Dr. Clint Devin had a vision to create a world-class spine care program in rural Northwest Colorado. His vision came to fruition very quickly in Craig, gaining reputability and attracting patients locally and from Wyoming to Memorial Regional Health.

Dr. J. Alex Sielatycki, MRH Spine Surgeon

His partners at Steamboat Orthopaedic & Spine Institute commended his work. His colleagues at MRH admired his knowledge and charisma, and his patients adored him.

As his practice grew, he began to speak with a spine surgeon who would work alongside him to continue building upon his vision. The surgeon he was talking to was Dr. J. Alex Sielatycki, his apprentice and good friend — someone he knew he could trust to help bring his vision to life.

On Dec. 10, Dr. Devin tragically passed away in a small plane crash in Steamboat, sending a wave of grief throughout the community. Now, rather than working by his side as initially planned, it was announced in February that Sielatycki would officially fill Dr. Devin’s shoes as SOSI’s new spine surgeon.

Sielatycki will also serve as MRH’s spine surgeon, with the intention of carrying on his beloved mentor’s legacy.

“When Dr. Devin’s partners reached out to me to fill the void he left, I was honored they thought of me first,” Sielatycki said. “I see it as a great honor and privilege to continue the legacy he was building. There are a lot of great spine surgeons, but very few who were up to his level of being an exceptional spine surgeon.”

“My goal is to continue ensuring patients in Steamboat and Craig have access to top-notch spine care,” he continued. “I believe Dr. Devin would want nothing more than having someone he trained to step in and take over his role.”

Inspiration for orthopaedic and spine care

A competitive high school basketball player, Sielatycki’s path to orthopaedic medicine began with a teenage dream of one day playing in the NBA. Those dreams were put on the sideline when he broke his ankle during his junior year season; however, through the injury, he discovered a new opportunity.

“Even though I didn’t need surgery, I visited with an orthopaedic surgeon, and at that time, I started to think of my ultimate career path,” he said. “It felt like a natural fit for me to look into medicine, specifically into orthopaedic surgery. I enjoyed biology and physics in school, and orthopaedic surgery was a great combination of the two.”

Sielatycki attended medical school at Penn State, completed his residency in orthopaedic surgery at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and accomplished his adult and pediatric comprehensive spine fellowship at New York-Presbyterian/Columbia University Medical Center. He’s worked as a spine surgeon in Chattanooga, Tenn., for the last three years.

Dr. Sielatycki (second from right) with surgical peers.

It was during his residency at Vanderbilt that he was introduced to Devin and a passion for spine care. Immediately drawn to Devin’s strong yet kind presence, Sielatycki developed an interest in the spine through Devin’s influence and obvious investment in him as a student over the course of five years.

As Sielatycki progressed through his training, their relationship evolved from one of mentor-and-student to one of friendship and partnership. They collaborated on research projects and commonly discussed tough cases and patient care. To Sielatycki, Devin was a caring soul and described his personality as larger than life.

“It’s hard to describe my first impression of him,” he said. “He was a very dynamic and engaging person who was highly intelligent and a highly skilled surgeon. He was very interested in educating residents and students at Vanderbilt, taking a strong interest both professionally and personally in those he mentored. It was easy for me to gravitate towards him.”

Sielatycki and Devin maintained close contact as Sielatycki furthered in his career. They knew about each other’s efforts and career goals. Carrying the program that Devin built in Steamboat and Craig played a large role in Sielatycki’s decision to move west to the mountains to take over the position.

Carrying on a legacy

Sielatycki heard about Devin’s passing the Saturday morning after the plane accident. He received a phone call from another one of Devin’s students in Philadelphia. He froze in disbelief.

“It’s still taking me time to process that it happened,” he said. “It was totally unexpected and truly tragic. He was in the prime of his life and career and doing what he wanted to do. It was devastating and an enormous loss for me, his family and his community.”

“I don’t know if it’s anything you can fully recover from,” he softly continued.

Dr. Patrick Johnston, SOSI partner and orthopaedic surgeon at MRH, said the spine program at SOSI and subsequently, MRH, was built centered around Devin as the spine surgeon. Dr. Alexis Tracy and Dr. Brian Siegel will continue to address nonsurgical spine concerns, and physician assistant Jessica Nyquist, who worked alongside Devin, will now team up with Sielatycki.

