“The HSS Digital Twin Platform is poised to impact all aspects of orthopedic care, fundamentally transforming how clinicians diagnose, treat and rehabilitate musculoskeletal injuries,” said Andrew D. Pearle, MD, Chief Emeritus of Sports Medicine and Program Director of the Digital Twin project. “Thanks to this transformational gift, HSS stands at the threshold of a new paradigm in personalized orthopedic care.”

“Longtime supporters of HSS, the Steers have been impressed by the continual efforts and commitment of HSS physicians and scientists to advance the standard of care in orthopedics,” said HSS President and CEO Bryan T. Kelly, MD, MBA. “Their incredible gift represents a landmark moment for HSS, transforming a bold idea into a reality and improving patient care through innovation.”

The development and clinical expansion of the HSS Digital Twin Platform in Orthopedics is a four-year project that brings together a multidisciplinary team of HSS surgeons, radiologists, biomechanical engineers and artificial intelligence and data specialists. The initial focus is on the knee, where surgeons will use the tool to create virtual 3D replicas from magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans and simulate how the joint moves and responds to different surgical options. The tool’s web-based interface will make it easy for surgeons to implement clinically and for patients to understand various scenarios and outcomes.

The HSS Digital Twin Platform is based on more than a decade of work by HSS orthopedic surgeons and biomechanical engineers who recently evolved their computational model of the knee to incorporate artificial intelligence and advanced image processing. In one of its first clinical applications, HSS knee surgeons have been using the tool to determine whether patients who require anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) revision surgery may benefit from an additional procedure to reshape the top of the shin bone, called a slope reduction osteotomy. The HSS Digital Twin Platform allows them to model this complex procedure virtually, one degree at a time, to predict how forces and knee motion will change. Dr. Pearle, along with HSS surgeons Drs. Danyal H. Nawabi, Mark J. Amirtharaj, and Thomas L. Wickiewicz, recently published a milestone paper in the American Journal of Sports Medicine, that demonstrated how the digital twin technology can help surgeons determine whether a slope reduction osteotomy is necessary and, if so, the precise surgical angle for reducing the risk of ACL re-injury.¹ These early applications showcase the platform’s potential to guide precise surgical decisions while laying the foundation for broader use across other joints and procedures.

The potential for the HSS Digital Twin Platform to transform surgical planning and personalized care and provide long-term support for continual innovation inspired the Steers’ decision to make this extraordinary gift to HSS. An endowed chair—the Lauren and Robert Steers Chair in Orthopedic Research and Innovation—also funded by the gift, will be held by Dr. Pearle and will provide long-term support to advance future discoveries in the field.

“We look forward to scaling up the HSS Digital Twin Platform to optimize orthopedic care with unprecedented precision across HSS,” Dr. Pearle said. “After scaling up knee applications, we plan to create digital twins for hip and shoulder. Ultimately, we envision a future where all HSS patients will have online access to a digital twin care companion that aggregates comprehensive musculoskeletal data with the potential to replace the traditional medical record.”

Reference

¹ Sagittal Slope-Reducing High Tibial Osteotomy Decreases Anterior Cruciate Ligament Force and Coupled Internal Tibial Rotation Under Pivoting Loads: A Computational Modeling Study. 

Authors: Mark J. Amirtharaj, MD, Reza Pourmodheji, PhD, Mitchell G.A. Wheatley, PhD,

Julien Leluc, MD, Andrew E. Pechstein, PhD, Jacob M. Hirth, BS, Michael K. Parides, PhD,

Thomas L. Wickiewicz, MD, Andrew D. Pearle, MD, Matthieu Ollivier, MD, PhD,

Carl W. Imhauser, PhD, Danyal H. Nawabi, MD.

