AMY M. WICKMAN, M.D.
In the midst of the complexity of spine surgery, Dr. Wickman puts patients and their families in the foreground.
Having dealt with sick family members as well as with her own orthopaedic issues, she knows how important it is for patients to feel validated, to feel that they are heard and for the doctor to be able to see the situation from the patient’s perspective.
When it comes to the spine, there may be more than one way to handle a problem. Options may depend on goals and life-styles as well as medical issues. Dr. Wickman takes time to make sure her patients are aware of all those aspects so that each individual finds the best solution for the circumstances. When possible, she includes family members in decisions about surgery and hospital care.
Dr. Wickman became a doctor because she wanted to help people have better health. She developed her love of spine surgery during her 5-year residency at the Loyola Stritch School of Medicine in Chicago. While there she trained at a Level 1 Trauma Center, the Hines VA, and the Shriner’s Hospital for Children. She dealt with everything from traumatic spine and spinal cord injuries to treating children with scoliosis and adults with degenerative conditions such as herniated discs.
Her combined training in neurosurgery and orthopaedic surgery allows her to see issues from a broader perspective, to look at the whole person and identify problems that may not be as obvious as they appear on an MRI. At the same time, she avoids surgery when there are other equally effective solutions.
In addition to her busy practice at Alta Orthopaedics, Dr. Wickman is an on-call surgeon for the Emergency Room.
Dr. Wickman is a self-described “city girl”, born and raised in Chicago. Now she loves the year-round healthy Santa Barbara lifestyle and understands how important it is for her patients to get back to the activities they enjoy.
In college she was captain of her rowing team. Today she runs and hikes. As well as spending time in the outdoors, Dr. Wickman’s great joy in life is her family – her husband and two children.
Education, Certifications and Memberships
Urban Studies, Brown University, Rhode Island
Pre-medical studies Brown University, Rhode Island
Loyola Stritch School of Medicine, Chicago
Residency at Loyola Stritch School of Medicine, Chicago
Combined Fellowship training in orthopaedic surgery and neurosurgery at New York University Hospital for Joint Diseases, one of the nation’s largest and busiest spine fellowships.