Nathan Skelley, M.D., had just completed a complex meniscal transplant procedure in a patient’s knee at Sanford Health in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. He was headed back to the dictation office, where surgeons make notes after completing procedures, when he received a call from a surgeon at Stanford University.
He learned the caller was the chair of the search committee for the Arthroscopy Association of North America Traveling Fellowship program. The Stanford doctor told the Sanford doctor that after a review involving medical faculty from across the country, the organization had selected Dr. Skelley to be part of the AANA 2026 Traveling Fellowship.
For a surgeon dedicated to improving orthopedics both individually for his patients and broadly across the field, the fellowship marks a career milestone. AANA represents more than 6,000 surgeons across 70 countries, making the selection a rare, once-in-a-career distinction.
“It made me feel extremely fulfilled and pleased with the program we have developed at the Sanford Health – University of South Dakota Medical Center,” he said. “We really are a comprehensive well-rounded team delivering the best possible care across all fronts. I may be a traveling fellow for AANA, but the fellowship is really a recognition of all of the Sanford Health doctors, staff, and administrators who have made this achievement possible.”
A first for Sanford Health
Dr. Skelley – an orthopedic surgeon, sports medicine specialist, associate professor at the USD Sanford School of Medicine, and team surgeon for USD Athletics – is the first surgeon from Sanford Health to earn this distinction.
His work in designing and implementing new approaches to orthopedic procedures is now being incorporated throughout the world. In addition, his work in establishing a video library of his surgical techniques has brought significant recognition to Sanford Health.
These efforts all served a role in Dr. Skelley’s selection as a 2026 Traveling Fellow for AANA. It is a once-in-a-career kind of distinction for Dr. Skelley from an esteemed international organization of orthopedic surgeons.
“It’s extremely gratifying and fulfilling to be one of four surgeons selected for this honor,” Dr. Skelley said. “AANA is one of the largest orthopedic subspecialty societies on the planet and being selected to represent them in a traveling fellowship is a great honor for Sanford Health and for University of South Dakota. It basically says that they recognize and appreciate everything we have done in the orthopedic field and they want us to represent the Association teaching, advancing care, and collaborating with host programs on the traveling fellowship.”
Every year, AANA chooses top surgeons to participate in the fellowship based on their impact in arthroscopy and sports medicine. The fellows then travel to hosting institutions to exchange ideas, give lectures, present their works and develop connections that will serve to improve arthroscopy care globally. This year’s travel sent the group to the University of Iowa, the U.S. Navy Medical Center in San Diego, the Mayo Clinic in Phoenix and AANA’s annual meeting in Phoenix over a three-week period.
“We were shadowing surgeons in operating rooms and seeing how they interact with patients in clinics,” Dr. Skelley said. “We were also leading small group discussions with faculty, residents, medical students, and administrative leadership – we were very involved in the regular operations of their workdays.”
Sanford Health showcase
Photo by Sanford Health
Fostering collaboration is a significant piece of the fellowship experience. Dr. Skelley and the others involved in this year’s tour were given opportunities to share their expertise while also promoting their own institutions’ accomplishments. It was a great opportunity to learn from the host institutions as well.
“It’s an experience that will bring significant benefit not just at the current time period but also in the future for Sanford Health and the University of South Dakota,” Dr. Skelley said. “A unique aspect of these traveling fellowship programs is that your institution is then eligible to apply to host an AANA Fellowship tour stop in the future.”
As Dr. Skelley points out, his home base in Sioux Falls would have plenty of compelling material to present to orthopedic surgeons.
“With all the exciting activities and initiatives we have going on at Sanford Health, from the Sanford Research Center to the Sanford Virtual Care Center, to the new orthopedic expansion in Sioux Falls, we have an incredible amount of resources and opportunities,” Dr. Skelley said. “We would be very well-suited to showcase our programs to the top orthopedic surgeons from across North America in the future.”