About HSS

HSS is the world’s leading academic medical center focused on musculoskeletal health. At its core is Hospital for Special Surgery, nationally ranked No. 1 in orthopedics (for the 16th consecutive year), No. 3 in rheumatology by U.S. News & World Report (2025-2026), and the best pediatric orthopedic hospital in NY, NJ and CT by U.S. News & World Report “Best Children’s Hospitals” list (2024-2025). In a survey of medical professionals in more than 20 countries by Newsweek, HSS is ranked world #1 in orthopedics for a fifth consecutive year (2025). Founded in 1863, the Hospital has the lowest readmission rates in the nation for orthopedics, and among the lowest infection and complication rates. HSS was the first in New York State to receive Magnet Recognition for Excellence in Nursing Service from the American Nurses Credentialing Center five consecutive times. An affiliate of Weill Cornell Medical College, HSS has a main campus in New York City and facilities in New Jersey, Connecticut and in the Long Island and Westchester County regions of New York State, as well as in Florida. In addition to patient care, HSS leads the field in research, innovation and education. The HSS Research Institute comprises 20 laboratories and 300 staff members focused on leading the advancement of musculoskeletal health through prevention of degeneration, tissue repair and tissue regeneration. In addition, more than 200 HSS clinical investigators are working to improve patient outcomes through better ways to prevent, diagnose, and treat orthopedic, rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases. The HSS Innovation Institute works to realize the potential of new drugs, therapeutics and devices. The HSS Education Institute is a trusted leader in advancing musculoskeletal knowledge and research for physicians, nurses, allied health professionals, academic trainees, and consumers in more than 165 countries. The institution is collaborating with medical centers and other organizations to advance the quality and value of musculoskeletal care and to make world-class HSS care more widely accessible nationally and internationally. www.hss.edu.

Effective March 1, Dr. Williams succeeds Andrew D. Pearle, MD, who has led the HSS Sports Medicine Institute since 2019 and will continue his distinguished clinical practice and research activities at HSS.

“We are very grateful for Dr. Pearle’s exceptional leadership over the past six years,” said Douglas E. Padgett, MD, surgeon-in-chief and medical director at HSS. With Dr. Williams at the helm, the SMI will continue to break new ground in clinical care, research and education, helping athletes and active individuals of all abilities return to the activities they love.”

A trailblazer in sports medicine, Dr. Williams specializes in knee, shoulder and elbow surgery, with a focus on knee ligament repair and cartilage reconstruction after sports-related and orthopedic injuries.  He performed the first knee cartilage transplantation in New York at HSS in 1998. He is also a trusted medical expert for elite athletes and professional teams worldwide, serving as Medical Director and Head Team Orthopedic Surgeon for the Brooklyn Nets, New York Liberty, and New York Red Bulls MLS. He also leads the FIFA Medical Center of Excellence at HSS and was recently appointed the New York Chief Venue Medical Officer for the FIFA World Cup in 2026.

“I’m incredibly honored, humbled and excited to step into this new role,” said Dr. Williams, “It is a career milestone, and I owe a deep debt of gratitude to my peers and colleagues for their profound influence over the years.”

Leading a multidisciplinary team of more than 60 clinicians across HSS locations in New York, Connecticut, New Jersey and South Florida, Dr. Williams will focus on fostering greater collaboration among sports medicine surgeons and physicians, with the goal of taking patient outcomes, research and education to new heights.

“The HSS Sports Medicine Institute is home to the world’s greatest concentration of talent in the field. Dr. Williams is the right leader for their next chapter,” said Bryan T. Kelly, MD, MBA, HSS President & CEO. “His passion for performance, recovery and collaborative care will help the future of sports medicine and deliver outstanding results for our patients.”

Dr. Williams attended Yale University and is a graduate of the Stanford University School of Medicine. He then completed his residency in Orthopedic Surgery and a fellowship in Sports Medicine and Shoulder surgery at HSS, before starting his practice. Dr. Williams has published over 141 peer-reviewed research papers over his career. With hundreds of invited lectureships and several notable teaching awards over his career, he is widely regarded as a key opinion leader in the field of Sports Medicine.

Dr. Williams is a member of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine, the International Cartilage Regeneration and Joint Preservation Society, the Orthopaedic Research Society, American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons and the NBA Physicians Association.

