Shoulder

Biography

Shoulder, Hip, Knee & Sports Medicine

Noted Orthopaedic Surgeon from Denver Makes Move to Vail and Frisco, Becoming the First Female Surgeon on The Clinic’s World-Renowned Team

VAIL, Colo. – Dr. Leslie Vidal, an accomplished orthopaedic surgeon who has practiced in the Denver metropolitan area for nearly two decades, has joined the surgical team at The Steadman Clinic, effective August 1.

Dr. Vidal will join her husband, Dr. Armando Vidal, as the newest member of The Steadman Clinic’s prestigious team. Dr. Armando Vidal joined the Clinic in May 2019.

“Dr. Leslie Vidal is a gifted surgeon, a thoughtful and meticulous doctor and caretaker who will be a tremendous addition to our orthopaedic team here at The Steadman Clinic,” said Dr. Marc J. Philippon, Managing Partner of The Steadman Clinic and Co-Chair of Steadman Philippon Research Institute (SPRI). “Leslie is skilled in all areas of orthopaedic surgery and will provide her expertise working on shoulder, knee and hip procedures.”

Dr. Vidal is eager to begin her new role at The Steadman Clinic.

“First of all, this is an incredible opportunity to work with the world-renowned physicians at The Steadman Clinic,” said Dr. Leslie Vidal. “One reason is the opportunity for research. We have an incredibly robust, state-of-the-art research program at SPRI, which allows us as physicians to ask a basic science question and have it answered in the lab so we can apply it in the clinic. That helps us provide for the best overall care for our patients and that really doesn’t happen anywhere else as seamlessly as it does here.

“On a more personal level, I think as a family that skis a lot and spends a lot of time up here in Vail and Frisco, the opportunity to live and work here is ideal for us and a dream come true for me.”

Dr. Vidal’s appointment also gives The Steadman Clinic its first female orthopaedic surgeon in its history.

“Not only will I be the first female orthopaedic surgeon at Steadman, but also the first here in the Vail Valley,” said Dr. Vidal. “That is a really exciting opportunity for me, giving me the chance to further dive into the care of the female athlete.

“I formerly worked in a private practice in Denver and my practice was about 50-50 between male and female patients. I am always looking to better understand the nuances of treating the female athlete. There are certainly female athletes who seek out a female physician. And, believe it or not, there are male athletes that seek out a female physician.”

A Colorado native, she completed her undergraduate studies at Brown University in Providence, R.I., and then graduated from the Boston University School of Medicine. She served an internship and residency at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City where her chief resident was Dr. Peter Millett, who is now a partner at The Steadman Clinic, where he specializes in shoulder, knee and elbow surgery.  It was also at HSS where Leslie met another young surgical intern—her future husband, Dr. Armando Vidal.

Both Drs. Vidal moved on to serve fellowships at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) and they were married during that appointment. At UPMC, both trained under the supervision of Dr. Marc Philippon, who was then the Director of Sports Medicine/Hip Disorders.

The previous relationships with Drs. Millett and Philippon certainly played a role in both Drs. Vidal joining the staff at The Steadman Clinic.

“Both of those senior partners really had familiarity with the quality of both the people we are and the work that Armando and I do,” said Dr. Vidal. “They felt that it would be a good move for both of us to move up from Denver and expand The Steadman Clinic’s footprint. I think Dr. Philippon is very busy with his hip surgery patients and having somebody else who can help with that volume is appealing. I think they are interested in addressing the female athlete distinctly and having someone who can deal with the specific nuances of the female athlete could be very useful to the Clinic.”

Working in sports medicine has been a dream of Dr. Vidal’s since she was in grade school.

“When I was about 11 years old, I was at a Broncos game with my dad, and I saw the team doctor go out on the field when John Elway went down with an injury,” said Dr. Vidal. “I turned to my dad—I was this skinny little 11-year-old missing a couple of front teeth—and said, ‘I think I want to be the Broncos’ team doctor when I grow up.’ My dad and everyone in the south stands had a good chuckle at that. For some reason that just kind of stuck with me as something that would be really fun to do—to go out and help athletes get back on their feet and be there for them throughout the whole process.

“Throughout college and med school, I focused on continuing my path to sports medicine. And 20 to 30 years after that Bronco game with my dad, I was in practice with that same Broncos’ team physician who was working on Elway.”

Drs. Vidal have two sons and relocated from Denver to the Vail Valley this summer.

For further information or other inquiries about The Steadman Clinic or Steadman Philippon Research Institute, contact Lynda Sampson, Vice President of External Affairs (lsampson@sprivail.org).