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Danyal H. Nawabi, MD, FRCS

Sports Medicine and Hip Preservation Surgeon
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About Dr. Nawabi

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Dr. Danyal H. Nawabi is an orthopedic surgeon in the Sports Medicine Institute at HSS. He is a specialist in the fields of hip, knee, and shoulder surgery, performing both arthroscopic surgery and joint replacement. He serves as the Fellowship Director for the Hip Preservation Service and Education Director for the Lower Extremity Division of the Sports Medicine Institute.

Dr. Nawabi attended college at Cambridge University and obtained his medical degree from Oxford University in England. He then completed his residency in orthopedic surgery on the prestigious Percival Pott Rotation in London, training at the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital. He was awarded the Sir Walter Mercer Gold Medal as the top graduating resident in the UK and served as the British Orthopaedic Association Young Ambassador in 2010. Following residency, he completed three years of advanced fellowship training in total joint replacement, sports medicine, and hip preservation at HSS, where he was a double recipient of the Philip D. Wilson Award for Excellence in Orthopaedic Surgery.

Dr. Nawabi is actively involved in the care of professional athletes with a specialist expertise in soccer. He has gained experience treating elite soccer athletes from Chelsea Football Club and other English Premier League clubs. He currently serves as Team Physician for the New York Red Bulls (MLS) professional soccer team and Medical Director for the FC Monmouth soccer club.

Dr. Nawabi has extensive clinical expertise in ACL reconstruction and sports knee injuries. His interest in knee surgery was developed in London after completing a dedicated one-year fellowship under the supervision of the internationally renowned ACL surgeon, Dr. Andy Williams. Dr. Nawabi has performed hundreds of ACL reconstructions in his career and is focused on constantly evolving his surgical techniques and rehabilitation protocols to achieve optimal outcomes and the lowest failure rates for his patients. Dr. Nawabi works closely with the ACL biomechanics laboratory at HSS where he collaborates with engineers to advance the field of ACL surgery. His focus on ACL surgery has resulted in him being inducted as a member of the prestigious International ACL Study Group. This society comprises the world’s top ACL surgeons and scientists who meet biennially to discuss the latest innovations in ACL surgery and research.

Dr. Nawabi is also a specialist in hip arthroscopy, knee osteotomy, and robotic-assisted hip and knee replacement. His expertise in hip surgery was developed at HSS during a one-year fellowship under the supervision of Dr. Bryan Kelly. During this year, Dr. Nawabi also spent time with Dr. Michael Leunig in Switzerland gaining advanced training in computer-navigated direct anterior hip replacement. He has also been trained to perform hip resurfacing by Dr. Edwin Su at HSS. His expertise in knee osteotomy was developed in Europe. He is a pioneer in the use of custom 3D-printed guides for knee osteotomy in the US.

Dr. Nawabi’s research portfolio mirrors his clinical expertise. He has authored over 100 peer-reviewed publications and delivered over 300 presentations at national and international conferences, with a focus on ACL reconstruction, hip preservation, and knee osteotomy. He has been recognized with multiple awards by HSS and international societies for his academic accomplishments. Most recently, he was awarded the Cabaud Memorial Award by the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine (AOSSM) for his work on the use of Lateral Extra-articular Tenodesis (LET) in the setting of ACL reconstruction.

Dr. Nawabi believes in offering compassionate care and state-of-the-art solutions to his patients with sports injuries and arthritic conditions of the hip, knee, and shoulder joints.

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Departments

Specialized Centers

HSS Center for Regenerative Medicine

Special Expertise

Knee:
ACL reconstruction (pediatric, adolescent, and adult)
PCL, MCL, posterolateral corner reconstruction
Revision ACL reconstruction
Meniscus and cartilage repair
Patella dislocation and MPFL reconstruction
Robotic-assisted partial knee replacement (MAKOplasty)
Total knee replacement

Shoulder/Elbow:
Shoulder arthroscopy
Rotator cuff repair
Superior capsule reconstruction
Shoulder stabilization for dislocation (arthroscopic and open)
Shoulder labrum repair
AC joint separation and reconstruction
Proximal biceps tenodesis and repair
Distal biceps repair
Pectoralis major repair

Hip:
Hip arthroscopy
Hip labrum repair and reconstruction
Proximal hamstring repair (open and endoscopic)
Abductor repair (open and endoscopic)
Surgical hip dislocation
Hip resurfacing
Robotic-assisted total hip replacement (MAKOplasty)
Direct anterior hip replacement

Patient Stories

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Insurance

If your insurance is not listed, please call our office if you have questions regarding your insurance coverage. If you have out-of-network benefits, then your insurance may reimburse you for a portion of your office visit. We will work with you and your insurance to minimize your out-of-pocket costs. Financial assistance may be available for patients in need.

Credentials

Appointments

Attending Orthopedic Surgeon, Hospital for Special Surgery
Associate Professor of Orthopedic Surgery, Weill Cornell Medical College
Associate Attending Orthopedic Surgeon, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital

Affiliations

American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons
American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine
Arthroscopy Association of North America
British Orthopaedic Association
International Society for Hip Arthroscopy
Orthopaedic Research Society
Royal College of Surgeons of England

Certification

FRCS(Orth), Intercollegiate Specialty Board in Orthopaedic Surgery, England, UK
CCT, Certificate of Completion of Training in Orthopaedic Surgery, UK