The multiyear initiative represents a major activation of the Aspen Institute’s school sports research project with its call to prioritize health and safety. In addition to Aspen Institute and HSS, founding members of the National ACL Injury Coalition include: 

● Players Health – Tyrre Burks, Founder and CEO

● Datalys Center for Sports Injury Research & Prevention – Christy Collins, President

● Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – Kelly Cornett, MS, Health Scientist

● US Youth Soccer – Skip Gilbert, CEO

● Hospital For Special Surgery – Jo A. Hannafin, MD, PhD, Sports Medicine

● New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association – Colleen Maguire, Executive Director

● Cedars-Sinai Kerlan-Jobe Institute – Bert R. Mandelbaum, MD, Sports Medicine

● Emory University – Gregory D. Myer, PhD, FACSM, Sports Performance and Research Center

● National Federation of State High School Associations – Karissa Niehoff, CEO

● Major League Soccer – Holly Silvers-Granelli, PhD, MPT, Director of Research

“At HSS, the leading orthopedic hospital in the world, we are keenly aware that there is an opportunity to prevent approximately 50% of ACL injuries,” said Andrew D. Pearle, Chief of the Sports Medicine Institute at HSS. “Two decades of research and data have allowed us to develop simple training programs that mitigate ACL injury risk. The problem we face now is the implementation of these programs. Convening leading medical, sport, insurance, public health, and educational experts will create the type of coalition we need to develop a bold plan for action and achieve systems-level progress.” 

High rates of ACL injuries among high school athletes can have an adverse effect on sports participation and performance in the near term as well as on overall health and physical activity across the lifespan. Those who suffer ACL injuries are seven times more likely to develop end-stage osteoarthritis that requires knee replacement. The median ACL reconstruction procedure costs $9,400 and total lifetime costs exceed $38,000, with the costs even higher ($88,000) for those who receive non-operative treatment. 

However, not all athletes are at equal risk. Research shows female athletes are 1.5 times more likely to suffer an ACL injury than males. Adolescents playing team sports that require sudden change of direction (cutting, landing, stopping), like soccer, basketball, lacrosse, field hockey, ultimate frisbee, and flag and tackle football, face substantially heightened risk of ACL injuries. Meanwhile, public schools in low-income communities have fewer resources to implement ACL injury prevention programs. Youth from lower-income families are also less likely to have health care insurance as well as access to adequate medical care after an injury. 

A flood of recent ACL injuries in professional women’s soccer highlights the urgency of this public health crisis. Internationally, 57 ACL injuries occurred among the six major women’s professional leagues in 2022. Within the U.S. national team that defends its title in the FIFA Women’s World Cup starting in July, Catarina Macario, Christen Press and Tierna Davidson have suffered an ACL injury in the past six months, while Alex Morgan, Megan Rapinoe, Ashlyn Harris and Ali Kriefer tore the ligament in prior years. 

“If we’re going to build healthy people and communities, we need to reckon with the underappreciated problem of athlete knee injuries that could be prevented,” said Tom Farrey, executive director of the Aspen Institute’s Sports & Society Program. “The problem needs the same attention that has gone to reducing brain injuries, given the importance of healthy knees to moving well and the physical, mental and emotional benefits that flow to those whose bodies stay in motion throughout adulthood.” 

The Aspen Institute is a global nonprofit organization committed to realizing a free, just, and equitable society. Founded in 1949, the Institute drives change through dialogue, leadership, and action to help solve the most important challenges facing the United States and the world. The Aspen Institute Sports & Society Program’s main initiative is Project Play, which develops, applies and shares knowledge that helps build healthy communities through sports. For more information, visit ProjectPlay.us.

The “Move Better Play Better” program is comprised of risk factor screenings for student-athletes; educational workshops for parents, coaches and physical education teachers, and on-site or virtual support visits for key stakeholders. HSS will also provide priority access to a new injury prevention training app for coaches. Any high school in the nation can apply to join the program, as long as they do not have a full-time athletic trainer.

“High school sports have long been an important community pillar as they provide children with important social skills and health benefits,” said Joseph Janosky, DrPHc, MSc, PT, AT, Director, Injury Prevention Programs, HSS. “While injuries are common, the good news is that proper training can change this. Here at HSS, we have developed evidence-based injury prevention programs so kids can reap the benefits of sports with a reduced risk of getting hurt.”