Johnston said Devin understood his community in a deeply personal way.

“Dr. Devin provided exceptional spine care to his patients of Moffat County, just as he did in other locations,” Johnston said. “His impact was more than just the care he provided to his patients, though. Dr. Devin was born and raised in Wyoming. He understood the community in Craig and connected with the people. He also supported local causes and charities.”

The SOSI team not only lost a great colleague that December day, but also a wonderful friend.

“It’s difficult to put the feeling into words,” Johnston said. “To lose someone that was such a pillar in the practice, the communities he served and a beacon of hope for people suffering from pain due to their spine conditions was only part of it. The number of people who called the office from the communities Dr. Devin visited, offering whatever they could for his family, was a real reflection of how many people’s lives he touched.”

Sieltaycki, like the other physicians at SOSI, will continue to work toward the vision that Devin had. Johnston described him as a top-tier spine surgeon who has trained alongside some of the best surgeons in the world.

“Like Dr. Devin, Dr. Sielatycki is committed to providing individualized care that is focused on achieving the best possible outcome for every patient that SOSI sees; whether their needs are surgical or otherwise,” Johnston said.

Dr. Sielatycki with his wife, Karen, and three children, Elizabeth, Anna and Caleb.

And Sielatycki is up to the task. He understands the importance of providing high-quality care in a rural setting and looks forward to bringing his training and experience to the community. He is excited to start building relationships with patients and serving as the trusted, go-to provider for those with debilitating spine issues.

“The most rewarding part of my job is treating a patient who is completely incapacitated with pain or dysfunction,” he said. “As a surgeon, you can meet someone who is miserably in pain, perform an operation, and their pain is completely gone. They are happier than they’ve been in months — sometimes even years. I’ll never get tired of that.”

Sielatycki described his sweet spot as spinal motion preservation in the neck and lower back; but he is trained in all issues related to the spine and will provide several services, ranging from cervical disk replacements to lumber stenosis procedures.

There are endless opportunities to improve in spine care, too, and Sielatycki will strive to always bring the latest and greatest to the community. He said he and his team will constantly look for ways to evolve in the field, keeping new innovations and technologies at top of mind for patients.

Recently, he was involved in the research and advancement of joint replacements in the lumbar spine — an exciting opportunity to improve on techniques that make spine surgery better in the future for both patients and surgeons. He and Devin worked collaboratively on the project. They planned to provide the procedure together in Colorado.

“I’m looking forward to starting at MRH and stepping into Dr. Devin’s shoes,” Sielatycki concluded. “I know he provided the highest level of spine care and was a top-notch surgeon. My hope is to continue that legacy and provide excellent care for the people in Craig.”

Getting to know our new spine surgeon

Dr. Sielatycki and his family exploring the outdoors.

Dr. J. Alex Sielatycki will begin visiting with spine care patients at Memorial Regional Health via our SOSI partnership.

A few of the services he will provide include lumbar and cervical spine care, spine motion preservation in the neck, cervical disk replacements, disk hernia repair, pinched nerve repair and cervical and lumbar stenosis procedures. Sielatycki’s specialty is in spinal motion preservation in the neck and lower back. He is currently engaged in research to bring about new technology that allows for 200 replacements in the low back.

“I see my role as a surgeon initially and primarily as one to educate patients about their problem and understand what it is that is causing their pain,” he said. “Every patient has different needs, expectations and different life circumstances. One patient might be more active and have more wear and tear on their body, whereas another might be more sedentary and not have as many demands on their body. My goal is to tailor my care to each specific person and what they expect out of their operation.”

A Utah native, Sielatycki moved to Northwest Colorado with his family: wife, Karen, and three children, Elizabeth, Anna and Caleb. He enjoys skiing, hiking, mountain biking, and spending as much time with his young family.

“I’m very excited to serve patients in Craig at MRH and I look forward to taking care of folks in the community,” he said. “Dr. Devin did a lot of great work for the people of Craig. It’s a privilege to provide that care and step into that role.”