At Lucens, we believe that every medical professional has a unique story worth sharing. Our "Behind the Scrubs" series pulls back the curtain on the diverse journeys of remarkable individuals in healthcare. Through candid interviews, we explore the challenges, triumphs, and pivotal moments that shape careers in medicine.
These stories embody the Lucens philosophy: there's no one "right" way to build a fulfilling medical career. By showcasing various paths, we aim to inspire, guide, and connect the next generation of practitioners. Whether you're a student, resident, or established professional, these insights offer valuable lessons and fresh perspectives on the ever-evolving world of medicine.
Join us as we go "Behind the Scrubs" and discover the human stories that make medicine such a rewarding field.
In this edition: Myra Trivellas MD
Dr. Myra Trivellas is redefining what it means to be an orthopedic surgeon. With a background in collegiate athletics and a passion for sports medicine, she brings a unique perspective to a field traditionally dominated by "big bros." In this candid interview, Dr. Trivellas shares her journey from the lacrosse field to the operating room, offering insights into the challenges and rewards of her chosen specialty.
Whether you're a fellow surgeon or simply curious about the world of sports medicine, Dr. Trivellas' experiences offer a fresh and inspiring look at the evolving landscape of orthopedic surgery.
Your path to orthopedic surgery began with your love for sports. Can you tell us about that connection and how it led you to medicine?
I was an athlete all growing up and loved athletics. The more I learned about performance, eating, health, and injuries on the field, the more passionate I became about it. I remember throwing up after a high school race, seeing my orange juice and cinnamon raisin bagel all over my new racing flats. It was a shock, but it made me realize how what you eat correlates with performance.
I played lacrosse at Yale, and balancing that with pre-med studies was tough. But it showed me how much I cared about understanding the human body. I loved volunteering in the pediatric emergency room — it was so cool, and I had this fantastic mentor who was just a rockstar.
The connection between sports and medicine clicked for me. It wasn't just about treating injuries; it was about understanding how to optimize performance, prevent injuries, and help athletes return to play safely. That's what ultimately drew me to orthopedic surgery and sports medicine.
How did you navigate the challenges of choosing your specialty and balancing your academic pursuits with athletics?
I went into college not really knowing what I wanted to do. My dad is Greek and very strict — he basically said, "You have to know what you want to do with your life, otherwise I'm not paying for college." So I was like, "Okay, Dad, I'll be a doctor." But the more I learned about it and took classes, I realized, "Oh, this is actually really cool."
In med school, they had these interest groups where different specialists would give talks about their day-to-day lives. I went to a ton of those my first year — plastic surgery, ENT, immunology — just to figure out what resonated with me. It really helped me understand the passions people had in different fields.
As for balancing academics and athletics, it was tough. At Yale, there were two girls ahead of me on the lacrosse team who were also applying to medical school. They had already had those tough conversations with our coaches about scheduling labs and certain classes around practice. So it was a little easier for me to navigate that path.
I didn't decide on my specialty focus until my second year of med school. The key was finding something I was truly passionate about. When I started realizing I was waking up earlier than I needed to for orthopedic lectures — and I'm not a morning person at all — I knew I'd found my calling.
You mentioned having great mentors. Can you tell us about a mentor who really inspired you?
When I was volunteering in the pediatric emergency room, I had this fantastic mentor. She was an ER doc there, and she was just such a rockstar. Her energy and willingness to teach were incredible, but what really set her apart was how she kept you involved.
Some of the best mentors I've had might not even let you do that much, but they make you feel really involved and help you learn a lot. They walk you through things, talk you through their steps. They might be doing the whole thing, but they're actively keeping you engaged with thoughtful questions and explanations.
Seeing them light up about what they're doing is really motivating. It keeps you really engaged and inspired. That's what this mentor did for me, and it made a huge impact on my journey in medicine.
Can you tell us more about that approach to teaching?
In surgery, there's this really important balance between letting someone be involved hands-on versus not because you can't let someone who's never done anything do something and then mess it up. Some people handle that balance really well, and some people absolutely don't, which could ruin your whole taste of it.
I remember specifically at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York, there's a doctor, Dr. Su, who's a total joint surgeon. He's fantastic, very skilled, very smart. When you're in his operating room for the first week, you literally don't even put a hand on the patient at all, but he is constantly explaining his steps. He asks you thoughtful questions about the anatomy or the patient presentation or what you would do in a situation. He keeps you really engaged, not in a Socratic method where he peppers you with questions that you feel like you need to know the answer to, but more just explaining his thought process and expertise.
I learned more in his OR than I did in 20 other people's ORs where they were like, "Yeah, hold this retractor," but you're not learning anything. Dr. Su’s approach is the kind of teaching that really makes a difference in medicine.