Approximately 7 million students play high school sports with over 2 million injuries each year. Nearly 30,000 of those injuries result in hospital stays. The CDC believes that up to half of these injuries could be prevented with proper training and resources.

When schools have access to a full-time athletic trainer, their students see lower overall and recurring injury rates. Unfortunately, approximately two-thirds of U.S. high schools lack access.

Kids who endure sports injuries are more likely to miss school, suffer from mental health issues such as depression, and develop chronic orthopedic issues like arthritis that could increase risk of opioid dependency.

“We understand the devastating effects that injuries can have on our youth and we believe that we can help kids stay safe playing the sport of their choice by providing our resources and expertise directly to their schools,” said Janosky.

“Move Better Play Better” lives within the HSS Sports Medicine Institute’s Youth Sports Safety Program, which brings together sports medicine doctors, physical therapists and other experts to develop injury prevention programs aimed to keep youth athletes safe. Since the program’s inception in 2016, nearly 300,000 youth athletes, coaches and teachers have attended  injury prevention workshops. Since December 2021, over 1,000 youth athletes have participated in injury risk factor screenings.

“The HSS Sports Medicine Institute is committed to getting athletes of all ages back to their sports and we are especially proud of initiatives such as these that strive to help children embark on a lifelong journey of athletics,” said Andrew D. Pearle, MD, chief of the HSS Sports Medicine Institute.

The initiative was announced at the Project Play Summit on May 4 in Washington, D.C. Project Play is the flagship initiative of the Aspen Institute’s Sports & Society Program, and aims to develop, share and apply knowledge that helps stakeholders build healthy communities through sports specifically access to quality sport activity for all children. The yearly Summit is the nation’s premier gathering of leaders building healthy community through sports.

Interested high schools can apply to join the Move Better Play Better Campaign here. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis through July 1, 2022. A brief letter of support from a school or district administrator is required as part of the application. Applicants who are not selected will receive access to a selection of free injury prevention resources.

 The WSMC was a first of its kind focused on women and sports medicine and was co-founded in 1997 by primary sports medicine physician Lisa R. Callahan, MD, and sports medicine surgeon Jo A. Hannafin, MD, PhD, who served as co-directors ever since. The multidisciplinary center now consists of a team of sports medicine-trained clinicians including physicians, nutritionists, exercise physiologists, physical therapists and sports psychologists.

 The change in leadership comes as Dr. Hannafin has recently retired her clinical practice while continuing to be active in the WSMC and as vice chair of the Institutional Review Board at HSS, which is responsible for the evaluation of current and newly submitted research projects. As a practicing physician, Dr. Callahan will also continue to be actively involved in the WSMC while serving in her role as chief medical officer of Madison Square Garden Sports.

 “The WSMC is a key reason why I feel excited to go to work each day. I am constantly inspired by my colleagues and the patient care that they provide, which motivates me to take the very best care of my own patients,” said Dr. Goolsby.

 Approximately 80,000 recreational and elite athletic patients a year receive collaborative care through the WSMC. Every clinician aims to empower each patient to achieve success based on his or her individual goals.

 “Being part of the WSMC has helped me in all facets of life. It’s been invaluable for my career, provided spectacular comradery, and guided me to find a work/life balance,” said Dr. Shubin Stein, who noted how Drs. Callahan’s and Hannafin’s successes have opened so many doors for all women. “They have helped us all to dream big.” 

 Drs. Callahan and Hannafin have led distinguished careers and have served as team physicians for numerous professional and Olympic teams. Notably, Dr. Callahan was the first female head team physician in the National Basketball Association and president of the NBA Physicians Association. Dr. Hannafin was the first female president of the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine (AOSSM).

“We want to ensure we carry on the legacy and support all of the work that Drs. Callahan and Hannafin have done as true pioneers in our field,” added Dr. Goolsby, who explained that she and Dr. Shubin Stein have spent time individually with all members to determine new, impactful goals for the group.

