Bio

Dr. Stephanie Douglas grew up in Lexington, KY. She attended Vanderbilt University, where she graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in neuroscience and political science. While at Vanderbilt, she was a middle-distance runner for the track and field team and was elected team captain in her senior year. She then earned her medical degree and a Masters in Health Science from Yale School of Medicine, where she was active in clinical and translational research.

After graduating from medical school, Dr. Douglas worked as a consultant for Boston Consulting Group and as a medical writer before returning to residency in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Washington University. While in residency, she served as chief resident and resident director for sports medicine. She is the author of several publications on bone stress injuries and tendon injuries in runners. Drawing on her passion for athletic competition and ongoing performance improvement, she completed her USA Track & Field Level 1 Coaching Certification and is a NSCA Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist.

Dr. Douglas’s primary clinical and research interests are running medicine, bone health and bone stress injuries, female athlete health, and sports performance.

Clinical Focus

  • Fellow
  • Sports Medicine

Professional Education

  • Fellowship, Stanford University, Non-Operative Sports Medicine (2025)
  • Residency, Washington University in St. Louis, Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation (2024)
  • MD/MHS, Yale University (2014)

Current Research and Scholarly Interests

Running medicine, bone injuries, sports performance

All Publications

  • Posttraumatic osteoarthritis after athletic knee injury: A narrative review of diagnostic imaging strategies. PM & R : the journal of injury, function, and rehabilitation Fogarty, A. E., Chiang, M. C., Douglas, S., Yaeger, L. H., Ambrosio, F., Lattermann, C., Jacobs, C., Borg-Stein, J., Tenforde, A. S. 2024

    Abstract

    Intraarticular knee injuries and subsequent posttraumatic arthritis (PTOA) are common in athletes. Unfortunately, PTOA may significantly affect performance and overall function, but this condition remains difficult to characterize. In this review, we provide an overview of imaging modalities used to evaluate PTOA among athletes and physically active individuals following knee injury, with the goal to discuss the strengths and limitations of their application in this population. A literature search was performed to identify clinical studies focusing of knee injuries in athletes and athletic persons, specifically using imaging for diagnosis or monitoring disease progression. A total of 81 articles were identified, and 23 were included for review. Studies on plain radiographs (n = 8) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) assessed arthritic burden (n = 13), with MRI able to depict the earliest cartilage changes. Few studies (n = 2) leveraged ultrasound. Challenges persist, particularly regarding standardization and reliability across different radiographic grading systems. Additionally, further research is needed to establish the clinical significance of techniques to assess cartilage composition on MRI, including ultrashort echo-time enhanced T2*, T1rho and T2 imaging. Addressing these challenges through standardized protocols and intensified research efforts will enhance the diagnostic utility of imaging modalities in musculoskeletal medicine and enable high-quality prospective studies.

    View details for DOI 10.1002/pmrj.13217

    View details for PubMedID 39082212

  • Chest Wall Injuries in Athletes CURRENT PHYSICAL MEDICINE AND REHABILITATION REPORTS Douglas, S. R., Olafsen, N. P. 2023; 11 (4): 450-457

    View details for DOI 10.1007/s40141-023-00421-7

    View details for Web of Science ID 001059624700001

  • Chronic periostitis of the anterior tibia treated with a combination of shockwave and gait retraining: A case report. JOSPT Cases Douglas, S. R., Posilkin, J. L., Tenforde, A. S. 2022; 2 (1): 18-23
  • Foot and ankle low-risk injuries Bone Stress Injuries: Diagnosis, Treatment, and Prevention Douglas, S. R., Troy, K. L., Tenforde, A. S. Demos Medical Publishing. 2022: 73-80
  • Stress fractures Handbook of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Douglas, S. R., Tenforde, A. S. Demos Medical Publishing. 2021
  • Radiographic Pattern to Recognize Overuse Injury in Runners: The Ipsilateral Pubic Ramus and Sacral Bone Stress Injury. PM & R : the journal of injury, function, and rehabilitation Douglas, S. R., Troy, K. L., Tenforde, A. S. 2020; 12 (12): 1279-1280

