is accessible and available, he even provides an informational Web site, craigcgreenemd.com, where patients can also e-mail him.
Greene encourages his patients to let him know if they’re having problems or need additional information. He likes the e-mail connection because it’s less intrusive, but also because he can print the note and act on it when needed.
“It’s a lot of work, but most things worth it are,” Greene says. “I’m living my childhood dream.”
Age: 33
How do you make yourself heard in the discussion on how to move Baton Rouge forward?
“Sometimes the squeaky wheel gets the grease and you’ve got to squeak sometimes, whether it means showing up for public meetings or volunteering. You’ve got to get involved and stay involved. You’ve got to be a little more committed.”
Click here for the complete list of 2008's Forty Under 40 winners.
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