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Founded in 1972, Wentworth Health Partners Seacoast Orthopedics & Sports Medicine is one of the largest providers of orthopedic care, both in the Seacoast region and in the state of New Hampshire. From athletic injuries in the young to degenerative conditions with aging, our goal is to restore and maintain comfort and function for all of our patients.
Our team of experts includes sub-specialized orthopedic surgeons, nurses, health professionals and support staff, all dedicated to treating injuries and diseases of the musculoskeletal system. Our physicians focus on all areas of musculoskeletal care including sports medicine, hand and wrist, foot and ankle, shoulder, elbow, hip knee and spine, as well as fracture treatment, joint replacement surgery, and cartilage restoration.
Physicians
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In addition to membership in leading orthopedic associations, Dr. Blitzer serves on the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons' Board of Councilors and is past president of the New Hampshire Medical Society. Dr. Blitzer is an affiliate assistant professor in the Department of Kinesiology, School of Health and Human Services, at the University of New Hampshire. He is also an adjunct clinical faculty member in the physician assistant program at the University of New England in Maine. |
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Christopher Couture, M.D. is a Sports Medicine physician with a background in Family Medicine. Originally from Burlington, VT, Dr. Couture received his Bachelor's degree in Biomedical Engineering summa cum laude from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. He then completed medical school and his residency in Family Medicine at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center before moving to the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine in Tulsa, where he completed a fellowship in Sports Medicine. |
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 Mark Cullen, MD |
Dr. Cullen was born in Natick, Massachusetts and grew up in Reading, Pennsylvania. He grew up in a large family with nine brothers and sisters and attended Bucknell University. He is married to Michelle Cullen, MD and has four children. Dr. Cullen was a multi-sport athlete in high school and varsity letterman in college. After his orthopedic surgery residency, he completed a prestigious sports medicine fellowship in advanced arthroscopic surgery and complex knee ligament reconstruction with Frank Noyes, MD in Cincinnati, OH. Dr. Cullen has a passion for adolescent sports medicine and the surgical repair of sports injuries. He has been the team physician for numerous high schools and club sports teams throughout his career in Atlanta and Oregon. He works closely with athletic trainers, physical therapists and coaches to care for athletes and to prevent adolescent sports injuries. In recognition for his contributions to youth and high school sports in Atlanta, he was awarded the prestigious Southeastern Athletic Trainers Association Jack Hughson Sports Medicine Person of the Year. He specializes in and has surgical expertise in advanced arthroscopic knee and shoulder surgery and complex knee ligament reconstructions. His surgical practice focuses on arthroscopic rotator cuff surgery, labral repair and shoulder stabilization along with ACL and revision ACL ligament reconstructions. Having had four shoulder surgeries himself, he understands what an injury means to his patients and the time and dedication to rehabilitation it takes to recover from surgery. Dr. Cullen is on staff at Wentworth-Douglass Hospital in Dover and Frisbie Memorial Hospital in Rochester. He works closely with athletic trainers at local high schools and is a team Physician and orthopedic consultant for University of New Hampshire Wildcats. Dr. Cullen is available for consultation at our Somersworth and Portsmouth offices. |
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Dr. Dirksmeier is extensively trained in the operative and non-operative management of all developmental, degenerative, pathologic, and traumatic conditions of the spine. A native of New England, Dr. Dirksmeier attended Holy Cross College in Worcester, Massachusetts on a ROTC Scholarship. Upon graduation, he was commissioned a lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps and served as a marine aviator and intelligence officer before earning his medical degree. While completing his general surgical internship and orthopedic surgical residency, Dr. Dirksmeier developed an interest in spinal surgery and completed an orthopedic spinal surgery fellowship under several nationally known experts in the field. Dr. Dirksmeier has been involved in spinal surgery outcomes research and has published technique articles in subspecialty journals describing his minimally invasive surgical techniques. His elective practice is devoted to evaluating and treating spine problems. Dr. Dirksmieir is on staff at Frisbie Memorial Hospital in Rochester and Wentworth-Douglass Hospital in Dover, where he serves on the Board of Trustees. |
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 Adam Fleit, MD Hand & Elbow Surgery Upper Extremity Reconstruction Replacement Arthroscopic, Shoulder, Surgery, Orthopedic Trauma |
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Jennifer Hopp, MD, CAQSM, a board-certified sports medicine physician, has joined Wentworth-Douglass Hospital and Wentworth Health Partners Seacoast Orthopedics & Sports Medicine. Dr. Hopp will lead the new Women's Sports Medicine Program located at the Wentworth-Douglass Hospital Portsmouth Outpatient Center at Pease International Tradeport. Dr. Hopp will provide focused sports medicine for Seacoast Women of all ages. In addition, she will be a Team Physician for The University of New Hampshire Wildcats. Dr. Hopp has nearly ten years of clinical practice experience in primary care and sports medicine. She earned her medical degree from the University of Virginia School of Medicine in Charlottesville. She then completed a family medicine residency at the University f Pennsylvania followed by a primary care sports medicine fellowship at Houston Methodist Hospital. During her fellowship, Dr. Hopp served as a Team Physician at Rice University and George Bush High School, and provided medical support to participants in the Houston Marathon, Ironman Championship and the Houston Rodeo. |
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 Joseph Konopka, MD |
