About Us

For more than 30 years, Norfolk Hand Surgery Center, Inc. has been dedicated to providing world class care and service to their patients. We believe in treating the whole individual and restoring as much function as possible.
 
Dr. Frank W. Gwathmey founded our center in 1983. He dedicated his professional career to building the Hand Center into the best facility for hand, wrist and elbow care in the Hampton Roads area.

In 2003, Dr. Christopher Hersh joined the practice and continued the tradition of excellent upper extremity care after Dr. Gwathmey's retirement in 2007. Dr. Hersh retired from clinical medical practice in 2021.
 
The practice remains one of the regions oldest independent/private medical practices and draws patients/referrals from the entire region including the states of Virginia, North Carolina, and Maryland. We believe in "old school" principles where patients are people rather than numbers.

Douglas R. Trzcinski, MD, MS, FACS

Dr. Trzcinski graduated from Auburn University with degrees in Zoology and Mechanical Engineering, as well as a Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering (Biomedical Engineering emphasis). He obtained his MD from the University of South Alabama College of Medicine in 1997. After General Surgery training, he went to the University of Wisconsin at Madison where he completed his Plastic, Hand and Microsurgical Surgery Residency Training. Dr. T spent 2 years in private practice in Upstate New York, then he further expanded his hand and wrist surgery skills by completing the INTEGRIS Baptist/University of Oklahoma Orthopedic Hand Surgery Fellowship in 2007.

Dr. T participated in the Trauma Program at Norfolk General Hospital from 2007 until 2020, and he was an Assistant Professor of Surgery at The Eastern Virginia Medical School (2007 to 2014) teaching medical students, Physician Assistant students and surgery residents. He joined the Norfolk Hand Surgery Center in 2016, and continues the tradition of excellent hand and wrist surgery care for the region. Dr. T is also an avid pilot and is an FAA Designated Senior Airman Medical Examiner (AME) providing FAA Class I, Class II and Class III flight physicals for airline and civilian pilots.

Dr. Trzcinski is Board Certified with the American Board of Plastic Surgery (ABPS) and is ABPS certified in the Subspecialty of Surgery of the Hand. He is a member of the American Society for Surgery of the Hand (ASSH), a member of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) and a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons (ACS). He is active in the Maintenance of Certificate programs to keep his training up to date and current. He has received special recognitions for teaching and has been named one of the region's top hand surgeons for multiple years.