Phillip Drummer is a junior surgical resident beginning a six-month rotation at St. Michael’s Hospital. Here the young doctor and his colleagues are introduced to the reality of community medicine, in a bucolic valley replete with provincial character. Phil draws the coveted assignment to the Tuckett Orthopedic Institute, a self-proclaimed Center of Excellence, where joint replacements are performed under the direction of the renowned Dr. Ian Tuckett. Dr. Tuckett is a local prodigy, having garnered fame in the development of the Tuckett Cup, a revolutionary surgical implant for hip replacement surgery. Phil is immediately awed by the grandeur and spectacle of the Institute, seemingly awash with good fortune, or so it seems. The young doctor soon becomes involved in the complex social web of the valley, privy to disturbing information concerning Dr. Tuckett and his ex-wife, Anastasia. News of a popular socialite gone missing triggers Phil’s deeper involvement into a series of troublesome events, highlighted by the peculiar arrival of a powerful United States Senator. The sudden disclosure of Phil’s developing relationship with a nursing student ignites a firestorm that rapidly spreads throughout the rural community. In short order Phil Drummer is compelled to make decisions that will affect the rest of his life, fully aware that something is not only amiss in the valley, but also at the great Tuckett Orthopedic Institute.

The Center of Excellence is book two of a trilogy following Doctor Philip Drummer through his surgical training. It is the sequel to Pennsylvania’s Finest, which chronicled Phil’s internship year.