Dr Charles Ruotolo, MD
Medical Director
As the founder of Total Orthopedics and Sports Medicine, Charles Ruotolo MD was a top graduate at the New York Medical College School of Medicine in 1995. He completed an orthopedic residency program at the SUNY at Stony Brook in 2000. After his residency he underwent fellowship training in sports medicine and shoulder surgery at the prestigious Sports Clinic of Laguna Hills, California under the tutelage of Wesley Nottage, MD. It is here where he perfected his advanced arthroscopic surgical skills. Dr. Ruotolo is board certified in orthopedic surgery and is a fellow of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons. As an Associate Master Instructor of Arthroscopy for the Arthroscopy Association of North America, Dr. Ruotolo actively teaches other orthopedic surgeons advanced arthroscopic skills in shoulder surgery. He has continued his pursuit of teaching starting an Orthopedic Surgery Residency program at Nassau University Medical Center for which he is the Program Director.
As an avid researcher he has published multiple articles on shoulder injuries and shoulder and knee surgery in the peer review journals of Arthroscopy, Shoulder and Elbow Surgery, and Journal of Orthopedic Trauma as well as several book chapters on the same. It is his dictum to constantly be critical and to constantly review treatment options and surgical results. This persistent pursuit of quality affords his patients the highest level of care in orthopedic surgery and sports medicine providing the most up to date surgical procedures maximizing outcomes while minimizing pain.
Dr. Ruotolo has excelled throughout his career in medicine. He was named the top surgical student in his graduating medical student class of 210 students and has been named the attending of the year several times for the orthopedic training programs for which he has been a faculty member. From here he started a residency program where he takes a lead role as the Program Director for the institution. Dr. Ruotolo has always excelled in every role from student to surgeon to teacher. Dr. Ruotolo is listed as a Top Doctor by Newsday, a Castle Connolly Top Doctor, and has been voted multiple times as the Best Orthopedist on Long Island, by Best of Long Island. Currently as the Chairman of the Department of Orthopedics at Nassau University Medical Center he is helping guide the hospital in its revival as a leading center for orthopedic surgery. As with himself, he has developed a core group of highly skilled orthopedic surgeons at NUMC providing some of the best care in orthopedic spine surgery, orthopedic trauma surgery, minimally invasive joint replacement surgery, arthroscopic surgery and sports medicine. As the President of Total Orthopedics and Sports Medicine, he is proud to lead not just a team of highly trained and skilled physicians, but an organization of compassionate and caring people.
John Nikolic
Chief Operations Officer
John joined Total Orthopedics & Sports Medicine in 2021 as the Operations Director who now oversees all operations including the Office Managers, Call Center Managers, Verification & Authorizations Manager, Radiology Manager, Director of Marketing & Sales, Director of Industrial Injury Prevention Manager, and the Director of Human Resources.
John is a highly accomplished executive who is a strategically driven professional with strong analytical, managerial, and leadership skills.
John has a an Engineering degree from Hofstra University and a Master’s degree in Engineering from Columbia University.
John’s expertise is in process re-engineering & workflow optimization, KPI metrics development & benchmarking, strategic sourcing, strategic planning, change management, human capital & succession planning, and extensive personnel management.
John is Lean Six Sigma Black Belt Certified with Continuous Process Improvement and Voice of the Customer experience.
Tim Prohinsie MS, ATC, EMT
Director of Industrial Injury Prevention Programs
Tim has a master’s degree in sports science and advanced athletic training from Long Island University. A certified athletic trainer since 1996, Tim was the head athletic trainer at one of the most successful junior college athletics programs in the country, for 20 years. He was also the medical director and head athletic trainer at the summer lacrosse camp at a service academy. He has worked with several professional teams as well. He holds a certificate in ergonomics from Colorado State University. His experience in athletic training as well as managing and developing young professionals provides him with key experience for his role, where he is responsible for program development as well as hiring, training and developing industrial athletic trainers and setting the standard of care for the organization.
Erika LoBasso
Director of Marketing and Sales
Erika joined Total Orthopedics as the Director of Marketing and Sales. She oversees all marketing initiates for the practice with a focus on the development and expansion of the company. She builds awareness by implementing and executing on marketing strategies to meet the companies’ growing needs.