 WSMC clinicians have provided care for numerous Olympic and professional teams and organizations including the New York Knicks, Westchester Knicks, New York Liberty, TCS New York City Marathon, Champions Series Tennis, USA Basketball, USA Gymnastics, UFC, US Biathlon, US Rowing and US Lacrosse.

 “First and foremost, our priority is patient care. We strive to take care of the whole person, not just their knee or stress fracture. Our biggest advantage is that we have experts across many disciplines who can help keep our patients active through all phases of life,” said Dr. Shubin Stein.

 “I am incredibly proud of the fantastic physicians and surgeons we have recruited over the years as well as the outstanding specialists in physical therapy and sports performance, sports psychology and sports nutrition,” said Dr. Hannafin. “We place a large emphasis on developing and training the next generation of female leaders in sports medicine, so it is truly humbling to see so many of them as team physicians for professional, national and Olympic sports teams.”

 Mentorship formally occurs by training residents and fellows within the HSS Sports Medicine Institute as well as the WSMC summer internship and research assistant programs. Launched in 2000, the summer internship program is highly competitive, with more than 150 applicants each year for three spots.

 Of the more than 200 women mentored by members of the WSMC, 80 percent have pursued a career in medicine, physical therapy, psychology or nutrition. Five women have started sports medicine programs while others have joined the faculty at existing women’s sports medicine programs, fulfilling the critical need to expand expert care to active girls and women everywhere.

“I’m proud of the integrated legacy of care, education and research that has formed a strong foundation for the future of the WSMC,” said Dr. Callahan, who oversees the care of the New York Knicks, New York Rangers, Westchester Knicks and Hartford Wolf Pack. “Drs. Goolsby and Shubin Stein have the experience, knowledge and compassion to lead the next phase of growth and advancement. I look forward to their future accomplishments.”

Current research within the WSMC focuses on a variety of issues that impact women athletes, such as the female athlete triad, anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries, vitamin D and bone health, patellofemoral disorders, frozen shoulder, postpartum care and more.

 According to Dr. Hannafin, there is a need for continued research into gender- and sex-specific issues in injury prevention, sports-specific injuries and response to treatment. Through this research, the WSMC can continue to optimize patient care with specialized treatment for each individual patient.

 “The center’s impact on the national landscape of women’s sports medicine is immeasurable. Their selective and immersive summer internships alone work to shape the future for women in the field,” said Andrew D. Pearle, MD, chief of the HSS Sports Medicine Institute. “We are proud to have them as part of our team.”

“This is a huge opportunity for all of our coaches and families,” said Jay Devashetty, Director of Player Development at the Cary Leeds Center for Tennis & Learning, “I am particularly excited to see the positive impact this training will have on the long-term health and well-being of our kids.”

HSS is the world’s leading academic medical center focused on musculoskeletal health. HSS has been ranked No. 1 in orthopedics for 11 years in a row by U.S. News & World Report (2020-2021) and has also been among the top-ranked hospitals for both orthopedics and rheumatology for 29 consecutive years.

“We are extremely excited to partner with NYJTL on this very important initiative,” said Dr. Andrew Pearle, Chief of the Sports Medicine Institute at HSS. “Preserving the musculoskeletal health of young athletes is among our top priorities and this collaboration will provide NYJTL coaches with the resources they need to keep children throughout New York City safe and healthy.”

Through this partnership, NYJTL coaches and participants will learn about the health benefits associated with physical activity and how to maximize those benefits by reducing the risk of preventable injury. The cutting-edge injury prevention education and screening programs delivered by HSS will help to keep children on the court and promote long-term healthy living.

About New York Junior Tennis and Learning:

The mission of New York Junior Tennis & Learning is to develop the character of young people through tennis and education for a lifetime of success on and off the court. Since 1971, NYJTL has changed lives through tennis, education, healthy living, and character development programs. Today, it is the largest youth tennis and education non-profit in the nation, reaching 85,000 K-12 New York City youth. NYJTL celebrates the diversity of the children who participate in every program, providing three million hours of year-round tennis and education programming serving youth from all five New York City boroughs. All NYJTL Community Tennis and Afterschool programs are offered at no cost to participants.

