THE HAND & WRIST CENTER - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Lead Medical Assistant and Surgery Scheduler
Dr. George A. Macer, Jr. is certified by and fellow of the American Board of Orthopedic Surgery with a Certificate of Added Qualifications in surgery of the hand. Dr. Macer joined The Hand & Wrist Center in 2007.
As a lifelong Southern California resident, Dr. Macer was born and raised in a medical family. His father was a physician in Pasadena for 50 years and his siblings also currently practice medicine in Los Angeles County.
Dr. Macer completed all of his professional studies including undergraduate training, medical school, and orthopedic residency at the University of Southern California (USC). Dr. Macer completed the renowned
Dr. Kolahi is a board-certified Orthopedic Surgeon with subspecialty certification in surgery of the hand. Dr. Kolahi studied at the University of California, Berkeley, where he graduated with honors and received his Doctor of Medicine at the University at Buffalo where he was on the academic dean's list. He completed his orthopedic surgery residency at the University of California, San Francisco at Fresno, where he received a Resident Scholar Award, twice recognized with the Resident of The Year Award, and scored in the 99 th percentile in national training examinations. Dr. Kolahi then trained at the University of New Mexico under Dr. Moneim during his fellowship in Hand and Upper Extremity Surgery.
Dr. Kolahi's professional work has been presented and published by multiple institutions and has taken leadership roles throughout his career. Dr. Kolahi volunteers to teach surgical residents at UCLA-Harbor and UC Irvine. Today, Dr. Kolahi is an esteemed member of the Southern California orthopedic community treating patients from all ages. His expertise includes bone and soft tissue disorders related to trauma, sports injuries, overuse, arthritis, and age-related degeneration, and an expert in microsurgical techniques. He treats disorders of the hand, wrist, forearm, and elbow. Dr. Kolahi also provides medical expert services for medical-legal cases.
In addition to his professional services, Dr. Kolahi is actively involved in providing community service. He is a proud family man and father of three children.
Dr. Kolahi is committed to providing the highest quality of care to his patients. We invite you to contact our Center to schedule an appointment with Dr. Kolahi.
Dr. Nathan joined Dr. Blatt in Long Beach. Dr. Nathan, alongside Dr. Blatt, laid the foundation for The Hand & Wrist Center, striving to provide advanced care for hand, wrist, and elbow conditions.
Dr. Ross Nathan is a board-certified Diplomate of the American Board of Orthopedic Surgery. Dr. Nathan specializes in the evaluation and treatment of all disorders related to the hand and wrist. He is an active member at Long Beach Memorial Medical Center where he was the Chairman of the Department of Orthopedic Surgery. He is also an active partner at the Surgery Center of Long Beach.
Born in Reseda, California, he received a Bachelor of Science Degree at the University of California, Irvine where he graduated with Honors. After receiving his Medical Degree at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas, Dr. Nathan trained at the prestigious New York University-Bellevue Medical Center, where he completed his Surgery Internship and Orthopedic residency.
Following his residency, Dr. Nathan achieved further specialized training at the Philadelphia Hand Center at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital where he completed his hand fellowship under the Doctors Larry Schneider and James Hunter. He has also received his Certificate of Added Qualification in Surgery of the Hand. Dr. Nathan also received further experience and training in microvascular surgery at the University of California, San Francisco before establishing himself in Long Beach, California.
Dr. Nathan is passionate about training the next generation of physicians and regularly has lectured at international, national, and regional conferences. Invited as guest lecturer at Kenyatta National Hospital in Nairobi, Kenya, he provided a special hand surgery symposium, and also provided a live surgical demonstration to local medical students and physicians. He also is dedicated to continued involvement in training medical professionals.
In the past several years, Dr. Nathan has participated in Operation Rainbow, a non-profit organization, which provides surgical care and training to third-world countries. He has traveled with this group several times to Guatemala, sharing his expertise in treating infants and young children with congenital hand deformities.
Before founding The Hand & Wrist Center in 2006, Dr. Nathan was a private practice associate at Hand Surgery Consultants in Long Beach, California, for 16 years. Today, in addition to running his own practice and occupational therapy facility, Dr. Nathan continues to participate in further medical research involving Spinal Cord Injury reconstructive surgery, as well as other medical-community initiatives.
Joseph Boyes Hand Fellowship at Orthopaedic Hospital in Los Angeles, California. There, he trained under Doctors Joseph Boyes, Herbert Stark, and C. Ray Ashworth, among other well-known hand surgeons.
Dr. Macer is actively involved in the Southern California medical and surgical community. He is a fellow in the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgery, an active member of the American Society for Surgery of the Hand, Western Orthopedic Association and California Orthopedic Association. He has completed a four-year term as President of the Southern California Society for Surgery of the Hand. Dr. Macer also served as Chairman of the Department of Orthopedics at St. Mary Medical Center, Long Beach, and the Orthopedic Executive Board at Long Beach Memorial Medical Center.
Dr. Macer had been practicing hand and upper extremity surgery in Long Beach, California since 1983, and he had also been affiliated with the Kerlan-Jobe Orthopedic Clinic. He had also practiced with other physicians at Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, California.
He has held teaching positions in the department of orthopedic surgery at the Keck School of Medicine at USC. He has also been on teaching staff at Harbor UCLA Medical Center and currently holds teaching positions at USC and UC Irvine.
He has trained and worked internationally, including in Mexico, Australia, and New Zealand, and he has lectured widely to doctors in training, nurses and therapists, as well as in the arena of workers' compensation. He has presented numerous hand surgery papers at national meetings.
Although he has retired from his clinical practice effective January 1, 2019, Dr. Macer continues to provide his professional services to the medical-legal community as President and CEO of George A. Macer, Jr. Medical Corporation.
Job Titles:
- Front Office and Billing Supervisor / Medical Biller
Job Titles:
- Surgery Scheduler / Coordinator, Medical Assistant
Job Titles:
- Occupational Therapist, Certified Hand Therapist
Job Titles:
- Surgical and Clinical Assistant, Ortho Technician
Sterling Bunnell, MD, the founding father of hand surgery, developed the concept of hand surgery as a regional specialty. Bunnell believed that the hand requires a composite of specialties including orthopaedics, plastic, and neurologic surgery, and that a surgeon's understanding and skill in all fields is critical to adequately treat the hand.
At the end of WWII, Bunnell was tasked by the US army surgeon general to organize nine regional hand centers at army hospitals in the United States, in order to meet the needs of many soldiers needing reconstructive surgery.
Job Titles:
- Front Office Lead / Medical Biller