Moving to the Pacific Northwest is a new adventure for Leila Borders, MD, who is joining the team at Olympia Orthopaedics. Hailing originally from Georgia, the doctor stayed true to her southern roots when pursuing her undergraduate and graduate degrees at Emory University and Mercer University, both in her home state.
“I’m excited to make Olympia my new home,” says Borders. “I was initially worried that I might get homesick for Georgia, but when I came out to interview I was pleasantly surprised to find the plants and foliage were similar, so that helped put me at ease.”
Before starting her new role, Borders is completing her primary care sports medicine fellowship at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center. She completed her internal medicine residency at the same institution. As part of her training during the last year, she is helping college, high school and semi-professional athletes to stay at peak performance, in addition to addressing routine health care issues and injuries.
“I enjoy sports medicine because I am able to help change a patient’s quality of life,” the doctor explains. “It’s wonderful when I can help someone with their injury or chronic joint pain and it allows them to do the things they want to do.”
One way Borders will do this in Olympia is through total joint readiness for patients preparing for joint replacement surgery. Maximizing a patient’s ability to engage in physical activity before surgery can help the patient have much better results after surgery.
The doctor is also hoping to work with both recreational and elite athletes to optimize their performance. “One of my favorite things has been working with the student-athletes at a rural high school,” says Borders. “It’s such a rewarding experience helping them to improve their athleticism and I’m looking forward to doing the same in Olympia.”
Borders is certified in internal medicine by the American Board of Internal Medicine. Olympia Orthopaedic’s Westside Clinic has begun scheduling appointments for Dr. Borders.
We welcome Dr. Borders and her expertise to our community.