Reconstruction is the current standard of care surgical treatment for tears of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). This procedure typically uses a graft, or a piece of tissue, placed in the knee minimally invasively, using small incisions. About 300,000 ACL reconstructions are performed annually in the United States with well documented rates of success.

ACL repair is an older technique that involved suturing (sewing) torn ACL tissue, not rebuilding it with a graft. ACL repair was performed in the 1970s at select institutions, including Hospital for Special Surgery, but was abandoned due to unacceptably high failure rates of up to 50%.

Today, ACL repair has been modernized and can be performed through a minimally invasive approach. Proponents suggest that modern ACL repair techniques may be performed safely and may lead to a quicker recovery than ACL reconstruction. However, the limited studies to date raise questions that must be discussed in detail with your surgeon.

1. It is critically important to get ACL surgery right the first time.

When ACL surgery fails, surgeons must do a revision procedure to correct or revise the problems that were not fully addressed the first time. Revision requires reconstructive ACL surgery with a graft. (ACL repairs cannot be done as revisions.) Redoing ACL surgery may result in higher rates of failure, lower rates of return to sports, and increased risk of osteoarthritis.

The importance of successful initial ACL surgery holds true for people of all ages, but it is particularly critical for young athletes, for whom a failed surgery can have devastating consequences, including years lost from sport in the short term as well as chronic pain and loss of function in the long term.

2. Failure rates for ACL repair appear to be significantly higher than those for ACL reconstruction in people of all ages.

Current studies suggest that modern ACL repair techniques have a failure rate that may be five to ten times higher than that of ACL reconstruction^1,2,3. One major recent study in a prominent sports medicine journal found that arthroscopic ACL repair has unacceptable outcomes in young athletes, with short-term failure rates of close to 50%².

It has been suggested that ACL repair may be appropriate for older adults who have a type of ACL tear called a proximal avulsion and who do not participate in “cutting and pivoting” sports such as basketball, volleyball, and soccer. For these patients, failure rates in the short term appear to be much higher than ACL reconstruction in this age group^1,2,3.

3. There is still much we don’t know about ACL repair.

There has been no scientific evidence that shows a difference in postoperative pain between ACL repair and reconstruction. Rehabilitation and return-to-play protocols for ACL repair have not yet been established. Proper guidelines for rehabilitation and return to sports are essential to keep people safe from re-injury.
 

Andrew D. Pearle, MD

Chief, HSS Sports Medicine Institute

Bryan T. Kelly, MD

HSS Surgeon-in-Chief and Medical Director

Answorth A. Allen, MD

David W. Altchek, MD

Struan H. Coleman, MD, PhD

Frank A. Cordasco, MD, MS

David M. Dines, MD

Joshua S. Dines, MD

Stephen Fealy, MD

Andreas H. Gomoll, MD

Lawrence V. Gulotta, MD

Jo A. Hannafin, MD, PhD

Anne M. Kelly, MD

John D. MacGillivray, MD

Robert G. Marx, MD, MSc, FRCSC

Michael J. Maynard, MD

Moira M. McCarthy, MD

Danyal H. Nawabi, MD, FRCS

Stephen J. O’Brien, MD, MBA

Anil S. Ranawat, MD

Scott A. Rodeo, MD

Howard Anthony Rose, MD

Beth E. Shubin Stein, MD

Sabrina M. Strickland, MD

Karen M. Sutton, MD

Samuel A. Taylor, MD

Russell F. Warren, MD

Thomas L. Wickiewicz, MD

Riley J. Williams III, MD

References

1. Jonkergouw A, van der List J, DiFelice G. Arthroscopic primary repair of proximal ACL tears: outcomes of the first 56 consecutive patients and the role of additional internal bracing. Knee Surg Sports Traumatol Arthrosc. 2019 Jan;27(1):21-28.

2. Gagliardi AG, Carry PM, Parikh HB, Traver JL, Howell DR, Albright JC. ACL repair with suture ligament augmentation is associated with a high failure rate among adolescent patients. Am J Sports Med. 2019 Mar;47(3):560-566.