What's a common misconception about orthopedic surgery you'd like to address?
Stereotypically, the first thing that comes to mind is that orthopedic surgeons are big jock bros. So as a young female, it's breaking the mold a bit. Orthopedic surgery has the lowest percentage of females in the field. Most people know that, but I think it's cool to be an example and be like, "Yeah, you don't have to be a big bro that goes weightlifting to be an orthopedic surgeon." That's changing, but it's just a lot slower to change than everything else.
I think just in general, surgical fields have a bad reputation for just wanting to operate all the time. Some people do want to operate all the time, but as an athlete and in sports medicine, it's much more directed at how we can optimize this person without surgery. Surgery is like a trauma. You're putting someone through a big trauma to have something fixed. The scar tissue alone means they're never gonna feel the same, and if they're not going to heal and get better from it, you could really do harm to someone.
The non-operative, physical therapy route, coaching them through their healing process, and understanding how you should be healing and what the body's capable of — that's becoming more and more the focus, and it’s a huge part of my job.
What's an exciting development in orthopedics that you think more people should know about?
I think that cartilage restoration procedures are pretty awesome. I don't think enough people know that if a young person comes in with a huge chunk of their cartilage missing, we have options. Cartilage has been this mysterious part of the joint where we haven't really been able to have a good solution for a long time. People have been trying to regenerate cartilage for many years and haven't had good options.
We're still not there where we can do anything with stem cells or stuff to prevent osteoarthritis, but there are a lot of good surgical procedures for cartilage now. If someone has a localized area of damage, we can really treat their pain and improve their function. I don't think a lot of people know that, and it's exciting because it can make a huge difference for patients, especially younger, active ones.
That said, the big challenge we're still facing is widespread arthritis. Right now, we just get to the point where we're like, "Yeah, we'll manage it. Do physical therapy to get stronger. Lose weight." Which is hard to do, you know? Those are the two things that people don't do a lot. And then there's this bridge of like, "Yeah, your cartilage is worn out everywhere, and you just have thin cartilage." We just tell people to suck it up until it's affecting their day-to-day life every day, and then we consider a knee replacement.
But a knee replacement never feels the same. It's not like getting a 20-year-old knee back. So, finding something before a knee replacement that would be like restoring your cartilage or something that helps your body heal itself - that's the holy grail we're still chasing.
Can you tell us about the challenges and rewards of your first job as an attending physician?
My first job right now is definitely a big part of my journey. I’m getting to take care of patients the way I want to take care of them, in line with my values. But that added responsibility is a lot.
You want to do everything perfectly. You want to be there for your patients, and everything you do right is awesome. But everything you get even a little bit wrong feels huge.
I remember the first time I've ever thrown up from nervousness was this year. I had an athlete who had a fracture that wasn't healing the way I thought it was going to heal. He lost two weeks of soccer, which is his whole life.
I had decided to see if his body could heal on its own without surgery, thinking he was young and healthy. There were other factors — he was walking on it when he shouldn't have been — but I also should have expected that from a 14-year-old boy. When I got the X-ray back, and it wasn't healing the way I thought it should be, I actually threw up. I was like, "Oh my God, this is because of a decision that I ultimately thought was the right plan of action." Now we have to do surgery and he's lost two weeks.
It's a big responsibility. Obviously, you always have people you can ask for advice, but ultimately, patients are coming to you for your expert opinion. You have to be confident and knowledgeable enough to provide that for them.
"Stay open-minded and set your goals really high. Push yourself in the beginning so that you don't cut off your ability to do what you want later."
What advice would you give to aspiring doctors, especially those interested in orthopedics?
I think finding something that you're passionate about is really important. When I started realizing orthopedics was it for me, I was waking up earlier than I needed to go to orthopedic lectures. I'm not a morning person; I'm gonna sleep as much as possible. But then I was doing it, I was seeking it out myself, and thought, "This is so cool."
You really have to find that because it's going to be tough. My dad always said, "You gotta find something that you love to do. You can't go to work every day and not love what you do. It has to feel like not work." When I realized that was happening with orthopedics, it clicked.
It's important to remember that orthopedics is really competitive. It's one of the most competitive specialties to get into. If you don't match, you don't even have the chance to do it. It's not like other jobs where you can keep applying until you get that job.
If your goal is to go into orthopedics or dermatology, but your first year you were thinking you were going to go into internal medicine, and you didn't study as hard, or you didn't get as many experiences, then your ability to go into orthopedics is so much harder.
Push yourself in the beginning so that you don't cut off your ability to do what you want later. Shoot for as high as you can, and the doors will eventually open for you.
