About Dr. Nwachukwu
Dr. Benedict Nwachukwu is an orthopedic surgeon and specialist in hip, knee and shoulder surgery at HSS. Dr. Nwachukwu is the Co-Director of Clinical Research for the Sports Medicine Institute at HSS. He is also an Associate Professor of Orthopedic Surgery at Weill Cornell Medical College. Dr. Nwachukwu attended college at Columbia University and he obtained his MD from Harvard Medical School. He also obtained an MBA from Harvard Business School while a medical student. Dr. Nwachukwu completed his orthopedic surgery residency at HSS and his sports medicine fellowship training at the world renowned Rush University.
Dr. Nwachukwu has extensive experience caring for athletes. He currently serves as a team physician with the New York Liberty (WNBA) professional basketball team, as well as a medical consultant to the National Basketball Player's Association (NBPA). He has been a team physician for the Chicago Bulls, Chicago White Sox, and DePaul Athletics. As an undergraduate at Columbia, Dr. Nwachukwu was a four-year starter on the men's basketball team and as such, has a passion for working with athletes and individuals motivated to stay in the game.
Dr. Nwachukwu's clinical and research interests are focused on returning athletes to sport as well as joint preservation. Specific areas and procedures include: hip arthroscopy, hip labral repair and reconstruction, anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction and repair, articular cartilage repair and transplantation, meniscus repair & transplantation, arthroscopic shoulder stabilization/labrum repair and arthroscopic rotator cuff repair. Dr. Nwachukwu has researched joint preservation techniques and incorporates stem cells and biologics in the management of musculoskeletal disorders.
Dr. Nwachukwu currently has over 250 published peer reviewed publications. His research has been nationally recognized throughout his career. As a medical student, Dr. Nwachukwu was given the Janee and Paul Friedmann, MD '59 Surgery prize – awarded to the top student going into a surgical specialty and he graduated cum laude for excellence in orthopaedic research. As a surgical resident, Dr. Nwachukwu was awarded the Lewis Clark Wagner, MD, Chief Resident Award for Excellence in Orthopaedic Clinical Research. He has also been awarded numerous professional society awards and he has been awarded various research grants to support his advancement of orthopedic science.
For more information, visit www.manhattansportsdoc.com.
Profile Video
Departments
Procedures
Hip
Hip arthroscopy
Hip labrum repair and reconstruction
Proximal hamstring repair (open and endoscopic)
Abductor repair (open and endoscopic)
Trochanteric bursectomy
Knee
Knee Arthroscopy
Articular Cartilage Restoration
Articular Cartilage Transplantation (Allograft)
Cruciate Ligament Reconstructions (ACL, PCL)
Collateral Ligament Reconstructions (MCL, LCL, PLC)
Meniscal Repair
Meniscectomy
MPFL Reconstruction
Patella Dislocation
Tendon Repairs
Shoulder:
Shoulder Arthroscopy
Rotator Cuff Repair
Instability Repairs
Labral Repairs
Biceps Surgery
AC Joint Injury and Reconstruction
Tendon Repairs
Shoulder Fractures
Clavicle Fractures
Pectoralis Major Repairs
Dislocation
Frozen Shoulder
Patient Stories
Videos
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
Certification
American Board of Orthopedic Surgery (ABOS)
Awards
Chief Resident Award for Excellence in Orthopaedic Clinical/Translational Research, HSS
International Society for Hip Arthroscopy Trainee Award
Eastern Orthopaedic Association Resident/Fellow Travel Grant Research Award
Eastern Orthopedic Association Ranawat Award
AAOS/OREF/ORS Clinician Scholar Career Development Program,
Janee and Paul Friedmann, MD '59 Surgery prize (Harvard Medical School)—given on class day to graduating senior who demonstrates exceptional promise for leadership and research in surgery
Hollis L. Albright Award—Harvard Medical School award given to outstanding senior student going into a surgical subspecialty
Columbia University Arthur Ashe Student Athlete of the Year
Academic All Ivy League; ESPN Academic All District
John W. Kluge Columbia University Academic Achievement Award
Education
Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 2013
Internship
Hospital for Special Surgery, New York, NY 2014
Residency
Hospital for Special Surgery, New York, NY 2018
Fellowship
Rush University, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 2019
State Licensure
Languages
English
For My Patients
Surgical Locations
Dr. Nwachukwu performs surgery at the following locations:
Publications by Dr. Nwachukwu
Selected Journal Articles
Jeffrey G Stepan, Francis C Lovecchio, Ajay Premkumar, Cynthia A Kahlenberg, Todd J Albert, James W Baurley, Benedict U Nwachukwu: Development of an Institutional Opioid Prescriber Education Program and Opioid-Prescribing Guidelines Impact on Prescribing Practices. The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery 01/2019; 101(1)., DOI:10.2106/JBJS.17.01645
