Here are 50 orthopedic surgeons to know going into 2023:
Editor's note: This is not a list of top surgeons but a list highlighting professional accomplishments. Becker's does not endorse surgeons featured on this list. To nominate a surgeon for future lists, please contact Carly Behm at cbehm@beckershealthcare.com.
Matthew Abdel, MD. Mayo Clinic (Rochester, Minn.). Dr. Adbel is the Andrew A. and Mary S. professor of orthopedic surgery at the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine. He most recently completed a yearlong term as president of the Minnesota Orthopedic Society and is a member of the board of directors of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.
Scott Adams, MD. The Centers for Advanced Orthopaedics (Bethesda, Md.). Dr. Adams' research publications include a book chapter on knee injuries and articles on ACL injuries. He is a physician for the United States Soccer Federation, for which he travels internationally with various teams to provide medical coverage
Amiethab Aiyer, MD. John Hopkins Medicine (Baltimore). Dr. Aiyer is the division chief for foot and ankle surgery in the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine department of orthopaedic surgery. His research has been published in numerous publications and he has presented at orthopedic group conferences.
Peter Althausen, MD. Reno (Nev.) Orthopedic Center. Dr. Althausen is a clinical assistant professor at the University of Nevada Reno School of Medicine. In 2010, he co-founded the Orthopaedic Implant Company, which is dedicated to providing cost-effective medical devices to facilities nationwide.
Zachary Arntson, DO. Twin City Orthopedics (Golden Valley, Minn.). Dr. Arntson's areas of focus include foot and ankle care and trauma care. His research examining the use of topical and intravenous tranexamic acid in total knee arthroplasty was presented at the International Congress for Joint Reconstruction Conference.
Blair Ashley, MD. Main Line Health (Radnor, Pa.). Dr. Ashley specializes in joint replacement procedures. She completed her fellowship at the Rothman Institute in Philadelphia and earned her medical degree at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.
Michael Bahk, MD. UCLA Health (Los Angeles). Dr. Bahk is the recipient of a $45,000 grant from the Orthopaedic Research and Education Fund to understand venous thromboembolic disease and upper extremity arthroplasty. His work has been featured in several publications, including the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery and the Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery.
Christopher Baker, MD. Florida Orthopaedic Institute (Tampa): Dr. Baker specialized in sports medicine and shoulder reconstruction. He has training in ultrasound imaging to care for patients with MRI contraindications.
Hany Bedair, MD. Massachusetts General Hospital (Boston). Dr. Bedair is chief of the hospital's Center for Hip and Knee Replacement. He is also the medical director of the Kaplan Joint Center at Newton-Wellesley Hospital in Newton, Mass., and an associate professor of orthopedic surgery at Harvard Medical School in Boston.
Nicholas Bernthal, MD. UCLA Health (Santa Monica, Calif.): Dr. Bernthal is the interim chair and executive medical director at the David Geffen School of Medicine at University of California Los Angeles. He is widely published in topics in orthopedics and has won several awards, including the Game Changer Award from the American Association of Orthopaedic Surgery.
Adam Bitterman, DO. Huntington (N.Y.) Hospital. Dr. Bitterman specializes in foot and ankle surgery. He was recently named chair of the orthopedics department at Huntington Hospital. He is also an assistant professor of orthopedics at the Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell in New York City.
Philip Blazar, MD. Brigham and Women's Hospital (Boston). Dr. Blazar is the section chief of the hand and upper extremity service at Brigham and Women's Faulkner Hospital. He is also director for the Harvard hand and upper extremity surgery fellowship.
Jacob Calcei, MD. University Hospitals (Shaker Heights, Ohio). Dr. Calcei was one of two surgeons to debut the ArthroFree wireless camera in Ohio. He is on committees for the American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons and International Society of Arthroscopy, Knee Surgery and Orthopaedic Sports Medicine.
Cara Cipriano, MD. Penn Medicine (Philadelphia). Dr. Cipriano was named chief of orthopedic oncology at Penn Medicine. She is also an associate professor of orthopedic surgery at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.
Wayne Colizza, MD. Tri-County Orthopedics (Cedar Knolls, N.J.). Dr. Colizza has been recognized nationally for his research on the replacement of arthritic knees. He is a past president of the New Jersey Orthopaedic Society. He serves as chief of the joint replacement service line at Morristown (N.J.) Medical Center and is on the Board of Councilors for the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.
Scott Cooper, MD. Mercy Clinic Northwest Arkansas (Rogers). Dr. Cooper was named president of Mercy Clinic Northwest Arkansas. He is also the state representative to the board of councilors for the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.
Thomas Craven, MD. Advanced Orthopedics of Oklahoma (Tulsa). Dr. Craven is also a clinical assistant professor in the department of orthopedic surgery at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center in Tulsa. His work has been published in the Journal of Spine and he has been invited to speak on topics related to orthopedics worldwide.
