Meet the AOA Physicians
Vladimir A. Alexander, M.D.
Dr. Vladimir Alexander is the founding partner of Alexander Orthopaedic Associates. He grew up in Cleveland, Ohio, graduated cum laude from John Carroll University, and earned his medical degree from the Ohio State University College of Medicine with honors in orthopaedic surgery. He completed a general surgical internship and his orthopaedic surgery residency at The Mt. Sinai Medical Center Cleveland, a teaching hospital of the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. He then served as Chief Resident of the Division of Orthopaedic Surgery at The University of Alabama Hospitals in Birmingham. At the completion of his residency, Dr. Alexander obtained additional hand and upper extremity training at The Cleveland Orthopaedic and Spine Hospital, an affiliate of The Cleveland Clinic Foundation.
Dr. Alexander has authored and co-authored numerous articles and has made national presentations related to orthopaedic surgery. He is a consultant for Depuy Orthopaedics and lectures nationally on the surgical treatment of wrist fractures. Dr. Alexander is also the inventor and developer of the LATKA system (laser assisted total knee arthroplasty). This system provides laser guidance to surgeons during knee and hip replacement surgery. The technology improves the accuracy and precision of such operations, resulting in improved surgical results and outcomes. Dr. Alexander is certified in Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS). He is a member of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons and the American Medical Association. He is board certified by the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery.
Ashraf A. Ragab, M.D.
Dr. Ragab is a fellowship-trained Spine Surgeon and a Board Certified Orthopedic surgeon who specializes in minimally invasive spine surgery, fracture care, complex spinal disorders, traumatic and reconstructive spinal surgery.
Dr. Ragab received his M.D. from Alexandria University School of Medicine, Egypt in 1987. His postgraduate training included a General Surgery internship which was completed at St. Elizabeth's Medical Center in Boston - Tuft's University in 1994. Dr. Ragab, then went on to be the orthopedic research fellow with the Department of Orthopedics - Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, where he performed basic science research for two years. Dr. Ragab completed his residency training in Orthopedic Surgery from Case Western Reserve University and the University Hospitals of Cleveland. He then completed a Spine and Scoliosis Surgery Fellowship with the University of Wisconsin Hospitals and Clinics in Madison, Wisconsin in 2002.
Dr Ragab has been in practice since 2002. He has been Associate Professor of Orthopedics at the University of Mississippi. Dr. Ragab has received numerous awards, grants and scholarships, including the Kappa Delta Award from the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, and the Orthopedic Research Society William Harris Hip Award. He has published in peer-reviewed medical journals and has presented both abstracts and posters to numerous organizations including the Cervical Spine research Society, the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, Orthopedic Research Society, North American Spine Society, the Bone and Mineral Research Society, andAO/ASIF International Spine. He is an editor for peer review journals and actively participates in teaching spine surgery courses to residents, fellows and other spine surgeons, both nationally and internationally. Such research and teaching activity allows Dr. Ragab to remain on technology’s cutting edge.
Dr. Ragab employs both non-surgical and surgical treatments to address the symptoms that can arise from abnormal spinal function. He consistently develops and applies novel methods to treat spinal disorders. His philosophy is that surgery should be the last resort in treatment of spinal pathology.
Daniel Penello, M.D., MBA
Dr. Penello is a Board certified Orthopaedic Surgeon with fellowship training in Hand and Upper Extremity surgery. He was raised in Toronto, Ontario, Canada where he completed his Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology at York University, graduating summa cum laude. He earned his medical degree from the University of Toronto in 2002 with honors and was admitted to the prestigious Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society. He subsequently completed his internship and orthopaedic surgery residency at the University of Toronto where he received several awards for academic achievement, teaching ability and humanitarianism.
Dr. Penello’s interest in health policy, process improvement and commercialization of medical devices led him to complete a Health Sector MBA at the Rotman School of Management in Toronto during his residency. Most recently, he completed a Hand and Upper Extremity Fellowship at the world-renowned Cleveland Clinic, in Cleveland Ohio.
Dr. Penello has been involved with numerous research projects. He has also authored and co-authored publications in the United States and Canada. He is a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, and a member of the American Society for Surgery of the Hand, the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgery and the Canadian Orthopaedic Association.
Theodore Koreckij, M.D.
Dr. Theodore Koreckij grew up in Darien, Connecticut. He earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering from Princeton University. He completed his Master’s Degree in Biomedical Engineering at the University of Colorado, Boulder. He obtained his Medical Degree and completed his orthopaedic surgery residency at the University of Connecticut. He is board certified by the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery.
Dr. Koreckij joins our practice from Missouri where he was in private practice for 25 years.