Dr. David Polga is an orthopedic surgeon with specialty training as a trauma specialist.
He works closely with the trauma surgeons on staff, explaining the typical scenario is that, “We work as a team to help patients survive and recover from their injuries.” He also performs elective hip and knee replacement surgeries.
He came to Marshfield from Nashville, Tennessee, where he completed a fellowship in orthopedic trauma at Vanderbilt Medical Center. Dr. Polga earned his medical degree from the University of Minnesota Medical School in Minneapolis, and then completed his orthopedic surgery residency at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. While there, he performed research on complications following primary total hip and total knee arthroplasty in extremely obese patients.
His first exposure to Marshfield Clinic came during his training when he spent a summer completing a biomedical sciences internship in the Clinic’s Center for Medical Genetics. He found Marshfield Clinic’s structure to be similar to Mayo Clinic’s and was further attracted by its proximity to his extended family in Minnesota.
He and his wife, Kristen, have three children. He enjoys family time, hunting, fishing and golfing.