Joseph D. Zuckerman MD

Joseph D. Zuckerman, M.D., is the Walter A. L. Thompson Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at the NYU School of Medicine (SOM) and Chairman of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at NYU Hospital for Joint Diseases (HJD). He is a graduate of Cornell University and of the Medical College of Wisconsin where he was a member of the Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society. He completed his residency in orthopedic surgery at the University of Washington Affiliated Hospitals, a fellowship in adult reconstructive surgery and arthritis research at Harvard’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and was a visiting clinician in shoulder surgery at the Mayo Clinic.

Dr. Zuckerman has been part of the HJD faculty since 1984 and was appointed Chair of its Department of Orthopaedic Surgery in 1994. Three years later, he became chairman of the NYU Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and initiated the merging of the two departments. He served as director of the orthopedic residency program, one of the largest in the country, from 1990 to 2006. Being involved in resident education has always been important to Dr. Zuckerman. It was one of the most important reasons he chose an academic career. He takes great pride in the fact that since 1984 he has been actively involved in the education of over 250 orthopedic residents. He is an internationally-recognized expert in shoulder surgery and hip and knee replacement, he established the Hip Fracture Research Group and the Shoulder Research Group and helped design a shoulder replacement system for the treatment of glenohumeral arthritis and shoulder fractures.

Dr. Zuckerman has received the Clinical Research Award from the Orthopaedic Research and Education Foundation, the Mel Post Award from the American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons (ASES), Alumnus of the Year from the Medical College of Wisconsin, and the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Arthritis Foundation’s New York Chapter. However, most important to Dr. Zuckerman, has been being a five-time recipient of the “Teacher of the Year” award from the NYUHJD orthopedic residents.

Dr. Zuckerman was selected as an American-British-Canadian Traveling Fellow by the American Orthopaedic Association. He serves as a spokesman for the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS), sits on the editorial board of several medical journals, and has authored 14 textbooks and over 28 scientific articles. He is a former president of the ASES, and former chair of the Council on Education for AAOS, the largest professional orthopedic association in the world. He recently completed a four-year term as a member of its Board of Directors serving as second vice-president, first vice-president, and president from 2009-2010.