About Dr. Waldman
Dr. Seth Waldman is an anesthesiologist in the Pain Management Division at Hospital for Special Surgery, and is ACGME board certified both in anesthesiology and pain management. Dr. Waldman’s practice is devoted to the evaluation and non-operative treatment of orthopedic and neurologic pain. He has expertise in the management of low back pain, sciatica, sports injuries, arthritis, and post-laminectomy syndrome, and specializes in therapeutic and diagnostic spinal injections and the management of neurologic pain. Dr. Waldman has been listed in New York Magazine’s "Best Doctors in New York" issue every year since 2001.
A native of New York, Dr. Waldman is a graduate of the six-year accelerated biomedical education program at Union College and the Albany Medical College. Following graduate school, he was a resident in general surgery and internal medicine at Mount Sinai Medical School - Beth Israel Medical Center in New York. His specialty training in anesthesiology was completed at the Harvard Medical School - Beth Israel Hospital, where he was chosen as Chief Resident in Anesthesiology and Critical Care during his senior year. Dr. Waldman then remained at Harvard for additional fellowship training in pain management, completed at Massachusetts General Hospital and Beth Israel Hospital.
Dr. Waldman was one of the founders of the Tri-Institutional Pain Management Fellowship at Weill Cornell Medical College, the largest post-graduate pain fellowship training program in the northeast. For fifteen years, he was Hospital for Special Surgery's site director of the faculty, and established the Pain Management fellows training curriculum for the HSS Bioskills Education Laboratory. He has an academic appointment as Assistant Clinical Professor of Anesthesiology at Weill Cornell Medical College. Dr. Waldman previously served as Director of the Pain Management Division at HSS and Director-at-Large for the New York Society of Interventional Pain Physicians.
Profile Video
Departments
Specialized Centers
HSS Center for Regenerative Medicine
Special Expertise
Neuropathic pain syndromes
Non-surgical treatment of spinal pain
Diagnostic and therapeutic spinal injection procedures
Radiofrequency ablation of osteoid osteomas
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
Assistant Attending Anesthesiologist, Hospital for Special Surgery
Co-chairman Special Procedures Committee, Hospital for Special Surgery
Clinical Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology, Weill Cornell Medical College
Faculty, Tri-institutional Pain Medicine Fellowship Program, New York Hospital, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Hospital for Special Surgery
Advisor, Opioid Prescribing Practices, Hospital for Special Surgery
Affiliations
Expert Consultant, New York State Department of Health, Office of Professional Misconduct
Expert Consultant, United States Department of Justice, Drug Enforcement Administration
American Medical Association
International Association of the Study of Pain
American Society of Anesthesiologists
American Society for Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine
European Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Therapy
New York State Society of Anesthesiologists
American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians
World Institute of Pain
Certification
Diplomate, National Board of Medical Examiners, 1988
Diplomate, American Board of Anesthesiology, 1993
Certificate of Added Qualifications in Pain Management, 1994-2024
Fellow in Interventional Pain Practice (FIPP), World Institute of Pain, 2010
European Diploma of Pain Medicine, 2022
Awards
Castle Connolly Top Doctors in New York Metro Area, 2001-2024
New York Magazine Top Doctors, 2001-2024
HealthCare Chaplaincy Network Wholeness of Life Award, 2022
Teacher of the Year, Cornell Tri-institutional Pain Fellowship Faculty, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2020, 2021
Donald P. Todd Golden Needle Award, Outstanding Fellow in Pain Management, Massachusetts General Hospital, 1993
Education
Medical: Albany Medical College of Union University
Internship: General Surgery - Mount Sinai School of Medicine, Beth Israel Medical Center, New York
Internship: Internal Medicine - Mount Sinai School of Medicine, Beth Israel Medical Center, New York
Residency: Anesthesiology and Critical Care - Chief Resident, Harvard Medical School - Beth Israel Hospital, Boston, MA
Fellowship: Pain Medicine - Harvard Medical School - Massachusetts General Hospital and Beth Israel Hospital
Postgraduate: Master of Science in Biomedical Ethics, Columbia University
State Licensure
Languages
English
For My Patients
Office Information
75th St. Office Hours:
Monday: 8:00am – 5:00pm
Tuesday: 8:00am – 5:00pm
Wednesday: 8:00am – 5:00pm
Thursday: 8:00am – 5:00pm
Friday: 8:00am – 5:00pm
Directions:
Driving Directions
Public Transportation Directions
HSS Map
Google Map Directions
Publications by Dr. Waldman
Patient Education
- What Is a Pain Management Doctor?
- Post-Laminectomy Syndrome
- How to Use Naloxone (Narcan) to Reverse an Opioid Overdose
- Opioid-Induced Hyperalgesia
- When to See a Doctor for Neck Pain
- How to Dispose of Expired Opioid Medication
Editorial Appointments
Reviewer, The Medical Letter, "Drugs for Pain" issue
Selected Journal Articles
For all publications, please see the PubMed listing.
Research
Hospital for Special Surgery Pain Management Bio-skills Education Program, developed 2006 (ongoing)
Clinical Trials / Research Studies
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. Waldman as of February 14, 2023.
- Department of Justice, Drug Enforcement Agency - Government
- Lieff, Cabrasser, Heimann, & Bernstein - Consultant
- New York Giants - Consultant
- Relief Labs, LLC - Advisory Board; Ownership Interest
- The Starr Foundation - Research Support
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.