Comprehensive Care
Princeton Brain, Spine & Orthopedics now treats the brain, spine, joints and musculoskeletal system with the addition of orthopedic doctors Paul W. Codjoe, MD, and Steven Kahn, DO, to the team.
It started small, but it started strong. When Princeton Brain, Spine & Orthopedics (PBSO) opened its first office in 2005, it did so with a mission to provide medical care in a patient-centered, personal environment. Since then, the practice has grown exponentially, now serving New Jersey and Eastern Pennsylvania residents at a dozen offices throughout the region.
This growth was marked most recently last year, when the medical practice added “orthopedics” to its name and repertoire. The addition of orthopedic surgery expanded PBSO’s treatment portfolio to offer complete care for the brain, spine, joints and musculoskeletal system.
In deciding to offer orthopedic services to patients, the PBSO team knew they needed to hire expert clinicians who shared the company’s patient-focused values. Paul W. Codjoe, MD, and Steven Kahn, DO, were the answer.
Paul W. Codjoe, MD
Early on, Dr. Codjoe was not thinking about orthopedic surgery as a career. He was focused, instead, on internal medicine, planning to focus on infectious disease and endocrinology. It was during his third year of medical school that things changed.
I had the opportunity to spend time with orthopedic surgeons in an operating room, and I was inspired,” he says. “From that first day I saw a hip and knee replacement, I saw that this was what I was destined to become. And the rest was history.”
Dr.Codjoe started treating patients at PBSO last summer, with full-time treatment beginning in September. He specializes in shoulders and knees, but treats all types of musculoskeletal issues, including with the foot, ankle and hand. He is also one of few in the region who specializes in the quadricep-sparing approach to knee replacement, which allows a qualified patient to recover more quickly with less narcotics needed.
He was attracted to PBSO due to the practice’s focus on patients.
“They can do everything in house. They didn’t have an extremity surgeon like me, and my coming on board goes with their mission of having surgeons who are passionate and dedicated to their patients,” Dr.Codjoe says.
In addition, the surgeons and staff are supportive of one another.
“All the surgeons, we all get along,” Dr. Codjoe says. “We are all very accomplished, very dedicated to the field of medicine and engaged in the latest technology to improve the outcomes of the patient.”
His personal philosophy has always been to talk to his patients—really find out what is going on and what type of help they need.
“The physician-patient relationship is a partnership. When we both understand the goals of each other, that’s when we can cure ailments and restore form and function,” Dr. Codjoe explains.
Steven Kahn, DO
While Dr. Kahn will officially start seeing PBSO patients at the end of May, he is no stranger to South Jersey, having served local patients at another practice for over 25 years. He understands the importance of treating each patient as an individual.
“You take the time, take a thorough history and try to make the patient feel comfortable. Make sure they feel heard,” Dr. Kahn says. “It’s just really taking that time and having the patient be a part of the decision-making process.”
The multidisciplinary approach at PBSO attracted Dr. Kahn to the practice. He appreciated that they offer conservative treatment, with chiropractors in the office and non-operational orthopedic medicine. Then, of course, there are comprehensive surgical treatments. There is pain management, too, and physical therapy in-house.
“We offer a wide variety of treatment options, and everyone is well trained,” he says.
A general orthopedist, Dr. Kahn says he treats most everything, but does not operate on spines. He will be offering hip and knee replacements at PBSO, in addition to treating all musculoskeletal injuries.
“I do bread-and-butter orthopedics,” he says. “My specialty is adult reconstruction.”
Orthopedics was on Dr. Kahn’s radar early on, when he realized during rotations in medical school that he wanted to be a procedure-oriented doctor.
“I wanted to be a surgeon of some sort, and orthopedics incorporates so much,” he says. “You’re helping a patient improve their quality of life and their function. You help them get back on their feet after a traumatic event.”
Dr. Kahn appreciates that PBSO has done so well in brain and spine treatment, and he is looking forward to collaborating with Dr. Codjoe—and all of the other PBSO clinicians—on the practice’s journey into treating extremities.
Ahead of the field
Both Dr. Codjoe and Dr. Kahn understand the importance of staying informed with technology and techniques in the ever-evolving field of orthopedics. They keep up with the latest in peer-reviewed medical journals and continue their medical education by taking CME courses and attending medical conferences.
“The biggest thing now is robotics,” Dr. Kahn says. “The preoperative planning with the robotics is much better than what it was 15 years ago, when you were just looking at plain radiographs. What you gain with those scans, you can individualize that hip or knee replacement for the patient’s anatomy to give them the best outcome possible.”
Dr. Codjoe adds that there is also always much to be learned from colleagues, and he travels the globe to spend time with other surgeons. He calls education one of the most important things in his career.
“This is a philosophy that I learned when I was in fellowship,” Dr. Codjoe says. “If you are green you continue to grow, if you are ripe you are close to being rotten. It’s important to continue to remain green and continue growing, and I emulate that at my practice.”
Princeton Brain, Spine & Orthopedics
Multiple locations
(888) 741-7272
