All of the physicians at Montana Orthopedics are board-certified by their respective professional boards. They treat patients attentively and in cooperation with other excellent specialists, utilizing the latest evidence based medical and surgical treatment protocols.
Many of our patients and their family members have continued with Montana Orthopedics for over 30 years. We attend to our friends and neighbors with the same level of empathy and concern given to our own families.
Dr. Nicholas Blavatsky
Dr. Nicholas Blavatsky grew up in Havre where he excelled in sports and academics. Following graduation from Havre High School, he was accepted to the Air Force Academy where he played defensive end for the Falcon football team. When the Academy dropped their pre-med program in 1975, Dr. Blavatsky transferred to Carroll College in Helena graduating in 1977 with a degree in biology. He completed medical school at the University of Nevada School of Medicine in Reno in 1981. Prior to joining Montana Orthopedics Dr. Blavatsky practiced in Central Florida for 15 years where he helped Winter Haven Hospital achieve its designation as a top 100 hospital for joint replacement in 1998.
Dr. Charles E. Buehler
Dr. Charles Buehler is a native of Southern California. An accomplished, multi-sport athlete in high school, he set the national high school record in the shot put in 1959. He is a graduate of Stanford University where he was an all PAC-10 tackle. Drafted by the Green Bay Packers, Dr. Buehler decided to forego his football career to attend medical school at Tulane University in New Orleans. He completed his training at the University of Utah and joined Montana Orthopedics in 1972. An active hunter, fisherman, and sportsman, Dr. Buehler is a member of the Governor’s Wolf Advisory Task Force. He is also active in State medical issues serving as the past Vice-President of the Montana Medical Association.
Dr. Nick DiGiovine
Dr. Nick DiGiovine grew up in Western Pennsylvania. A multi-sport athlete in high school, he went on the University of Notre Dame from which he graduated Magna Cum Laude in 1979. He received his Medical Degree from the University of Pennsylvania and completed his orthopedic surgical training at the University of Pittsburgh. Dr. DiGiovine completed an Orthopedic Sports Medicine fellowship at the Kerlan-Jobe Clinic in Los Angles in 1990. Prior to moving to Montana in 1996, he served as a team physician for the Pittsburgh Steelers. He currently serves as the medical director for the Montana Sports Medicine Program and is active in community activities and events. He can often be found on the sidelines at Montana Tech, Butte High, and Butte Central football games.
Dr. Michael Gallagher
Dr. Michael Gallagher is an Anaconda native and a graduate of Anaconda High School where he was a multi-sport athlete and scholar. He graduated Magna Cum Laude from Carroll College in 1986 and went to medical school at the University Of Chicago Pritzker School Of Medicine. He completed his orthopedic training at the University of Missouri in Kansas City in 1995. Dr. Gallagher completed an Orthopedic Trauma Fellowship at the Medical College of Virginia in 1996 and is one of few fellowship-trained orthopedic trauma surgeons in Montana. He is the team physician for the Anaconda Copperheads and can often be seen on the sidelines at football games.
Dr. Anthony Russo
Dr. Anthony Russo relocated to southwest Montana to join Montana Orthopedics in 2008. Dr. Russo grew up in Huntington Beach, Calif. and graduated magna cum laud from UCLA. He attended medical school at George Washington University in Washington, D.C. on a health professions scholarship with the U.S. Navy and completed his internship and residency at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Following residency, Dr. Russo was called to active duty with the Navy and worked as an orthopedic surgeon in Okinawa, Japan. In 2005, he was deployed to Iraq, spending seven months in the western Anbar province. While in Iraq, Russo worked with a surgical team providing care to casualties coming in off the field. Russo was on call 24/7, stabilizing wounded troops before they were sent off to other hospitals. When his tour in Iraq concluded, he returned to Bremerton when he finished his commitment with the Navy and enrolled at the University of Washington and Harbor View Medical Center for a 12 month fellowship in spine surgery.