3. Wright RW et al. Risk of tearing the intact ACL in the contralateral knee and rupturing the ACL graft during the first 2 years after ACLR: A prospective MOON cohort study. Am J Sports Med. 2007 Jul;35(7):1131-4.

For more information visit https://www.hss.edu/condition-list_torn-acl.asp.

Within HSS, the Sports Medicine Institute fulfills the mission of developing an internationally renowned and multidisciplinary program that offers the best evidence-based clinical care for athletes across the world. Current locations include the HSS Main Campus on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, and HSS Outpatient Centers in Paramus, NJ; White Plains, NY; Stamford, CT; and Uniondale, NY. The Sports Medicine Institute will be part of four new HSS facilities opening in the coming months on the West Side of Manhattan, at Hudson Yards, in Brooklyn, and in West Palm Beach, Florida.

A graduate of Amherst College and Stanford Medical School, Dr. Pearle started at HSS in 1998 as a surgical intern and began his medical practice there in 2005. He currently practices at the HSS main campus in New York City, and at HSS Westchester where he serves as Medical Director. In addition to his responsibilities at HSS, Dr. Pearle is Head Team Orthopedic Surgeon for Rugby United New York, an Associate Team Physician for the New York Mets, and helps coordinate care for the Mets' minor league affiliates including the Brooklyn Cyclones.

“We are fortunate to have an extremely talented team of physicians and surgeons in the HSS Sports Medicine Institute who are dedicated to advancing the diagnosis and treatment of sports injuries,” said Dr. Kelly. “Dr. Pearle embodies what it means to be an HSS physician and leader, with exceptional capability and commitment to delivering the highest quality patient care, supporting education, and improving surgical outcomes.”

Dr. Pearle specializes in knee and shoulder surgery, and is recognized internationally for his pioneering work in robotic knee surgery. He developed one of the first Computer Assisted Surgery programs in the United States, and in 2007 performed the first robotic partial knee replacement in the New York region.

“HSS has a special responsibility and opportunity to lead the global advancement, impact and availability of the highest quality musculoskeletal care, and within this Dr. Pearle is well suited to lead the essential role of the Sports Medicine Institute,” said Louis A. Shapiro, President and CEO, HSS.

With this partnership, RUNY has officially named Andrew Pearle, MD, as the Head Team Orthopedic Surgeon, and Brett Toresdahl, MD, as Head Team Physician.

"RUNY is thrilled to announce our partnership with Hospital for Special Surgery, one of the global leaders in orthopedic care," said RUNY Owner James Kennedy. "Dr. Pearle and Dr. Toresdahl will provide our athletes with the best possible treatment. These professionals will allow us to compete week in and week out in a grueling 16 game season."

"Rugby is a fast-moving contact sport and its players are arguably among the toughest athletes out there," said Brett Toresdahl, MD, primary care sports medicine physician at HSS. "We are looking forward to helping these athletes stay at the top of their game while playing safely."

Dr. Toresdahl is also a Team Physician for US Biathlon as well as an Orthopedic Consultant for the UFC. Dr. Toresdahl will be joined by HSS colleague Dr. Pearle, Medical Director at HSS Westchester, who will serve as RUNY’s Head Team Orthopedic Surgeon.  In addition to his responsibilities at HSS, Dr. Pearle is a Team Physician for the New York Mets and coordinates care for the minor league affiliates including the Brooklyn Cyclones. As team physicians for RUNY, Dr. Toresdahl and Dr. Pearle will be providing orthopedic consultation services and overseeing the rehabilitation of orthopedic injuries at the RUNY training facility as well as at their home field, MCU Park, in Brooklyn.

RUNY has kicked off their inaugural Major League Rugby season with wins over the San Diego Legion and the New Orleans (NOLA) Gold. Their season continues this Friday, March 8th, when New York’s rugby franchise travels to Salt Lake City to take on the Utah Warriors. The game will be broadcast live on SNY.

According to the article, HSS sports medicine surgeon Andrew D. Pearle, MD; physical therapist Laurey Lou PT, DPT, SCS, CSC; and program manager of HSS Sports Safety Jimmy Russomano; will address ACL education and treatment options.

Read the full article at mountpleasant.dailyvoice.com.