Mr Jonathan Lescheid

At the age of 11, I read a book on the impact of hand reconstruction on leprosy patients in India; then, when I visited Kenya for three months with my family, I was touched by the suffering produced by physical impairments. Ever since then I have devoted myself to acquiring the skills and judgement to bring people from disability to ability and to relieve pain.

I have continued to focus my surgical interests during medical school, general orthopaedic training and beyond on hand and upper extremity problems, expanding my interests to include paediatric orthopaedic surgery when I was informed during a missions conference that this was a special area of need in the developing world.

After completing my training in Canada and South Africa, I moved to New Zealand in order to pursue a broader practice than was possible in Canada. After an initial fixed term contract in Hamilton, it was my pleasure to move into a permanent role in Rotorua to serve the entire community there.

Initially based solely at the DHB, I happily acquired non-DHB resources upon achieving Vocational Registration in late 2021.

Although my primary interest is in hand and upper limb surgery, I love working with and helping children, and my experience in paediatrics on two continents has given me the tools to develop a treatment approach to even the most unusual problems at all ages.

Furthermore, with two years of postgraduate training in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, I believe I have a wholistic approach to musculoskeletal problems that maximizes the use of non-operative modalities to minimize surgical risk.

I also have a collaborative approach to health care which places self-care at the centre while being devoted to providing compassionate care when that fails. Whereas I maintain a broad knowledge base to assess any and all musculoskeletal problems, I am quick to refer patients to their best provider.