Benedict U. Nwachukwu, Ryan C. Rauck, Cynthia A. Kahlenberg, Chukwuma Nwachukwu, William W. Schairer, Riley J. Williams, David W. Altchek, Answorth A. Allen: The Quality of Online Resources Available to Patients Interested in Knee Biologic Therapies Is Poor. HSS Journal 08/2018; 14(1)., DOI:10.1007/s11420-018-9621-9
Jorge Chahla, Matthew C. Sweet, Kelechi R. Okoroha, Benedict U. Nwachukwu, Betina Hinckel, Jack Farr, Adam B. Yanke, William D. Bugbee, Brian J. Cole: Osteochondral Allograft Transplantation in the Patellofemoral Joint: A Systematic Review. The American Journal of Sports Medicine 12/2018;, DOI:10.1177/0363546518814236
Benedict U. Nwachukwu, Brenda Chang, Joshua Adjei, William W. Schairer, Anil S. Ranawat, Bryan T. Kelly, Danyal H. Nawabi: Time Required to Achieve Minimal Clinically Important Difference and Substantial Clinical Benefit After Arthroscopic Treatment of Femoroacetabular Impingement. The American Journal of Sports Medicine 08/2018; 46(9):036354651878648., DOI:10.1177/0363546518786480
Benedict U. Nwachukwu, Asheesh Bedi, Ajay Premkumar, Pete Draovitch, Bryan T. Kelly: Characteristics and Outcomes of Arthroscopic Femoroacetabular Impingement Surgery in the National Football League. The American Journal of Sports Medicine 09/2017;, DOI:10.1177/0363546517729163
Benedict U. Nwachukwu, Pramod B. Voleti, Patricia Berkanish, Brenda Chang, Matthew R. Cohn, Riley J. III Williams, Answorth A. Allen: Return to Play and Patient Satisfaction After ACL Reconstruction: Study with Minimum 2-Year Follow-up. The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery 05/2017; 99(9):720-725., DOI:10.2106/jbjs.16.00958
Benedict U. Nwachukwu, Shawn G. Anthony, Kenneth M. Lin, Tim Wang, David W. Altchek, Answorth A. Allen: Return to play and performance after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction in the National Basketball Association: surgeon case series and literature review. The Physician and sportsmedicine 04/2017; 45(3):null-null., DOI:10.1080/00913847.2017.1325313
Benedict U. Nwachukwu, Brenda Chang, Cynthia A. Kahlenberg, Kara Fields, Danyal H. Nawabi, Bryan T. Kelly, Anil S. Ranawat: Arthroscopic Treatment of Femoroacetabular Impingement in Adolescents Provides Clinically Significant Outcome Improvement. Arthroscopy The Journal of Arthroscopic and Related Surgery 06/2017; 33(10)., DOI:10.1016/j.arthro.2017.04.008
Cynthia A. Kahlenberg, Benedict U. Nwachukwu, Richard A. Ferraro, William W. Schairer, Michael E. Steinhaus, Answorth A. Allen: How Are We Measuring Patient Satisfaction After Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction?. The Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine 12/2016; 4(12):232596711667397., DOI:10.1177/2325967116673971
Frank McCormick, Benedict U. Nwachukwu, Dan Solomon, Christopher Dewing, Petar Golijanin, Daniel J Gross, Matthew T Provencher: The Efficacy of Biceps Tenodesis in the Treatment of Failed Superior Labral Anterior Posterior Repairs. The American Journal of Sports Medicine 02/2014; 42(10)., DOI:10.1177/0363546513520122
Selected Books/Chapters
Nwachukwu B, Ahmad CS, Levine WN: Shoulder Instability, Dislocation/Subluxation of the Shoulder. Praeger Handbook of Sports Medicine and Athlete Health. Editor: Moorman. Greenwood Publishing CA. 2010
Nwachukwu BU, Bozic KJ: Medicare and its evolution to 2011. An Introduction to Health Policy: A Primer for Physicians and Medical Students. M.K. Sethi and W.H. Frist (eds.). Springer Science+ Business Media New York 2013.
Nwachukwu BU, Bozic KJ. Health Care Organization and its Impact on Care of Diseases of the Hip. Diagnosis and Management of Hip Disease: Biological Basis of Clinical Care. Editor Aaron RK. Springer International Publishing. DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-19905-4_1
Nwachukwu BU, Green D: Tibial Spine Avulsion Fractures: Overview and Arthroscopic Technique for Internal Fixation. Knee Surgery in the Pediatric and Adolescent Athlete. Editors Frank Cordasco & Daniel Green. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. ISBN: 9781451193350
Nwachukwu BU, Rauck R, Doyle S: Tibial Tubercle Avulsion Fractures in Children and
Adolescents. Knee Surgery in the Pediatric and Adolescent Athlete. Editors Frank Cordasco & Daniel Green. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. ISBN: 9781451193350
Research
Current projects from Dr. Nwachukwu are:
- Patient expectations for hip arthroscopy
- Kinesiophobia and return to play after ACL reconstruction
- Patient activation and relationship to patient report outcome measures
- Patient Satisfaction after ACL reconstruction
- Defining minimal clinically important difference after sports medicine procedures
- Cost effectiveness of cartilage repair and restoration
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. Nwachukwu as of March 24, 2023.
- BICMD - Co-founder, Ownership Interest
- Figur8 - Advisory Board
- Remote Health - Co-founder, Ownership Interest
- Stryker Corporation - Consultant
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.