Charles Day, MD. Henry Ford Health System (Detroit). Dr. Day is the executive vice chair of the orthopedic service line for the health system and is also a professor at the Wayne State University School of Medicine in Detroit. He recently completed the health system's second total wrist replacement.
Constantine Demetracopoulos, MD. Hospital for Special Surgery (New York City): Dr. Demetracopoulos specializes in foot and ankle surgery. He has won several awards, including the Joseph M. Lane Research Grant from the Hospital for Special Surgery, and he was named a Resident Scholar by the American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society.
Hussein Elkousy, MD. Fondren Orthopedic Group (Houston, Texas). Dr. Elkousy is a reviewer for the Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery. He has won several awards and was featured on Super Doctors, a publication which lists accomplished physicians, this year.
John Fernandez, MD. Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush (Chicago). Dr. Fernandez is an assistant professor at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago. He is a team physician for the Chicago White Sox, Chicago Bulls and the U.S. Hockey League's Chicago Steel.
Robert Hampton, DO. Cleveland Clinic: Dr. Hampton is chair of the orthopedic surgery division at Hillcrest Hospital and South Pointe Hospital. He is also the program director of the orthopedic surgery residency program at South Pointe Hospital.
Steve Haas, MD. Hospital for Special Surgery (New York City). Dr. Haas is chief of the knee service at the Hospital for Special Surgery. He speaks nationally and internationally on knee topics and has authored more than 100 publications. He has received several patents for innovative knee implant designs and also received a patent for developing a surgical technique for performing minimally invasive knee replacement that allows patients to recover faster.
MaCalus Hogan, MD. The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center: Dr. Hogan is David Silver Professor and Chair of The University of Pittsburgh’s Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Chair of Orthopaedic Surgery at UPMC. Additionally, he serves as the Chief of Foot and Ankle Surgery at UPMC, Vice Chair of Education and Residency Program Director in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at UPMC. He is a Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery, with secondary appointments in the Department of Bioengineering and the Katz School of Business. He is the director of the Foot and Ankle Injury Research (FAIR) group at Pitt and co-director of the Musculoskeletal Growth and Regeneration Lab within the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery. He has completed more than 150 manuscripts, book chapters and presentations. Dr. Hogan is an international presenter on management of foot and ankle injuries, regenerative medicine, clinical outcomes research and healthcare delivery transformation.
Laith Jazrawi, MD. NYU Langone Health (New York City). Dr. Jazrawi is chief of the division of sports medicine and a professor in the department of orthopedic surgery at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine. He lectures nationally and worldwide about orthopedic surgery.
Darren Johnson, MD. University of Kentucky Healthcare (Lexington). Dr. Johnson is a past president of the Southern Orthopedic Association. He is part of a team of researchers studying anterior cruciate ligament injuries to better understand how movement and muscle dysfunction affect pain and function in injured orthopedic patients.
Robert Kayal, MD. Kayal Orthopaedic Center (Franklin Lakes, N.J.). Dr. Kayal is the founder, president and CEO of Kayal Orthopaedic Center, which has 10 locations in New Jersey. His practice is partnering with West Orange, N.J.-based RJWBarnabas Health to improve access to orthopedic services.
John Kelly, IV, MD. Penn Medicine (Philadelphia): Dr. Kelly is co-director of Penn Medicine's sports medicine fellowship and a professor of clinical orthopedic surgery. He has been recognized as a top doctor from multiple organizations and is a past president of the Eastern Orthopedic Association.
Ky Kobayashi, MD. Colorado Center of Orthopaedic Excellence (Colorado Springs, Colo.). Dr. Kobayashi specializes in conditions affecting the hand and upper extremities. He is an assistant professor of surgery at the Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences in Bethesda, Md. He has served on the board of specialties for the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons and the Society of Military Orthopaedic Surgeons for education. He is currently a consultant for the Olympic Training Center.
William Kurtz, MD. Ascension Saint Thomas (Nashville, Tenn.). Dr. Kurtz performed the first case with Conformis' Actera hip system. He specializes in adult hip and knee replacements.
Steve Lee, MD. Hospital for Special Surgery (New York City). Dr. Lee is the chief of the hand and upper extremity service at Hospital for Special Surgery and a professor of at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City. Additionally, he is the research director for the Hospital for Special Surgery's Center for Brachial Plexus and Traumatic Nerve Injury.
Jill McAngus, MD. Family & Friends Orthopedics (Stephenville and Glen Rose, Texas). Dr. McAngus opened her own practice in December. She previously worked at Cross Timbers Orthopaedics in Stephenville.
Mark McNemar, DO. Mercy Clinic Joplin (Mo.). Dr. McNemar is president of Mercy Clinic Joplin. He specializes in orthopedic surgery and hand surgery.
Alexander Meininger, MD. Steamboat Orthopaedic & Spine Institute (Steamboat Springs, Colo.). Dr. Meininger has been a managing partner at Steamboat Orthopedic since 2018. He recently debuted the bridge-enhanced anterior cruciate ligament repair procedure in Colorado and will be giving a commencement speech at his alma mater, the University of Colorado in Boulder, this spring.
