Dr. Herbst places a high value on education and research, and continues to work with his peers to advance the field of orthopedics. He has been involved in training programs for other surgeons locally and nationally. He also performs a new innovative ankle replacement surgery and is one of about six physicians in Indiana offering this procedure. Furthermore, Dr. Herbst holds a co-patent for a new ankle replacement device that will soon be available.
Dr. Herbst grew up in Brownsburg, a suburb on the west side of Indianapolis. A graduate of Indiana University School of Medicine, he completed his residency at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics and his Fellowship in Foot and Ankle Surgery from Union Memorial Hospital in Baltimore. He currently lives in rural southern Delaware County with his wife and four young boys. Dr. Herbst is highly involved in his community as Cubmaster for his sons’ cub scout pack and an active member of his church. He enjoys running and biking, and competes in triathlons as a hobby.
Saint John’s mission is a perfect fit for Dr. Herbst’s personal values. He regularly goes on orthopedic mission trips to Central America with an organization called “Operation Walk.” Through this ministry, he provides complex foot and ankle reconstruction to those in 2nd and 3rdworld countries. “The hospitals in these areas have only very basic conditions, so the health care professionals there are not able to do the more complex, tougher surgeries. It’s gratifying to help those who otherwise would be unable to receive this care.” A patient especially memorable to Dr. Herbst is a nine-year-old boy with an untreated club foot so debilitating that he had to wear his cowboy boot backwards. “After we straightened his foot out, he was doing well, so I’m anxious to see him when I go back this year,” he added.