Getting to Know Dr. Chris Souder

When you love your job so much that it's also your hobby, you have found your true calling in life. For Dr. Souder, his career in pediatric orthopedics is exactly that-- his calling. He's so passionate about it that even his free time is spent reading and thinking about orthopedics and all the ways to best help his patients. His goal at the end of the day is to be as least invasive as possible while working towards full return of function for his patients.

To Dr. Souder, one of the best parts of his job is encouraging his patients to see how much they've accomplished and all the obstacles they've overcome. Dr. Souder strives to treat each of his patients like they were his own children so those recoveries are a huge celebration for both him and his patients.

One of the things he's known for at CTPO is being our resident fast walking, quick talking doctor and having an accent that is impossible not to try to imitate! Both staff and patients have given it a go and Dr. Souder always gets a kick out of it because as they say, imitation is the greatest form of flattery! When he's not practicing or reading about orthopedics in his free time, he and his wife love to do any activity that gets them and their four kids outdoors. These getaways also help them relax a bit, especially from being on guard constantly from the destruction their young twins cause!

One of the most heartwarming moments Dr. Souder has had in his career involved helping a refugee patient and her family. Her deformed legs had made life very difficult for her, but after correcting the deformity she displayed a newfound confidenceI Her parents were beyond grateful for the opportunity provided to their daughter and kept telling Dr. Souder how life changing the surgery was for both her and for them. Though a translator was used for verbal communication, the emotion of appreciation from the family surpassed all language barriers. Moments like these are what it's all about and makes all the hard days worth it.

We're so thankful to have Dr. Souder here at CTPO and are excited to have him along as we take on the next 30 years helping the children of Central Texas.