Fun Facts: Our First 50 Years

Five Decades of Excellence in Surgical Care

After celebrating our 50th Anniversary in 2020, Fox Valley Surgical Specialists (FVSS) is proud to share we’ve now been serving our Northeast Wisconsin community with multi-specialty surgical care for over 50 years! We thought it would be fun to share our journey and highlight some of the history behind our surgical practice as well as how things have evolved over the years and where they’re headed. Take a peek below to learn more about our history! 

To see where the first five decades have taken us, check out this video and read more about our history.

FVSA Fun Facts: Our Roots
Posted January 18, 2021
As the FVSA team has been reminiscing about the last 50 years, one name that comes up again and again is Bob Desjardin, a physician assistant who went by “Dr. Bob.” According to Dr. David Duppler, “Bob was like a Swiss Army Knife. He could do just about anything that was asked of him.” This ranged from managing the FVSA office to being an invaluable surgical assistant in the operating room. Dr. Phil Pier says, “If you didn’t know how to fix it, you asked Bob.” FVSA understands the value of difference-makers like Bob. “We were so lucky to have him,” Dr. Duppler says.

Dr. Bob Desjardin

FVSA Firsts in the Last 50
Posted January 4, 2021
Did you know that when FVSA first started out, our main practice areas were cardiology and general surgery? A lot has changed since then! In fact, FVSA has grown significantly in the last two years, with no plans for slowing down anytime soon. Today, our specialty areas now include breast, colorectal, endocrine, general, oncologic, thoracic and vascular/endovascular surgery. They also extend to endocrinology, laparoscopy, gastrointestinal endoscopy and interventional endoscopy, as well as hepatobiliary, liver and pancreas surgery. Most recently, acute care and heartburn/reflux treatment have been added. Our practice also integrates the latest technologies and offers minimally invasive procedures and robotic-assisted surgeries.

FVSA Fun Facts: Our 50th Anniversary
Posted December 29, 2020
How has technology changed in the surgical field over the last 50 years? The biggest advancement has been in embracing minimally invasive procedures. This began early on at FVSA with laparoscopy and has expanded to include techniques, visualizations and optics. Technology has also enhanced our ability to do many more procedures with added efficiencies and fewer complications. On top of that, the addition of robotics in the last 5-7 years has also increased FVSA’s capabilities, and this will only continue to be the case as newer generations of robots are introduced. As far as technology goes, there isn’t much that HASN’T changed since FVSA first started out in 1970! It’s an exciting time to be part of medicine!

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FVSA Fun Facts: Our 50th Anniversary
Posted December 7, 2020
A hard-working group since the very beginning, the FVSA team has also understood the value of mixing in a little fun and friendly competition outside the office. The group’s infamous Jocks vs. Docs basketball games were always a hit, and its Appleton vs. Theda Clark softball league was set up so that the losing team was the one to actually walk away with the trophy! The fun extended to racquetball tourneys and golf outings, and even included an annual touch football game where the long-time physicians often upset the family practice residents.

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FVSA Fun Facts: Our Roots
Posted November 23, 2020
When it first opened in 1970, FVSA operated from a small office on Northland Avenue in Appleton in the area known as Doctor’s Park. Space was limited, so some physicians had to share an office – Dr. Pier had just a card table and chair set up and Dr. Harding occupied a corner of the proctology room. As the team expanded, FVSA moved to a larger space within Appleton Medical Center, now ThedaCare Regional Medical Center-Appleton. This is our main office today, and we’ve also expanded to provide care at six other spots across Northeast Wisconsin. These include two more offices in Appleton, as well as locations in New London, Oshkosh, Shawano and Waupaca!

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FVSA Firsts in the Last 50
Posted November 13, 2020
The physicians at FVSA have a history of many firsts, thanks in great part to the fact that several have received fellowship training – the highest level of education in a certain specialty. Dr. Robert Ballard, with FVSA since 2001 and a double fellowship recipient, was one of the first providers in Wisconsin to perform abdominal aortic aneurysm repair using minimally invasive techniques and x-ray support. Cutting-edge at the time, the technique has come a long way since then, and FVSA continues to remain at the forefront of vascular care!

FVSA Fun Facts: Our Roots
Posted November 9, 2020
The first specialty trained surgeon in the Fox Valley, Dr. Bill Chandler co-founded FVSA with Dr. Gilbert Mueller in 1970. Dr. Chandler saw a need for more surgical expertise in the community after graduating from Marquette University and eventually merged practices with Dr. Mueller to introduce FVSA. The two were integral in shaping the future of FVSA and their legacy in leadership continues today!

FVSA Fun Facts: Our 50th Anniversary
Posted October 30, 2020
In honor of our 50th anniversary, we’ll be sharing some fun facts about FVSA. To start, we have several providers who’ve been part of the FVSA family for a long time. That list includes Dr. Thomas Winek, a fellowship trained surgeon, at 31 years! Like Dr. Winek, once physicians join, they spend their careers with FVSA instead of practicing elsewhere (other than one, who wanted to trade cold Wisconsin winters for warm California ones!). Since 1970, our physicians have consistently been committed to ensuring the best surgical care is offered right here in the community.

It’s Our Birthday!
Posted October 23, 2020
FVSA is turning 50 this month! In celebrating this major milestone, we’ll be sharing some highlights from the past and plans for what’s to come. For now, we want to thank all of our supporters – from patients and staff to fellow providers – for helping us get here. We’ve been proud to call the Fox Valley home for the last five decades!

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