Anthony Melillo, MD. Bay Oaks Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine (Houston). Dr. Melillo founded Bay Oaks Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine in 2000. He is one of several surgeons in the Clear Lake area performing Mako robotic surgery for partial knee resurfacing, total knee and total hip replacements.
Martha Murray, MD. Boston Children's Hospital. Dr. Murray is the orthopedic surgeon-in-chief at the Orthopedic Center at Boston Children's Hospital. She is also the founder of surgical implant company Miach Orthopaedics. She and her research team were recently presented with the 2022 Orthopaedic Research and Education Foundation's Clinical Research Award for outstanding clinical research related to musculoskeletal disease or injury.
Andrew Pepper, MD. Rothman Orthopaedic Institute (Philadelphia). Dr. Pepper specializes in areas related to hip and knee replacement surgery. His work has been published numerous times, including in the Journal of Arthroplasty.
Marc Philippon, MD. The Steadman Clinic (Vail, Colo.). Dr. Philippon is a managing partner at the Steadman Clinic. He is also co-chair and co-director of the sports medicine fellowship at the Steadman Philippon Research Institute in Vail, Colo. In 2012, he received an achievement award from the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons in recognition.
Andrew Sama, MD. Hospital for Special Surgery (New York City). Dr. Sama is a co-chief of spine surgery at HSS and an associate professor at Weill Medical College of Cornell University in New York City.
Leslie Sisco-Wise, MD. Ochsner Health (New Orleans). Dr. Sisco-Wise is head of hand surgery for Ochsner Health and director of the Hand and Upper Extremity Center for Ochsner Baptist in New Orleans. She was recently named the first vice president of the Louisiana Orthopaedic Association in March and will become the organization's president next year, making her the first woman to do so.
Stephen Snyder, MD. Southern California Orthopedic Institute (Los Angeles): Dr. Snyder is one of the five founding partners of the Southern California Orthopedic Institute. He has helped develop several surgical instruments and tools for shoulder arthroscopy, including a model used for surgical training worldwide. He is also founder of the Orthopedic Institute's Center for Learning Arthroscopic Skills. He was awarded the Arthroscopy Association of North America's lifetime achievement award May 19.
Nathaniel Thomas, DO. HCA Florida Northwest Hospital (Margate). Dr. Thomas specializes in hip and knee reconstruction. He completed his fellowship at Arthritis & Sports in Sterling, Va., attended medical school at West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine in Lewisburg and completed his residency at Garden City Hospital within the Michigan State University system.
James Voos, MD. University Hospitals (Shaker Heights, Ohio). Dr. Voos was one of two surgeons to debut the ArthroFree wireless camera in Ohio. He is chair of orthopedics at University Hospitals and Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland.
Mark Vrahas, MD. Cedars-Sinai Medical Center (Los Angeles). Dr. Vrahas chairs the orthopedics department at Cedars-Sinai. His research has been published in numerous publications, including the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, the Journal of Trauma and the Journal of Orthopaedic Trauma.
Raymond Walls, MD. NYU Langone Hospitals (New York City). Dr. Walls is a professor in the orthopedic surgery department at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine. In 2008, he received an award from the British Association for Surgery of the Knee for his study showing how neuromuscular electrical stimulation before knee replacement surgery can strengthen patients’ muscles and accelerate recovery.
Lawrence Weiss, MD. Lehigh Valley Health Network (Allentown, Pa.). Dr. Weiss is chief of the division of hand surgery at Lehigh Valley. He treats a range of conditions, including fractures, joint pain and orthopedic trauma.
Jason Scott Weisstein, MD. Cleveland Clinic (Stuart, Fla.): Dr. Weisstein has published more than 15 book chapters on oncology topics and multiple peer-reviewed articles. He has served on the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons' Musculoskeletal Tumor and Metabolic Diseases Committee.
Nicholas Wilson, MD. Martin Orthopedics (Little Rock, Ark.). Dr. Wilson specializes in all areas of orthopedic surgery, with an emphasis on reconstructive surgery. In 2017, he was a lead researcher of a biomechanics program at Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio. He also led research for a therapy program at St. Louis University.
Dane Wukich, MD. UT Southwestern Medical Center (Dallas): Dr. Wukich is a professor and the Dr. Charles F. Gregory Distinguished Chair of the orthopedic surgery department. He is also medical director of orthopedic surgery at UT Southwestern University Hospitals. He has written more than 100 papers and is the author or co-author of several book chapters dealing with foot and ankle problems in athletes and patients with diabetes. He serves as a peer reviewer for 11 journals. He was recently given the MedStar Georgetown Distinguished Achievement Award in Diabetic Limb Salvage from the Washington, D.C.-based MedStar Georgetown University Hospital for his work in limb salvaging.
Burt Yaszay, MD. Seattle Children's Hospital. Dr. Yaszay is the medical director and chief of orthopedics and sports medicine at the hospital. He is also a professor and vice chair of the orthopedics department at the University of Washington School of Medicine in Seattle.