Sarah E. Koonce, PA-C
Sarah E. Koonce, PA-C, is a Physician Assistant at Newton-Wellesley Hospital’s Orthopaedic Spine Surgery Service. She is also Dr. Robert Banco’s primary physician assistant for office appointments as well as in spine surgery.
Sarah completed her Masters of Science Degree in Physician Assistant Studies at Northeastern University in 2010. Before earning her Master’s degree, Sarah ran her own clinical massage therapy practice for 10 years in conjunction with occupational therapists, specializing in upper-extremity occupational injuries with clientele including patients with spine and peripheral nerve injuries. Sarah is also a graduate of The CORE Institute School of Massage Therapy and Structural Bodywork. An accomplished musician, Sarah also holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in piano performance from
Florida State University, and has toured extensively in the U.S. and abroad, including broadcasts on NPR, BBC and national television.
Sarah completes thorough patient evaluations with a spinal focused neurological exam. She has also developed and uses a pre-operative clinical spine surgery checklist to medically optimize each patient for a successful outcome.
Your optimization may include:
Smoking cessation
Nutrition
Weight loss
Pre-operative pain and behavioral medicine consults with Newton-Wellesley Hospital
Other specialty consults as needed
Sarah is a member of several pain management subcommittees. Sarah also creates educational SPINE Health Events for patients and providers, and is a preceptor for PA students. Her clinical interests include: multidisciplinary pain management during the perioperative period, complex spinal issues, and hip/spinal syndromes.
Certification
National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA)
Advanced Cardiac Life Support/Basic Life Support (ACLS/BLS)
Memberships
American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA)
Physician Assistants in Orthopaedic Surgery (PAOS)
Massachusetts Association of Physician Assistants (MAPA)
North American Spine Society (NASS)
American Academy of Pain Medicine (AAPM)
Sarah E. Koonce, PA-C, is a Physician Assistant at Newton-Wellesley Hospital’s Orthopaedic Spine Surgery Service. She is also Dr. Robert Banco’s primary physician assistant for office appointments as well as in spine surgery.
