Patients fly across the Pacific to visit Sharp surgeon

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Dr. Mark Schultzel with Itsumi Chihara, a patient who traveled from Japan to San Diego for elbow surgery at Sharp Memorial Hospital.

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Dr. Mark Schultzel with his orthopedic team, a dedicated group that has garnered an excellent reputation for excellent patient care, even internationally.

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Dr. Mark Schultzel with members of his team as they prepare for a joint replacement surgery.

As a child, Dr. Mark Schultzel became accustomed to a nomadic lifestyle and cultural immersion. His father managed consulting projects worldwide that required him to spend weeks or months away from the family’s California home. Rather than leave his family behind, he decided to take them along.

Dr. Schultzel remembers spending time in Japan, Hong Kong, China, Indonesia, Thailand, Australia, Peru, Argentina, Spain, Germany, Italy and the Middle East. Some of these trips felt like work vacations for the family. Others lasted much longer, including years of back-and-forth trips to Japan. But no matter how long the trip, each impacted Dr. Schultzel’s understanding of the world.

“It was a great way to grow up,” he reflects. “You learn that the world is pretty small and that we all have so much in common.”

Building bridges worldwide

Those early travels helped inspire Dr. Schultzel to focus on a career in medicine. He became an orthopedic surgeon with Sharp Community Medical Group and affiliated with Sharp Memorial Hospital. He also serves as a volunteer physician for the United States Olympic Team. Through professional organizations and conventions, Dr. Schultzel easily connected and developed friendships with other doctors around the world.

His expertise and connections helped lead Dr. Schultzel to join the faculty at two teaching hospitals in Japan. “I was able to bring newer techniques I perform at Sharp Memorial that weren’t common yet in Japan,” he says.

Soon, doctors in Japan began telling their patients who were planning to travel to the United States that if they were injured on their trip, there was a friendly doctor in San Diego who spoke fluent Japanese. Word of mouth began to spread, and it wasn’t long before patients in Japan began seeking out Dr. Schultzel for treatment.

“He understands my culture very well,” says Itsumi Chihara, who traveled to San Diego for Dr. Schultzel to perform elbow surgery at Sharp Memorial after getting recommendations from medical personnel in Japan. “He understands the Japanese approach to medical care and could speak professionally in a warm, friendly manner.”

The best in class

While Dr. Schultzel’s treatment of international patients began with those from Japan, his reputation has spread across the Pacific Rim.

Brock St. John ruptured his Achilles tendon while playing an Australian Rules football game. “I heard from a friend that Dr. Schultzel had developed a new technique for Achilles repair that was less invasive and safer than the current products available in Australia,” Brock says.

“Dr. Schultzel treats you like an old mate,” Brock continues. “He's what we call the ‘fair dinkum’ here in Australia — genuine, honest, the best in class.”

Ned Smith of New Zealand tells his friends that the results show that flying such a far distance for his rotator cuff surgery was the right choice. “Dr. Schultzel goes above and beyond,” he says. “I interviewed numerous surgeons in both New Zealand and the United States, and it was clear he was the most suitable for me.”

Ned reports that he’s back to his regular 5-mile swims in the Pacific Ocean now that Dr. Schultzel has fixed his shoulder.

Available in every time zone

“It’s really meaningful to me that people choose to travel to come see me,” says Dr. Schultzel. “My team and I enjoy figuring out the needs and logistics to provide The Sharp Experience, even when our patients are sometimes thousands of miles away.”

Altogether, Dr. Schultzel and his office team members speak eight languages. Dr. Schultzel is fluent in Japanese and Spanish, conversant in Tagalog, and can have basic conversations in Italian and Mandarin. Team members add Hindi, Vietnamese and Korean to the diverse dialog one might hear in the office.

The team helps arrange physical therapy in patients’ home countries and connects them with local doctors when their needs don’t require a return trip to San Diego. Additionally, Dr. Schultzel makes himself available for phone calls and telehealth visits despite the time zone differences.

“It takes a lot of logistical planning,” Dr. Schultzel says. “But we’re happy to do it because it’s the way I want to care for my patients, whether they’re traveling five miles to see me or 5,000 miles.”

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