    View details for DOI 10.1002/pmrj.12436

    View details for PubMedID 32542957

  • Telehealth in Plastic Surgery: A Veterans Affairs Hospital Perspective. Plastic and reconstructive surgery. Global open Douglas, S., Geiger, E., McGregor, A., Norwich, A., Abbate, D., Hsia, H., Narayan, D. 2018; 6 (10): e1840

    Abstract

    Telemedicine is a rapidly growing tool since its invention in the 1950s. Recently, it has expanded to the field of plastic surgery. In the Connecticut VA System, there is 1 plastic surgeon at a central location for the state of Connecticut and southern Massachusetts. Our aim was to pilot a telehealth program for plastic surgery consultation within the VA to improve access to subspecialty care. We intend to discuss the value of telehealth as part of consultation services, and assess patient attitudes toward telemedicine.Patients in the Connecticut VA System referred for plastic surgery consultation for evaluation of nonurgent diagnoses, such as skin lesions, carpal tunnel syndrome, and chronic wounds, were invited to participate. After being appropriately consented according to Connecticut state law, patients completed a postvisit questionnaire rating their overall satisfaction, quality of interaction, and ability to communicate using a modified 10-point Likert scale. Means were calculated for numerical responses. Preference for future telehealth visits was reported as a percentage.Forty-one of 44 eligible patients elected to participate. Of those patients, 83% (n = 34) stated they prefer telemedicine services for future visits. Patients rated overall satisfaction 9.2/10, overall quality of interaction 9.2/10, ability to communicate 9.3/10, and sound and video quality 8.6/10 and 9.0/10, respectively.Remote video telemedicine is a feasible method of plastic surgery consultation and results in high patient satisfaction. Further studies should focus on cost-effectiveness and ways to broaden the use of telehealth services in plastic surgery.

    View details for DOI 10.1097/GOX.0000000000001840

    View details for PubMedID 30534478

    View details for PubMedCentralID PMC6250470

  • Somatic Activating RAS Mutations Cause Vascular Tumors Including Pyogenic Granuloma. The Journal of investigative dermatology Lim, Y. H., Douglas, S. R., Ko, C. J., Antaya, R. J., McNiff, J. M., Zhou, J., Choate, K. A., Narayan, D. 2015; 135 (6): 1698-1700

    View details for DOI 10.1038/jid.2015.55

    View details for PubMedID 25695684

    View details for PubMedCentralID PMC4430357

  • Management of head and neck melanoma: results of a national survey. Annals of plastic surgery Sawh-Martinez, R., Douglas, S., Pavri, S., Ariyan, S., Narayan, D. 2014; 73 Suppl 2: S175-7

    Abstract

    We recently reported on the safety of minimally invasive parotid region sentinel node biopsy and level I-sparing radical neck dissection for head and neck melanoma. We therefore wished to assess the state of practice in the United States through a survey of specialists in head and neck surgery. We hypothesized that there would be significant variation in the management of these facets of head and neck melanoma. To test this hypothesis, a 10-question online survey on management of head and neck melanoma was distributed to the members of the American Head and Neck Society. Responses were matched to Internet Protocol addresses to ensure that each respondent completed the survey only once. Eighty-eight respondents completed the survey. For sentinel lymph nodes within the parotid gland, nearly half (47.7%) of surgeons surveyed perform a superficial parotidectomy, 13.6% perform a total parotidectomy, and only 38.6% perform parotid-sparing surgery; 71.6% of surgeons remove the submandibular nodes when carrying out a functional radical neck dissection. In conclusion, approaches to the management of head and neck melanoma vary widely, with only a minority of surgeons using morbidity-sparing surgical approaches. This study highlights the need for further randomized controlled trials in the surgical management of head and neck melanoma.

    View details for DOI 10.1097/SAP.0000000000000182

    View details for PubMedID 24667883

  • Extramammary Paget's Disease in Males: A Caveat for the Plastic Surgeon. Plastic and reconstructive surgery Douglas, S. R., Narayan, D. 2013; 131 (4): 652e-653e

    View details for DOI 10.1097/PRS.0b013e31828277e5

    View details for PubMedID 23542295

  • A Novel Technique for Perineal Hernia Repair BMJ Case Reports Douglas, S., Longo, W., Narayan, D. 2013