by Emily Stembridge
Cmdr. Lance LeClere, MD, former orthopaedic surgeon for the U.S. Navy Seals and current head team physician for the U.S. Naval Academy, is joining Vanderbilt Orthopaedics Lebanon at Vanderbilt Wilson County Hospital (VWCH) beginning Sept. 7. This will be his first civilian role.
“I’ve always held Vanderbilt Health and Vanderbilt Orthopaedics in such high esteem,” LeClere said. “As I began thinking about switching to civilian practice, I knew I wanted to work in a system that delivers high quality personalized care and is dedicated to research in that realm as well. Vanderbilt certainly fits the bill. I wanted to join an orthopaedic department that had strong bonds and functioned well as a team, with a common goal of delivering excellent care for patients. At Vanderbilt, I not only saw an incredible team, but also excellent leaders and mentors in department chair Dr. Rick Wright and Dr. Jed Kuhn, chief of the Sports Medicine Division.”
LeClere, an Indiana native, graduated from the University of Notre Dame with a Bachelor of Arts in government and pre-professional studies. Upon graduation from medical school at Loyola University Chicago in 2006, he was commissioned as a lieutenant in the Navy through the health professions scholarship program. He completed his orthopaedic surgery residency at Naval Medical Center San Diego in 2011, followed by a fellowship in orthopaedic sports medicine and shoulder surgery at the Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School program, where he was involved in medical coverage of the New England Patriots, Boston Bruins and Boston Red Sox.
In 2015, LeClere was assigned to the Naval Health Clinic in Annapolis, Maryland, one of the most prestigious assignments for a Naval orthopaedic surgeon. He currently serves as the head team physician for the U.S. Naval Academy and its 33 varsity sports.
In 2020, LeClere served as the president of the Society of Military Orthopaedic Surgeons, which has more than 750 members and is dedicated to optimizing musculoskeletal care of active-duty service members, retirees and their families. Since 2018, he has been the medical director for Warriors to Lourdes, a spiritual pilgrimage to Lourdes, France, for wounded, ill and injured service members and their families. LeClere was recently awarded the Navy Meritorious Service Medal and the Navy Outstanding Volunteerism Service Medal.
LeClere serves on the editorial board of the American Journal of Sports Medicine, the Arthroscopy Journal, the Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine and the Video Journal of Sports Medicine. He has published over 50 peer reviewed articles and book chapters. He is a fellow of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, American Orthopaedic Association, American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine and the Arthroscopy Association of North America. He is board certified in orthopaedic surgery and sports medicine.
“I am incredibly excited about the opportunity at Vanderbilt Orthopaedics Lebanon,” LeClere said. “The enthusiasm that everyone demonstrated at Vanderbilt Wilson County Hospital was palpable throughout this process. This is a unique opportunity to build something new from the ground up under Dr. Wright’s leadership. I am eager to connect with the Lebanon community and strive to provide high quality Vanderbilt health care as we serve Wilson County.”
