An image of Rosie the Riveter, trading out her red bandana and navy button down for blue surgeon scrubs, sits on the wall of Dr. Vanessa Lund’s office at Morton Hospital in Taunton, MA. For Lund, an orthopedic surgeon, the poster from the American Association of Orthopedic Surgeons serves as a reminder for how far she has come after eight years completing her residency training and then starting her private practice.

Only 6.5 percent of orthopedic surgeons—the most male-dominated surgical field—are women, according to the association, but that “certainly didn’t stop me,” said Lund, a 34-year-old Dorchester resident who moved to Lower Mills more than two years ago with her husband Craig.

She has already made her mark at the hospitals where she has worked in Massachusetts, work that earned her an invitation into the American Society for Surgery of the Hand’s “Young Leaders Program.” The Society
is focused on developing educational materials for its membership, including doctors who perform surgeries spanning from the hand to the shoulder. 

The program receives between 45 to 50 applications each year from doctors who have accrued up to thirteen years of experience practicing orthopedics. Only 15 surgeons, 3 of whom are women, were invited into the program this year. While it’s common for applicants to be selected after their second or third time applying for the program, Lund earned acceptance on her first try. 

“It’s pretty unusual for somebody so young to be chosen,” said Mark Anderson, CEO of the American Society for Surgery of the Hand.

Lund has been working with the other members since October on brainstorming how to improve educational materials for orthopedic surgeons. In the past, Anderson said, members of the program developed a video platform to train an educate surgeons on the best ways to operate—what Anderson refers to as “YouTube for hand surgery.”

Before Lund was accepted into the program in late August, she had already contributed to the hand society, notably a video celebrating the society’s 75th anniversary. In the video, Lund raps about the history of hand surgery, charting it all the way back to the ancient Greeks. The presentation harkened back to an earlier rap video Lund made while attending Drexel University College of Medicine in Philadelphia.

“Her communication skills are extraordinary, and we’re hoping to use those in the program,” Anderson said.

Lund completed her residency at Tufts Medical Center, and took a fellowship at the Philadelphia Hand to Shoulder Center. She’s currently at Morton Hospital, where she deals with musculoskeletal issues, fractures, sprains, breaks, tendonitis, and arthritis in the arms or hands, the latter her specialty, a practice she has always wanted to focus on. 

“I love the surgeries I get to do,” Lund said. “I think the anatomy of the hand and arm is just the most beautiful, intricate anatomy.”

For her private practice at University Orthopedics, Lund works alongside Drew Rogers, an orthopedic surgeon and the head team physician for the USA National U18 Hockey Team.

“Most orthopedic surgeons are dedicated,” said Rogers. “But she continuously goes above and beyond in how she wants to be at the forefront of what she does.”

After meeting Lund more than two years ago, Rogers said United Orthopedics wanted to hire her immediately. He said the connections she develops with her patients—close to 90 of them per week, Lund said—are part of what make her a unique surgeon. 

“The way that she talks to the patients, I think it relaxes them so much,” said Jennifer Reis, the charge nurse at Morton Hospital, “that when they’re going into the operating room, her demeanor and everything about her just calms the patients.”

Reis saw this first-hand when she went to Lund to treat her 16-year-old daughter’s hand, which had been injured during cheerleading practice. While her daughter was recovering from her injury, Reis said she received texts from Lund every day checking in on her progress. 

After only two years working with the hospital, Reis said, Lund has already left a mark on their community. “I’ve been in this community hospital for almost 25 years, and it’s nice to see that she’s obviously very well loved and respected here.”