Wellstar Pediatric Orthopedics

Dr. Albert Pendleton was born and raised in Atlanta. He attended The Westminster Schools, where he was a football player and a two-time Georgia State Wrestling Champion. Dr. Pendleton graduated from Princeton University with a degree in Molecular Biology and served as the captain and four-year varsity starter of the Princeton wrestling team. Following college, he earned his M.D. degree with honors from the Emory University School of Medicine. 

Dr. Pendleton stayed in Atlanta for his residency at Emory University. He then completed a pediatric orthopedics fellowship at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City. In addition, Dr. Pendleton also completed a second fellowship focused on pediatric sports medicine at Harvard’s Children’s Hospital Boston under Drs. Lyle Micheli and Mininder Kocher. The program is the only dedicated pediatric orthopedic sports medicine fellowship in the country. While in Boston, he was the team physician for Northeastern University and numerous high school teams in the Boston area. In addition, Dr. Pendleton trained in dance medicine, as the program provides coverage for the Boston Ballet. 

Dr. Pendleton’s areas of expertise include pediatric sports injuries, ACL reconstruction, ACL reconstruction in patients with open growth plates, tibial spine fractures, cartilage injuries, osteochondritis dissecans (OCD), patellar dislocations, shoulder instability, shoulder separations, clavicle fractures, ankle instability, throwing injuries of the shoulder and elbow, hip arthroscopy, overuse injuries, lower extremity angular deformities, leg length discrepancies, and all pediatric fractures/broken bones.  Dr. Pendleton has done over 700 ACL reconstructions and over 700 meniscal repairs.

Dr. Pendleton also has a strong interest in clinical research, which will help the orthopedic community answer the many clinical questions in the area of pediatric sports medicine. He has authored several publications, book chapters, and review articles, including two instructional videos for the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons. He has also presented at multiple national meetings and is a reviewer for the journal Orthopedics. 

Dr. Pendleton has a certificate of added qualification (CAQ) in sports medicine and is the only physician in the state that has completed an accredited fellowship in both pediatric orthopedics and pediatric sports medicine. He is also a member of numerous academic societies including Pediatric Research in Sports Medicine (PRISM), the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS), the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine (AOSSM), the Arthroscopy Association of North America (AANA), Pediatric Orthopedic Society of North America (POSNA), and Alpha Omega Alpha (AOS). 

Dr. Pendleton is the head team physician for Marietta High School.  

Dr. Pendleton is married and has two children. Outside of work, he enjoys hiking, snow and water skiing, wakeboarding, football, wrestling, golf, baking, ping pong, and spending time with family and friends.

Gilbert Chan, M.D., is a board-certified pediatric orthopedic surgeon. Dr. Chan earned his medical degree from the University of Santo Tomas in Manila, Philippines. He completed his initial training in the Philippines. During his training, he was exposed to various pediatric orthopedic conditions, mainly congenital foot and ankle deformities, as well as various neglected injuries in young children. This was when Dr. Chan developed a passion to treat pediatric orthopedics, realizing that what he would do would make a difference in the child's future. He then moved to the United States in 2004, where he received further training in pediatric orthopedic surgery from multiple institutions. He is involved in research and education. His main focus includes spinal deformity, foot and ankle, neuromuscular disorders and general pediatric orthopedics.

Timothy Oswald, MD is a board-certified pediatric orthopedic surgeon. He combines his love of medicine, his passion for children’s health and development, and his intellectual drive to improve patient outcomes through pioneering research in his practice. Dr Oswald has over 20 years’ experience in Atlanta and has performed over 15000 pediatric orthopedic procedures and over 3000 pediatric spine surgeries.  He is nationally and internationally active in research, education and innovation. 

Natalie Witte, MD, CAQ is board-certified in both family and sports medicine, having received her medical doctorate from the University of Missouri, Kansas City School of Medicine. Following her time as chief resident in Barberton, Ohio, Dr. Witte completed her Primary Care Sports Medicine Fellowship at the Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio. During this time, she provided medical coverage for multiple sports teams, including the NBA Cleveland Cavaliers and the NFL Cleveland Browns, and published original sports medicine research.
While practicing in Arizona, Dr. Witte served at both the committee and board levels of Scottsdale Health Partners and Innovation Care Partners, clinically integrating independent physicians to assist with providing quality healthcare. During this time, she also provided sideline and clinical coverage for student athletes at Notre Dame Prep high school and Arizona Christian University.  Since moving to Georgia in 2018, she has continued to care for athletes through event sideline coverage, and seeing athletes of all ages in her clinic.

Michael J. Priola, D.O., is a board-certified pediatric orthopedic surgeon. After finishing his fellowship, Dr. Priola was stationed at Winn Army Community Hospital at Fort Stewart, Georgia, where he was the sole provider for pediatric orthopedics. He served in the United States Army for four years with a seven-month deployment to Afghanistan with a small forward surgical team. He was awarded the Army Commendation Medal for his role in Operation Enduring Freedom. Upon return, he served as the department chief of orthopedic surgery for one year. He also is proud to be a part of the Shriners Hospitals for Children team, which is solely dedicated to the care of children with pediatric orthopedic conditions. He spent seven years in Minneapolis caring for children with congenital deformities, sports injuries and other orthopedic pathologies.

Steve Schulenborg, MD is a non-operative pediatric sports medicine physician who enjoys treating a multitude of sports-related medical issues and pediatric orthopedic injuries. He holds board certifications in both pediatrics and sports medicine. Raised in Memphis, Tennessee, Dr. Schulenborg earned his undergraduate degree from Vanderbilt University and completed his medical degree and residency at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center treating patients at Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.  After residency, he completed his pediatric sports medicine fellowship training at Orlando Health providing care for the Orlando City Soccer Club, national track events, the Orlando Ballet and multiple area schools.   Since being in Atlanta, he helps with sideline coverage of high schools and enjoys covering races. Dr. Schulenborg has had a passion for sports from a young age playing multiple sports until focusing on soccer.