Leadership and new innovations
Some of the 2026 tour’s most meaningful moments developed from informal conversations that then advanced to future commitments. An example involved discussions with military healthcare leaders at the U.S .Navy Medical Center. One of Dr. Skelley’s co-fellows was from Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas. They were discussing various opportunities where civilian and military orthopedic communities could collaborate and work more closely together. They have now created new programs through the Society of Military Orthopaedic Surgeons to facilitate this collaboration.
Their discussions have already led to invitations for Dr. Skelley to help teach military orthopedic surgeons preparing for deployment.
“I never would have imagined that opportunity,” he said. “But it came directly from relationships formed during this traveling fellowship.”
AANA fellows typically come from major institutions with heralded histories in medical research. In that sense, Sanford Health and the USD Medical School would be outside the normal list in becoming part of the fellowship conversation.
Participation in this fellowship speaks to Sanford Health and the USD Medical School and Dr. Skelley’s successful efforts in establishing a strong national reputation through innovation, creativity and a focus on emerging technologies.
Some notable spaces where Dr. Skelley and Sanford orthopedics are making an impact on a national level:
- 3D printing. Sanford research efforts have secured national, society and institutional grants to support projects involving 3D printing technology in orthopedics. These efforts have led to advancements across several orthopedic specialties. By focusing on innovative applications of this technology, the program has built a strong research portfolio and increased its visibility on a national level.
- Use of augmented reality and virtual reality. These technologies are used for surgeon training, medical education and direct patient care. They have proven especially valuable in helping deliver orthopedic expertise across large geographic distances, supporting Sanford Health’s rural health mission.
- Digital education. Dr. Skelley has spearheaded an online video library showcasing surgical techniques and procedures. Launched in 2022, the platform allows physicians worldwide to learn from the work being done in the Dakotas. His educational videos are now incorporated into residency training programs across the USA and in countries including New Zealand, Germany, Turkey, Canada, and China. His videos have been translated into several different languages to reach an even larger audience. He has received several awards for his hip arthroscopy videos.
Dr. Skelley’s work with establishing a video library involved learning how to edit and post the videos himself. This online video platform allows him to reach a global audience. He can post a video at 10:30 p.m. before going to bed. When he wakes up in the morning, it is not uncommon that he has already received comments and feedback from surgeons in Europe, Asia, and Australia.
“On the east and west coasts, this might seem like flyover country,” Dr. Skelley said. “But with the video library and online platform we’re able to say, ‘We’re leading and advancing orthopedic care right here in South Dakota!'”
A team honor
In order to give Dr. Skelley the opportunity to spend more than half a month away from his orthopedic practice, it was necessary to get support from his colleagues and Sanford Health leaders for this unique traveling fellowship honor. Normally an orthopedic surgeon does not get a chance to leave town for that length of time without adding noticeable strain to colleagues’ workloads.
Within orthopedics, Dr. Skelley specializes in minimally invasive orthopedic procedures. As he explains it, a Sanford move toward specializing within the department allowed him to earn and embrace an opportunity that may have been out of reach if he had a more general surgical practice.
“Over the last five years, we’ve developed a unique model within our orthopedic program,” Dr. Skelley said. “We do a great job of playing to our clinical strengths which means better quality care for our patients. We have a large enough group and we have a diverse enough group that we have doctors who are focusing on areas like joint replacements, trauma, hand surgery, pediatrics, etc. We can be very focused in our orthopedic care and that focus is what allows us to deliver the highest possible care for our patients.”
It is this practice design at Sanford Health that made it possible for Dr. Skelley to achieve numerous different accomplishments in his field of arthroscopy and sports medicine and be selected for this AANA fellowship.
“My selection as a 2026 AANA Traveling Fellow is a great recognition and acknowledgment of the incredible team we have in the orthopedic group at the Sanford USD Medical Center,” Dr. Skelley said. “It is an honor and pleasure to work with them all and represent them in this capacity.”
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Posted In Awards & Recognition, Innovations, Orthopedics, Physicians and APPs, Thought Leadership