Dr. Joseph F. Konopka graduated from Harvard Medical School. He continued his training at Harvard, completing his orthopedic surgery residency at the Harvard Combined Orthopedics Residency Program. During his residency, he worked at several of the most highly ranked hospitals in the country, including the Massachusetts General Hospital, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and Children’s Hospital Boston. He completed his joint replacement fellowship training at the top ranked orthopedics hospital in the world, the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City, where he was recognized with an award for excellence in clinical research. Dr. Konopka specializes in hip and knee replacement, partial knee replacement, and revision hip and knee replacement. His practice focuses on direct anterior hip replacement, robotic-assisted surgery, computer-navigated surgery, and patient specific knee implants. Dr. Konopka also has a strong research background, having obtained a Fulbright Scholarship and a Master’s degree in International Health Policy and Health Economics from the prestigious London School of Economics in London, England. He later did a research fellowship at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital’s Orthopedics and Arthritis Center for Outcomes Research. Dr. Konopka has published research articles in major orthopedic journals, including the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, the Journal of Arthroplasty, and the Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. Dr. Konopka is on staff at both Wentworth-Douglass Hospital in Dover, NH and Frisbie Memorial Hospital in Rochester, NH. Did you know? Dr. Konopka was a full time volunteer for AmeriCorps in 2003, dedicating 2,000 volunteer hours to disaster relief, community development, education, and public safety. |
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 Caroline A Schepker, DO Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Sports Medicine |
Dr. Caroline Schepker is a physiatrist with subspecialty training in sports medicine. Dr. Schepker grew up in central and southeastern Connecticut, and graduated magna cum laude from Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island with a Bachelor of Science in neuroscience. She completed medical school at Touro University California College of Osteopathic Medicine in Northern California. Prior to residency, she spent one year as a predoctoral research fellow at Harvard Medical School/Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, based out of Cambridge, Massachusetts. She went on to complete her preliminary year in internal medicine at the University of Connecticut and residency in Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation (PM&R) at New York-Presbyterian – Columbia & Cornell. She stayed at Cornell for her sports medicine fellowship, where she served as a team physician for NCAA Division I athletics at St. John’s University, as well as various local high schools. She is board certified in both Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation (PM&R) and Sports Medicine. Dr. Schepker joined the Wentworth Health Partners – Seacoast Physiatry practice in the fall of 2021. She sees patients at offices in Portsmouth and Somersworth, where her practice runs the spectrum of musculoskeletal and peripheral nerve injuries in adolescents and adults. She has special interests in the rehabilitative aspects of care, treating highly active individuals, athletes, and musicians, endurance sports injuries, diagnostic and interventional musculoskeletal ultrasound, regenerative medicine, and neurophysiology studies. She additionally provides sideline game coverage for athletes at the University of New Hampshire. Prior to practicing as a physician, Dr. Schepker served as an assistant coach for boys’ and girls’ Cross-Country and Track & Field at her alma mater high school, Conard High School in West Hartford, Connecticut. She is an avid enthusiast of endurance sports and plays the violin. Did you know? Dr. Schepker rode her bicycle across the United States at age 19. |
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 David Thut, MD Shoulder & Knee Surgery Sports Medicine Arthoscopic Surgery Knee Replacement Surgery |
Dr. Thut graduated from Dartmouth College in Hanover, NH and attended medical school in Philadelphia at the University of Pennsylvania. He completed his residency in orthopedic surgery at the University of Rochester Medical Center in 2000. Following residency, Dr. Thut served seven years in the United States Navy. He was head of the departments of orthopedic surgery during his tours at the Naval Hospitals in Charleston, South Carolina and Bremerton, Washington and while in Charleston, served as Medical Director. During his military career, Dr. Thut cared for both active duty and retired military personnel, gaining valuable experience in helping patients of all ages maintain an active lifestyle. After separating from the Navy in 2007, Dr. Thut followed his passion for the care of athletes and moved to New York City where he completed the Sports Medicine Fellowship at NYU's Hospital for Joint Diseases. While in New York, he cared for NYU athletes and worked at the Harkness Center for Dance Injuries, treating dancers from world-renowned companies including the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre and Cirque du Soleil. Dr. Thut specializes in sports related injuries and is a team physician for the UNH Wildcats. His surgical practice focuses on arthroscopic treatment of the shoulder and knee, including cartilage restoration, knee ligament reconstruction, shoulder instability, and labral repair. Dr. Thut's expertise in rotator cuff repair and knee replacement surgery allows him to help his patients remain active as they age. Dr. Thut is board certified by the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery, a Fellow of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, and holds a subspecialty board certification in Sports Medicine. He has privileges at Wentworth-Douglass Hospital in Dover, Frisbie Memorial Hospital in Rochester, Stratham Ambulatory Surgery Center in Stratham, and Northeast Surgical Care in Newington, NH. An avid sailor, skier, and golfer, Dr. Thut moved to the Seacoast in 2009. He lives with his wife, two teenage sons, and two dogs in Dover, NH. |
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 Gavin Webb, MD Sports Medicine Arthoscopic Surgery Shoulder & Knee Surgery Cartilage Restoration Surgery |
While completing his sports medicine fellowship, Dr. Webb was an assistant team physician for the Boston Celtics and the Northeastern Huskies. Dr. Webb has expertise in cartilage restoration procedures and alternatives to total knee replacement surgery in younger patients. He has conducted research and lectured on cartilage injuries, presented papers at national and international meetings, and is a reviewer forThe Journal of Arthroscopic and Related Surgery. Treating conditions affecting the shoulder and knee, Dr. Webb has a special interest in sports medicine and the prevention and treatment of athletic injuries in patients of all ages. He is the orthopedic director at Wentworth Health Partners Seacoast Orthopedics & Sports Medicine and is a team physician for the University of New Hampshire Wildcats. Dr. Webb is on staff at Wentworth-Douglass Hospital in Dover and Frisbie Memorial Hospital in Rochester. In addition, he has privileges at Stratham Ambulatory Surgery Center. |
Dr. Charles Blitzer, MD
Dr. Christopher Couture, MD
Peter Dirksmeier, MD
Mark Geppert, MD
Dr. Jennifer Hopp, MD