Orthopedic Hand Surgery near Miami, FL

Care Philosophy: I am committed to providing my patients with compassionate and quality care

Biography: Dalibel Bravo, M.D., is a board-certified, fellowship-trained orthopedic surgeon at Miami Orthopedics & Sports Medicine Institute, part of Baptist Health. Dr. Bravo specializes in hand, wrist, shoulder and elbow surgery. She also offers the WALANT (wide awake local anesthesia no tourniquet) technique, which gives patients the option to have surgery without general anesthesia. This technique allows for less time in the hospital and better surgical outcomes. Dr. Bravo was born in Miami and raised in Puerto Rico. She is fluent in English, Spanish and French. Prior to joining Miami Orthopedics & Sports Medicine Institute in 2021, Dr. Bravo was on staff at the Rothman Orthopaedic Institute, where she completed a hand and upper extremity fellowship. She holds a master's degree in biomedical sciences from the Mayo Clinic, where she focused on hand surgery. During her residency and fellowship at the NYU Langone Orthopedic Hospital, she completed the clinical-scientist track, where she focused on different medications that can enhance fracture healing. She won the Chief Resident Best Paper Research Award and the Harry Reicher Research Award for this research. She was also awarded the Sarah Pettrone, MD, Memorial Hand Surgery Scholarship Award, which is given to a resident who excels in their research in hand surgery. During her fellowship, Dr. Bravo trained with world-renowned hand, wrist, shoulder and elbow surgeons, allowing her to provide complete upper extremity care. Dr. Bravo's research has been published in peer-reviewed publications, including the Journal of Hand Surgery, Ultrasound in Medicine and Biology, BONE, Gene, and the Journal of Orthopaedic Surgery and Research. She also authored a chapter in the medical textbook ``Basic Science for the Practicing Orthopaedic Surgeon: A Focus on Fracture Healing.`` Dr. Bravo was born in Miami and grew up in Puerto Rico. She's glad to come back home to care for patients in Miami. As a clinician-scientist, Dr. Bravo's approach to patient care is to use evidence-based medicine and clinical and translational science to provide the best possible patient care. She is passionate about orthopedic surgery because treatment is often able to make an immediate difference in the lives of her patients, helping them get back to their lifestyle and quality of life. When she is not treating patients, Dr. Bravo enjoys yoga, scuba diving, snowboarding, biking, traveling and spending time with her family.

Biography: Dr. Elizabeth Ouellette, MD is an Orthopedic Surgery Specialist who practices in Miami Beach, FL. She is 73 years old and has been practicing for 47 years. Dr. Elizabeth Ouellette, MD is affiliated with Baptist Hospital of Miami, Baptist Health, Doctors Hospital, West Kendall Baptist Hospital and South Miami Hospital.

Biography: Rafael Diaz-Garcia, M.D., FACS, is an orthopedic hand and upper extremity surgeon with Baptist Health Orthopedic Care. He specializes in peripheral nerve surgery to treat neuropathic pain, nerve compression (carpal tunnel, cubital tunnel, radial tunnel, etc.), nerve lacerations/injuries as well as brachial plexus pathology, including neurogenic thoracic outlet syndrome. His clinical interests include the care of high-level athletes, arthroscopy and arthroplasty of the hand and wrist, arthritis, spasticity, treatment of rheumatologic diseases and microsurgical treatment of vascular insufficiency in the upper extremity.Prior to joining Baptist Health, he was the director of medical operations and chief of plastic surgery at Allegheny Health Network, in Pittsburgh, Pa. He also served as a clinical associate professor of plastic surgery at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.Dr. Diaz-Garcia earned his medical degree at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and a masters degree in healthcare management at the Johns Hopkins University Carey Business School. He completed a general surgery internship and a plastic and reconstructive surgery residency at the University of Michigan Health Systems. His postdoctoral training also includes a hand and upper extremity orthopedic surgery fellowship at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. He is a fellow of the American College of Surgeons and a member of several professional organizations. Dr. Diaz-Garcia has been named on such prestigious lists as Castle Connolly Top Doctors. He serves as a reviewer for HAND and regional editor for the Journal of Hand Surgery Global Online and his work in orthopedic hand surgery is widely published in peer-reviewed medical journals. He frequently lectures on the management of nerve injuries in the upper and lower extremities, as well as limb salvage after trauma or cancer.Dr. Diaz-Garcia is an early adopter of targeted muscle reinnervation for the management of neuromas and phantom pain in patients with limb loss. He has more than ten years of experience utilizing this procedure and finds it extremely gratifying to provide pain relief to those who have been told there are no options.Dr. Diaz-Garcia takes time to understand his patients goals and educate them on possible outcomes so, together, they can determine the best course of treatment. Whether he is treating athletes so they can return to sport performance or helping stroke patients with spasticity, he says that watching patients improve their quality of life post-operatively is the most rewarding part of his profession.Dr. Diaz-Garcia is fluent in English and Spanish. In his free time, he enjoys cooking, reading nonfiction books, boating and traveling with his wife.