Education & Research

Executive Director - Carlos Prietto, M.D., MEd.

Dr. Carlos Prietto is a board certified orthopaedic surgeon with subspecialty training in sports medicine. His clinical practice is devoted to arthroscopic and reconstructive surgery of the shoulder and knee, sports medicine, and knee replacements.

A native Californian, Dr. Prietto completed both his Bachelor of Arts and Master’s Degree in Education at Gonzaga University. He taught high school science and coached basketball for a short period before going on to medical school and graduating from the University of California, Irvine with Alpha Omega Alpha honors. His internship was performed at Los Angeles - USC Medical Center and an orthopaedic residency at the University of California, Irvine. A sports medicine fellowship at the Kerlan-Jobe Clinic in Inglewood, CA followed thereafter.

Early in his orthopaedic career, Dr. Prietto established a Neuro-Muscular basic science laboratory on the medical school campus at the University of California, Irvine. He has published numerous scientific articles on both basic science and clinical levels, and lectured extensively on sports medicine topics. He teaches arthroscopic surgical procedures to other orthopaedic surgeons in a variety of settings both here and abroad.

Dr. Prietto has been Clinical Professor of Orthopaedics at the University of California, Irvine and member of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine, and the Western Orthopaedic Association. He is the Head Team Physician for the University of California, Irvine Athletic Program and team physician for Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, CA.

He has been honored by his peers in Orange Coast Magazine for three four as one of the “Top Docs” for his work as an orthopaedic surgeon in Orange County. He has also been recognized by the University of California, Irvine Medical School as a Distinguished Alumnus.

Dr. Prietto now serves as the president and interim CEO of the Hoag Orthopedic Institute in Irvine and the Executive Director and Chairman of the Board for Hoag Orthopedics.

Medical Director - Vance Gardner, M.D.

Vance is an orthopaedic surgeon and spine surgeon. His undergraduate degree is from USC and MD from Washington University School of Medicine.

He was faculty at the University of California, Irvine for 10 years. For the past 17 years he has concentrated on research and education instead of clinical practice.

In addition to developing his own projects, he has also been medical director of a multihospital system research department and chief medical officer of a biotech company. His experience in the medical device and drug development industries provides much needed expertise in these fields. Vance is married with 4 adult children and lives in Irvine. He enjoys hiking, boating and relaxing with his family.

Administrator - Ryan Helber, M.B.A.

Ryan began working for Hoag Orthopedics in early 2016 as the Institute Administrator. Prior to joining Hoag Orthopedics, Ryan worked for 8 years in clinical research management for several organizations, including regional and national health systems. His experience in clinical research includes managing both investigational drug and device trials.

Since joining Hoag Orthopedics, Ryan has helped to grow the research and education program by adding several experienced team members that provide essential oversight on the increasing number of research projects and educational events.

Ryan received a B.S. in Biology from Westminster College in Salt Lake City, UT, in 2008, and an M.B.A. from the University of Colorado, Boulder. Outside of Hoag Orthopedics, Ryan enjoys spending time with his family, relaxing at the beach, and traveling.

Clinical Research Manager - Marie-Claire Fickenscher, A.S., C.C.R.P.

Marie-Claire began working for Hoag Orthopedics in early 2017 as a Clinical Research Coordinator. Prior to joining Hoag Orthopedics, Marie-Claire worked at an Independent Review Board (IRB) for six years where she helped protect the rights and welfare of human subjects involved in clinical research. Throughout her time working at an IRB, Marie-Claire worked with major sponsors, ranging from large pharmaceutical corporations and device manufactures to small and growing biotechnology companies, as well as many industry leading contract research organizations (CROs). During this time, Marie-Claire gained a deep knowledge of all stages of clinical trials and mastered FDA regulations pertaining to clinical research.

Since joining Hoag Orthopedics, Marie-Claire has helped grow the research program by sharing her extensive IRB and regulatory knowledge to strengthen the research integrity. Marie-Claire has been integral in drafting orthopedic protocols and consent forms. She has begun managing multiple projects and administers informed consent and study questionnaires to these patients at numerous clinics. Marie-Claire enjoys working in clinical research as it plays a vital part in advancing healthcare and finding ways to help people live longer and more robust lives.

Marie-Claire received an Associate of Science degree in 2004 from Perimeter College at Georgia State University. Before finding her love of research, Marie-Claire had eight years’ experience in customer service and office management. Outside of Hoag Orthopedics, Marie-Claire enjoys beating her husband at board games, bicycling local greenways, reading, and playing with her goldendoodle, Lucy.

Clinical Data Coordinator - Harold Domingo

Clinical Research Assistant - Emily Van Gilder, B.S., B.A.

