Submitted interview
Mantua native returns to offer sports medicine at UH Portage
UH Portage is adding another doctor to its roster. Dr. Jacob Calcei has joined University Hospitals Portage Medical Center, with offices in Streetsboro and Ravenna. The hospital sent us this interview.
You specialize in orthopedics and sports medicine. Can you tell the community a little bit about what you do?
As a sports medicine and shoulder specialist, I take care of a wide range of musculoskeletal injuries including disorders of the shoulder, elbow, hip, knee and ankle. In addition to taking care of patients in the community, a lot of my day-to-day work revolves around teaching residents, medical students and fellows. On the weekends and evenings after seeing patients in the office or operating room, I can be found at a local high school or college practice, game or training room, or caring for our Cleveland Browns.
What types of orthopedics and sports medicine issues do you solve? When should community members seek care from you?
From a sports medicine perspective, everyone’s an athlete in their own way. Our goal on the UH Orthopedic Sports Medicine team is to help patients regain their mobility and return them to an active lifestyle. I focus on shoulder, elbow, hip, knee and ankle injuries and disorders, but as a team physician, I see injuries of all kinds on the sidelines and have to quickly react. If a patient has a problem that’s outside my scope of practice, I will make sure they are connected with the appropriate UH care team to get quality and timely care.
How long have you been practicing medicine?
I graduated from New York University School of Medicine in 2014, and since then I’ve been specializing in orthopedic surgery and sports medicine. I completed my residency at the Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS), the №1 orthopedics hospital and residency program in the country. Following nine years of living in New York City, I moved to Northern California to complete a one-year sports medicine fellowship at Stanford University. At Stanford, I cared for athletes of all kinds — swimmers, runners, gymnasts, football and baseball players, etc. and covered the local preparatory school, Sacred Heart Prep High School as well.
I also had the special opportunity to help take care of the San Francisco 49ers, and was with them on the sidelines during Super Bowl LIV in February. Over the course of the NFL season, it was amazing to see how many different players stepped up to fill the shoes of players who were injured or recovering, and to help those who were injured get back to playing at the top of their game.
What is your favorite part about being a physician?
My favorite part about being a doctor is interacting with patients from all sorts of different backgrounds. The fun part about specializing in orthopedics is that oftentimes you’re trying to solve one or two issues that are really limiting a patient’s daily life. When you can successfully treat these problems and restore a patient’s mobility, it can have a huge impact on their quality of life. Being a part of that process, and seeing a patient unable to walk, run, jump or throw, then diagnosing and successfully treating them — whether surgically or not — is a really motivating experience.
Just like a team of athletes, sports medicine orthopedics requires a big team of specialists that work together every day including surgeons, PAs, nurses, medical assistants, physical therapists, athletic trainers and administrators, among others. The patients themselves are a big part of our team too, and play a large role in their own recovery through things like working with physical therapists before and after surgery.
Where are you from originally, and what drew you to orthopedics and sports medicine?
I grew up in Mantua, and went to Aurora High School. My Mom and Dad were teachers for most of their careers, and my Dad was a football and baseball coach at Crestwood and Aurora. He is still coaching the Aurora High School varsity football team. He coached at Hiram College when I was a kid, and I was always on the sidelines with him. That was where my passion for and love of sports and being around athletes first started. I’m the oldest of four boys: Blake is in medical school, Luke is in dental school and Beau is a dentist in Kent at Huffman & Calcei Family Dental.
I’ve played sports all my life — football and baseball in high school, then baseball in college. I’ve had my fair share of injuries and surgeries. I know how difficult and frustrating injuries can be, and I want to be there to help my patients on the road to recovery.
What drew you to the UH Portage team?
Dr. James Voos, our UH Chair of Orthopedics and Head Team Physician for the Cleveland Browns, completed his residency at HSS as well. He is a good friend and mentor of mine. He’s been building an incredible sports medicine and orthopedic surgery team here at UH, and it’s an honor to be a part of that team and process.
UH Portage seemed like a natural fit–it’s home for me. I grew up in the area, my parents still live nearby, and this is a nice homecoming for me. It’s amazing to get to return to the community where I fell in love with sports and medicine. It’s really a lifelong dream: to help care for local athletes, and to help Dr. Voos and his team care for the Cleveland Browns.
Any other details you’d like to share — other interests, hobbies, family life, etc.?
My wife, Shanna, and I met at Kenyon College her freshman year and my sophomore year. She’s from the Upper West Side in Manhattan, and is excited to explore the Midwest. We have a black lab named Scooby-Duke. He’s been a total trooper on our road trips across the country, from New York to California and now home to Ohio!
We love traveling and being outdoors and exploring state and national parks. We’re big cyclists and enjoy going on long rides together. Ohio has so many metro parks and a national park we’re excited to explore. I also enjoy doing yardwork — and now I actually have a yard to work on after many years of apartment living! I also love cooking and trying new restaurants with Shanna and our family and friends.
Anything else you’d like to add?
I’m really excited to be back home and to take care of this community. Everywhere I was, whether at NYU, HSS, or Stanford, there was no question as to where I was from. I have a lot of Cleveland and Ohio pride. My favorite thing about Northeast Ohio is the people. Ohioans and Clevelanders are kind, hardworking people, and it’s the people that make this place so great.
Dr. Calcei’s offices are located at:
UH Portage Orthopedic Center
6847 N Chestnut Street, Suite 105
Ravenna, OH 44266
UH Streetsboro Health Center
9318 State Route 14, Suite B
Streetsboro, OH 44241
Appointments can be made by calling 216–983-PLAY.
