Two Father-Daughter Orthopedic-Surgery Teams Making History

MOUNT VERNON - Two father-and-daughter orthopedic-surgeon duos are making history in Skagit County.

Dr. Robert Smith practices medicine with his daughter, Dr. Stacia Smith. Dr. K. Robert Lang practices with his daughter, Dr. Kaarsten Lang.

Father-daughter surgeon teams are rare. But they moved to a one-of-a-kind status recently when the four doctors joined forces as Northwest Orthopedic Surgeons.

"It's almost a mobile orthopedic practice," Robert Lang joked because the four physicians work out of offices in Mount Vernon, Sedro-Woolley and Anacortes.

Women orthopedists are rare. Of 17,561 orthopedic surgeons active in the United States, only 2.3 percent are women. The field is considered physically as well as intellectually challenging.

Consequently, Stacia Smith and Kaarsten Lang's fathers said they initially felt ambivalent, yet proud, of their daughters' choices.

Stacia Smith said, "Helping people of all ages appeals to me. From children with congenital problems to elderly people with fractures, you can really help people."

"Sometimes there's an immediate difference," Kaarsten Lang agreed.

The daughters say their dads make impressive role models.

Robert Smith is considered the father of orthopedic surgery in this region. He grew up in Seattle and graduated from the University of Washington School of Medicine in 1960. As an intern, he was drafted into orthopedics. And as chief resident he introduced a new type of fracture surgery developed in Germany.

When he arrived in Mount Vernon in 1968, Robert Smith was the only orthopedist serving Skagit, Whatcom and Island counties. A typical day might include fixing seven open fractures of the ankle in four different hospitals.

"That's a 24-hour day," he said.

The pace is slower these days. Although the region has grown dramatically in 30 years, about 30 orthopedists are available. Robert Smith shares "call" with other doctors at the office.

Watching her father's hectic pace didn't deter Stacia Smith.

Before entering the UW medical school, she trained as an emergency medical technician with the Lake Samish Fire Department and was qualified to assist in surgery.

Kaarsten Lang jokingly blames her father for her career choice. During summer breaks from school, she worked in his office and was fascinated by the speciality. In medical school at Loma Linda University in Southern California she briefly explored other options, but she stayed with orthopedics.

Orthopedic surgeons specialize in a branch of surgery dealing with treatment of deformities, diseases and injuries of the bones, joints, muscles and other parts of the body.

Robert Lang grew up in Tacoma, graduating from Loma Linda in 1961. He was in general practice five years before he was drafted into the military for three years. In 1977, he returned to Loma Linda to specialize in orthopedics. He was excited to enter the field when total hip-replacement surgery was possible. He recalled watching the inventor demonstrating the procedure in a glassed-in operating room.

While the daughters received inspiration from their fathers, their mothers and siblings provided support and encouragement. Anita and Robert Lang have another daughter and a son, both in the computer industry. Madeline and Robert Smith had two sons. One is deceased and the other owns an import business.

Now the female doctors are mothers. Kaarsten Lang and her husband, Dr. Lester Richards, have a 2-year-old son, Jefferson. Stacia Smith and her husband, Peter Mullen, have a 2-year-old son, Wyatt.

The husbands are very supportive of their wives. "These are ingredients that allow them success," Robert Lang said.

The female doctors appear to have led almost parallel lives. Now they hope to pass a legacy to their children.

"We were instilled with the idea that we could do anything," Kaarsten Lang said.