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Melissa Erickson, MD, MBA
@drericksonspine
Decent human being, wife, mom, soccer retiree, Duke spine surgeon, educator, advocate, collaborator. Views my own.
Durham, NC
threads.net/@dr_safe_spine…
Joined July 2015
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  • Pinned
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    Melissa Erickson, MD, MBA
    @drericksonspine
    May 9, 2021
    1/ For women considering surgery: a 🧵 I don’t want to lie and say it was easy becoming a spine surgeon. It wasn’t. I worked hard and appreciated the support from my husband, family and friends. There were plenty of moments I wondered if I made the right choice.
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    Melissa Erickson, MD, MBA
    @drericksonspine
    May 9, 2021
    Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms! Special shout out to my mom and those that made me a mom. #orthomom #surgeonmom #ILookLikeASurgeon
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    Melissa Erickson, MD, MBA
    @drericksonspine
    Aug 31, 2023
    Talking with my sons in their 20s. I just found out they don’t know how to: - mail a letter - write a check - send a package - write in cursive “Nobody in our generation does that stuff” Y’all, this is wild. Just me?
    15M
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    Melissa Erickson, MD, MBA
    @drericksonspine
    May 14, 2023
    Had my last kid in med school. People were shocked I wanted to do ortho. Plenty of naysayers. Pic of us at my Med school grad then & at his grad this past wkend. We figured it out & made it work. Happy Mother’s Day!#ILookLikeASurgeon #spinesurgeon #MomOfAnEngineer
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    Laura Vater, MD, MPH
    @doclauravater
    May 14, 2023
    I became a mom in med school, & many people told me I shouldn't do it. To anyone being told they have to put their parenting plans on hold until training is done, don't listen. This narrative is not helpful. We need more representation of parents in training & more support.
    204K
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    Melissa Erickson, MD, MBA
    @drericksonspine
    Feb 15, 2024
    Tell me you’re at an ortho conference without saying it. Apparently at 5am I was late. #AAOS2024
    115K
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    Melissa Erickson, MD, MBA
    @drericksonspine
    Aug 31, 2023
    Replying to @GrizzJohnson
    I don’t even see it as a failure. More so interesting dinner conversation that surprised me to learn so many things are becoming obsolete
    275K
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    Melissa Erickson, MD, MBA
    @drericksonspine
    Apr 10, 2023
    Friendly reminder to not make assumptions when you see someone walking out of a patient room. No- I’m not transport. I am the patient’s surgeon.
    155K
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    Melissa Erickson, MD, MBA
    @drericksonspine
    Nov 30, 2021
    Nurse who saw me walk into the hospital: Dr. E- when people see you, they wouldn’t think you’re a surgeon. I almost didn’t recognize you. Me: Perfect! That means we’re changing what we think surgeons should look like. #CheckYourBias #ChangingSterotypes #MedTwitter #orthotwitter
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    Melissa Erickson, MD, MBA
    @drericksonspine
    May 26, 2023
    If you need to verify who an employee is & their badge is inadvertently flipped, maybe ASK them to flip their badge instead of reaching & doing it yourself. It’s a nice way to respect personal space. By personal space, I mean parts of my body right near my badge. 🤦🏽‍♀️
    64K
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    Melissa Erickson, MD, MBA
    @drericksonspine
    Aug 21, 2020
    Why I get uptight x-rays even when patient is sent to me with a recent MRI? Most MRIs are done supine. Alignment can change from upright to supine as seen in this mobile spondylolisthesis. #spinesurgery #ortho #nsu #MedTwitter
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    Melissa Erickson, MD, MBA
    @drericksonspine
    Jun 4, 2022
    Nothing like a little general ortho call to remind me why I should probably never get on a motorcycle again. So. Many. Fractures. In. So. Many. Patients.
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    Melissa Erickson, MD, MBA
    @drericksonspine
    Nov 13, 2020
    #MedTwitter, how many hrs of sleep do you get on average during the week and what do you do for a living? Was explaining to a friend how Fitbit/whoop/Apple Watch can track sleep & showed my sleep data. She gasped when she saw I slept 5h 34min. Me- spine surgeon 5-6h
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    Melissa Erickson, MD, MBA
    @drericksonspine
    Feb 16, 2021
    5y ago, I interviewed Dr. Baldwin for residency & pulled hard for him to come to Duke. He’s done great. Now he’s applying for spine fellowships. I’m proud to train quality residents like him & can’t wait to call him a spine colleague. #ortho #spinesurgery #mentorship #MedTwitter
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    Melissa Erickson, MD, MBA
    @drericksonspine
    Jul 13, 2020
    Med student emailed me last nite asking if she could join my case- she’s not even on ortho. It was awesome- I knew to look for her, talked her thru the surgery, and found out some cool stuff about her. She asked good questions- did great! #medstudenttwitter
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    Melissa Erickson, MD, MBA
    @drericksonspine
    Jan 9, 2021
    My week in no particular order: 1- did a greatly satisfying microdiscectomy on my own (trainees on service were interviewing) 2- was told I had a great hair day in clinic- figuring out how to tame this mane 3- officially finished my MBA #ILookLikeASurgeon #MDMBA #teamfuqua