Awards

International Society of Hip Arthroscopy Basic Science Award, 2015
AAOS/OREF/ORS Clinician Scholar Career Development Program, 2014
American Orthopaedic Association (AOA) Emerging Leaders Program, 2014
Philip D. Wilson Award, 2014
ORS/OREF Award in Orthopaedic Research Translation, 2014
Lance Peters Memorial Biomechanics Award, 2013
Philip D. Wilson Award, 2012
Adult Reconstruction and Joint Replacement Fellowship Excellence Award, 2012
HCA International Foundation Scholarship, 2011
Charnley Latta Award, British Hip Society, 2011
Norman Capener Award, Royal College of Surgeons of England, 2010
British Orthopaedic Association Young Ambassador, 2010
Sir Walter Mercer Gold Medal, 2009
Charles Manning Prize, Percivall Pott Orthopaedic Society, 2009

Education

BA, Cambridge University, Jesus College, Cambridge, UK
MD, Oxford University, St. John’s College, Oxford, UK

Residency

Percivall Pott Orthopaedic Training Program, London, UK, 2005-2011

Fellowship

Hospital for Special Surgery, Adult Hip and Knee Replacement (ARJR), 2011-2012
Hospital for Special Surgery, Sports Medicine Service, 2012-2013
Hospital for Special Surgery, Hip Preservation Service, 2013-2014

State Licensure

Languages

English

For My Patients

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Surgical Locations

Dr. Nawabi performs surgery at the following locations:

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Directions to The Pavilion

My office is located at The Pavilion, 541 East 71st Street. The main entrance to The Pavilion is on the north side of 71st Street underneath the sky bridge that connects the main hospital to the Belaire Building.

Pavilion map

Publications by Dr. Nawabi

Editorial Appointments

American Journal of Sports Medicine
Bone and Joint Journal
Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research
Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery

Selected Journal Articles

Selected Books/Chapters

Nawabi DH, van der List JP, Williams A. Technical Considerations for Patella Tendon Harvest in ACL Reconstruction – in Controversies in the Technical Aspects of ACL Reconstruction: An Evidence-Based Approach. 2016; Chapter 9. ISAKOS. [in press].

Nawabi DH, Kelly BT. Peri-articular Hip Arthroscopy – in Operative Techniques in Orthopaedic Surgery 2/e. 2014; Part 1, Section 3, Chapter 29: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins—Wolters Kluwer Health [In press].

Nawabi DH, Ranawat AS. Hip Arthroscopy: The Use of Computer Assistance – in The Young Adult Hip in Sport. 2014; Chapter 16: 177-191. Springer-Verlag London. ISBN 978-1-4471-5411-2.

Nawabi DH, Williams AM, Locherbach C. Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) Reconstruction Using Hamstring Tendon Graft – in Surgical Orthopaedics and Traumatology. 2013; Chapter 251: Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg. ISBN 978-3-642-34746-7.

Selected Presentations

Nawabi DH, Fields K, Wentzel C, McLawhorn A, Sink EL, Ranawat AS, Kelly BT. Outcomes After Arthroscopic Treatment of Femoroacetabular Impingement for Patients With Borderline Hip Dysplasia.  ISHA Annual Scientific Meeting, Cambridge, UK, September 2015. Winner of the Basic Science Award.

Nawabi DH, Imhauser C, Tucker S, Nguyen JT, Wickiewicz TL, Pearle AD. Femoral ACL Footprint Fibers Are Not Created Equal – Should We Be Capturing The Most Load Bearing And Isometric Region During ACL Reconstruction? American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine, Seattle, Washington, July 2014.

Nawabi DH, McCarthy MM, Graziano J, deMille P, Chiaia T, Green DW, Cordasco FA. Return to Play and Clinical Outcomes after All-Inside, Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction in Skeletally Immature Athletes. American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine, Seattle, Washington, July 2014.

Nawabi DH, Jones KJ, Nguyen JT, Potter HG, Warren RF, Williams RJ. Synthetic biphasic scaffolds outperform microfracture for articular cartilage defects of the knee – A prospective-cohort study at five year follow-up. Arthroscopy Association of North America Annual Meeting, Hollywood, Florida, May 2014.

Nawabi DH, Imhauser C, Tucker S, Zuiderbaan HA, Wickiewicz T, Pearle AD. ACL Fibres Inserting on the ‘Lateral Intercondylar Ridge’ Carry the Greatest Loads – Are Modern Anatomic Femoral Tunnel Positions Too Low? ACL Study Group, Cape Town, South Africa, January 2014.

Research

Research Interests

Biomechanics of the ACL
Computer-assisted navigation in orthopedic surgery
Outcomes of hip arthroscopy for femoroacetabular impingement
Outcomes of direct anterior total hip replacement
MRI of total joint replacement

Clinical Trials / Research Studies

  • Anterior Tibial Translation and Coronal Tibiofemoral Subluxation following Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction
  • Hospital for Special Surgery Cartilage Repair Registry
  • Hospital for Special Surgery ACL Reconstruction Research Registry and Tissue and Cell Repository
  • The Relationship between Vitamin D Deficiency and Rotator Cuff Integrity

Industry Relationships

Industry Relationships

HSS has a long history of supporting appropriate relationships with industry because they advance HSS's mission to provide the highest quality patient care, improve patient mobility, and enhance the quality of life for all, and to advance the science of orthopedic surgery, rheumatology, and their related disciplines through research and education.

Below are the healthcare industry relationships reported by Dr. Nawabi as of August 16, 2024.

  • BetterPT - Ownership Interest
  • CONMED Corporation - Consultant
  • HS2, LLC - Ownership Interest
  • HSS ASC Development Network, LLC - Ownership Interest
  • Joint Effort Administrative Services Organization - Ownership Interest
  • Vitalis- Ownership Interest

HSS and its physicians make this information available to patients and the public, thus creating a transparent environment for those who are interested in this information. Further, the HSS Conflicts of Interest and Commitment Policy prohibits physicians from collecting royalties on products they develop that are used on patients at HSS.

Patients should feel free to ask their HSS physicians questions about these relationships.

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