Emily joined the Hoag Orthopedics education team as a quarterly field study intern from the University of California, Irvine (UCI) School of Social Ecology in January 2019, where she later went on to become an Education Coordinator. In this role, Emily developed her passion to pursue a career as a physician assistant (PA) through interactions with the diverse healthcare team and experience shadowing in the hospital. In August 2020, Emily transitioned into her current role as a Clinical Research Assistant, where she is facilitating several orthopedic research projects and clinical trials. During her gap year following her undergraduate studies at UCI, Emily will continue to grow in her career at Hoag Orthopedics to seek a hands-on role in patient care as it relates to clinical research, exposing her to new, enriching opportunities in the field of healthcare. In her free time, Emily enjoys weightlifting and outdoor activities such as camping and hiking.

Clinical Research Coordinator - Edward (Teddy) James Quilligan, B.S.

Teddy began working for Hoag Orthopedics in late 2016 as a research coordinator. Teddy has always had enthusiasm for the study of orthopedics and medical devices in general. He received his degree in Biomedical Research from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. He has participated in several medical device engineering projects and has always had a passion for research. His experience includes collaborating on start up products for endocrinology, orthopedic surgeons, and vascular surgeons.

Since joining Hoag Orthopedics, Teddy has helped to facilitate the ongoing of several projects. His focus is on spine surgery studies. He has helped in various studies that will progress orthopedic patient outcomes such as preserving spine alignment goals for post spine surgery patients.

Outside of Hoag Orthopedics, Teddy enjoys going to live concerts, surfing, camping and recording music.

Clinical Research Coordinator - Kalyn Smith

Kalyn received her B.A. in Human Development with an emphasis in the Biological Perspective, and a certificate in Gerontology from California State University, Long Beach in May 2019. While at CSULB, she completed an internship at a rehabilitation center and volunteered as a research assistant. Following graduation, Kalyn worked directly with the geriatric population in a dementia unit and fell in love with working with patients. Kalyn is very excited to combine my passions for research and impacting patients’ lives as a Clinical Research Coordinator. In her free time, she loves to go dancing, watch stand-up comedy shows, try out new restaurants, and spend time in nature.

Clinical Research Coordinator - Madeline Stewart, M.S.

Madeline joined Hoag Orthopedics in the fall of 2019 as a Clinical Research Coordinator. In this role, she is responsible for supporting both investigator-initiated and sponsored clinical trials across Sports Medicine, Spine, and Total Joint orthopedic specialties. As a research coordinator, she enjoys being able to spend time with patients while balancing multiple projects.

Madeline received her B.S. in Biological Sciences from University of California, Irvine (UCI) and completed her M.S. in Biomedical Sciences in the spring of 2019. While at UCI, she had the opportunity to work on multiple research studies focusing on children with autism and lead an internship program advising undergraduate and graduate students. During her master’s program, she served her peers in the Graduate Curriculum Committee and WASC Senior College and University Committee. With her eagerness to lead, learn, and spend time with patients, Madeline initially aspired to become a physician. However, she later discovered her passion for clinical research during her time at Edwards Lifesciences and graduate school.

Outside of clinical research, Madeline loves eating out, going to Disneyland with her fiancé, reading, and spending time with family.

Program Manager - Vanessa Glotzbach, B.A., C-TAGME

Vanessa began working for Hoag Orthopedics in May 2016 as the Education Coordinator. She has a background in genomic research, and non-profit education coordinating. At Hoag Orthopedics, Vanessa oversees three surgical fellowship programs, coordinates visiting residents, and the monthly Grand Rounds sessions. In her time here, she has grown our educational event offerings to include a fellow’s course, an annual healthcare economics course, and our annual Orthopedic Fellowship Research Day.

She has also expanded community outreach at Hoag Orthopedics by producing the biannual event, “Back to Play”, which exposes high school students to a variety of healthcare careers through a play. Additionally, Vanessa worked to partner Hoag Orthopedics with the University of California, School of Social Ecology Field Study Program. She coordinates the internships of our Field Study and Advanced Field Study students, keeps them involved in our day-to-day operations, and encourages them to take on their own projects. Vanessa also manages Hoag Orthopedics volunteer program from recruitment to onboarding, and beyond. She produces the Hoag Orthopedics quarterly newsletter, manages the webpage content, and coordinates fellowship grant writings and fundraising.

Vanessa has taken on the role of Program Director for Hoag Orthopedics Health Policy & Management Fellowship. In this role she has executed the implementation of the program from fundraising and curriculum development, to candidate recruitment.

Vanessa received a B.A. in Psychology and Social Behavior from the University of California, Irvine in 2015. She has a passion for outdoor adventures, backpacking, mountain biking, SCUBA diving, traveling, and fire dancing.

Education Coordinator - Katie Ngo, B.A.

Katie joined Hoag Orthopedics in July 2020 as an Education Coordinator under the stewardship of Vanessa Glotzbach, Program Manager. Katie earned her B.A. in Public Health from the University of California, Merced in 2019. She has had numerous experiences working in community education and outreach, working with the Long Beach Unified School District in her previous position. Katie is passionate about making a difference in the community, building personable relationships wherever she goes, and educating students in her community to lead them to the right path in their career development. In her free time, she enjoys being outdoors at the beach surfing, hanging out with friends, spending time with family and reading.