Current Fellows
Chase Dukes
Chase Dukes hails from a lifelong background of athletics and love for outdoor recreation. He grew up in the Pacific Northwest in the small community of Eglon, WA where he spent a substantial amount of time enjoying the water, mountains, and the playing field. He obtained his trifecta of degrees from the University of Colorado. During that time, he also received the Prentice Gautt Scholar Athlete Award, was an Academic All-American, and a member of the winning Big 12 Track and Field Championship Team in 2008. He attended residency at Madigan Army Medical Center, and has since been in independent practice for the past 4 years while serving his time on active duty. In 2019, he deployed to combat in Afghanistan with the 2nd FRST. He is married to an incredible wife, JoVanna, and they have two vibrant kids, Kingston and Scarlett. They are truly looking forward to getting back to the Mountain West, experiencing all that Taos has to offer, and starting the next chapter of their lives. Their kids are already dreaming about skiing! After fellowship, he will be joining former TOI fellow Calvin Schlepp at the Helena Orthopedic Clinic.
Ben Meyer
Ben Meyer grew up in the Four Corners region of New Mexico. He took full advantage of close proximity to the San Juan Mountains of Southwest Colorado and began skiing, snowboarding, and mountain biking at a young age. He was very active in soccer, basketball, and baseball until deciding to focus on competitive freestyle snowboarding full time. He won national championships in snowboard halfpipe and slopestyle with the University of Colorado Snowboard Team. After suffering a season ending ankle fracture, he transferred to New Mexico State University to focus on academics. He attended medical school at A.T. Still University of Health Sciences in Mesa, Arizona, and then returned to Las Cruces, New Mexico to complete his orthopedic surgery residency. Dr. Meyer is excited to return to Northern New Mexico to give back to a community that he loves. He will be joined by his favorite person on earth, his daughter Ellie, and looks forward to sharing the mountains with her and teaching her to ski this winter.
David Richardson
David was born in neighboring Arizona and grew up in the Phoenix suburbs. He attended Arizona State University where he studied Kinesiology and graduated Summa Cum Laude. He then moved to New York to attend medical school at Albany Medical College. Upon graduating medical school, he remained in NY and completed his orthopedic surgery residency training at Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn, NY. He is excited to be back in the Southwest and to further his training at Taos Orthopedic Institute. His orthopedic interests include arthroscopy, ligament reconstruction, shoulder arthroplasty, and sports-related trauma. Outside of orthopedics he enjoys hanging out with his many siblings, spending time outdoors, working out, and all things DIY. Additionally, he enjoys seeking out new experiences when given the opportunity. He enjoys exploring new restaurants, traveling to new cities and countries, meeting new people, and making new adjustments to his golf swing that will, certainly, not improve his game.