Daniel Wiznia, MD
Associate Professor of Orthopaedics & RehabilitationCards
About
Research
Overview
Osteonecrosis of the femoral head
Dr. Wiznia's goal is to prevent the need for his patients with avascular necrosis, or osteonecrosis of the femoral head, to undergo hip replacement surgery. To achieve this goal, Dr. Wiznia co-established the Avascular Necrosis Program, where he works with co-Director Dr. Aslam on developing new therapies and surgical techniques. Dr. Wiznia's avascular necrosis research focuses on advancing core decompression surgical techniques by developing 3D computer navigated technology, custom 3D printed instrumentation, as well as expanding new hyperbaric oxygen therapy protocols. Dr. Wiznia is developing novel stem cell treatments for avascular necrosis / osteonecrosis of the femoral head.
Joint Reconstruction, Engineering, Technology & Innovation
Dr. Wiznia's arthroplasty research program focuses on improving the postoperative treatment of patients by reducing surgical site infections, improving pain management techniques, refining DVT prophylaxis and examining the treatment of periprosthetic infections. He has published multiple case reports focusing on solutions to complex arthroplasty. With the use of 3D technology, he is developing patient specific surgical approaches, 3D printed instruments and implants. Through Dr. Wiznia's position as the Director of Technology & Innovation for the Department of Orthopaedics, he has developed the total joint replacement robotic center at our Yale New Haven Hospital Milford campus and computer-navigated total joint replacement surgery techniques.
Musculoskeletal Healthcare Policy
Dr. Wiznia examines patient disparities in access to care. Specifically, he examines disparities in arthroplasty care, and the Affordable Care Act has influenced Medicaid patient access to care. His team uses appointment accessibility audit studies, what some people term "secret shopper" studies, as an instrument to measure patient access to care. His team has demonstrated that Medicaid patients face a disparity in access to care, which has worsened since the Affordable Care Act. He has found that significantly fewer physicians accept Medicaid, there are more barriers to care placed on Medicaid patients, wait times are significantly longer, and safety net institutions (such as academic medical centers, federally funded community health centers, nonprofit and government hospitals) have higher Medicaid acceptance rates. His team has a long history of mentoring Yale undergraduate students, medical students and residents, and we have collaborated with multiple departments within the School of Medicine. He is a member of the Steering Committee for Movement is Life, a multi-stakeholder coalition dedicated to promoting health equity and eliminating musculoskeletal health disparities. He has been interviewed for the Health Disparities Podcast and regularly gives Grand Rounds about disparities in arthroplasty care. He is currently publishing with JAAOS and Movement is Life a special article series focused on optimizing patients for total joint replacement as well as a series with the National Association of Orthopaedic Nurses.
Orthopaedic Trauma, Injury Prevention and Motorcycle Collisions
Dr. Wiznia's research focuses on motorcycle and motor vehicle trauma patients. He examines motorcycle trauma patients’ risk factors with the ultimate goal of reducing the number and severity of motorcycle accidents. In addition, he is examining the costs of treating these patients and identifying motorcycle trauma injury patterns and associated mechanisms of injury. He is also examining methods of how to prevent hip fractures in the geriatric patient population.
Medical Research Interests
Public Health Interests
Academic Achievements & Community Involvement
Clinical Care
Overview
Daniel Wiznia, MD, is an orthopedic surgeon who specializes in total hip replacement and total knee replacement. He utilizes robotic- and computer-navigated total joint replacement surgery, with an emphasis on minimally invasive and tissue-preserving procedures.
Dr. Wiznia is the co-director of the Avascular Necrosis Program, and specializes in personalized 3D targeted stem cell treatments of avascular necrosis and osteonecrosis of the femoral head. For treatment of avascular necrosis, Dr. Wiznia has co-developed a computer navigated personalized treatment utilizing a 3D model of the osteonecrotic lesion and targeting the lesion in a 3D space using a computer. Dr. Wiznia coordinates hyperbaric oxygen treatments with co-director Rummana Aslam, MBBS, with the goal of merging evidence-based regenerative medicine with novel surgical techniques.
He treats each new patient as a partner in deciding what type of surgery is best for his or her situation. “I make sure patients fully understand their condition and their options, and I work with them every step of the way,” he says. “My ultimate goal is to return patients to the activities that they enjoy and to improve their quality of life,” he says.
An associate professor of Orthopaedics & Rehabilitation at Yale School of Medicine, Dr. Wiznia has developed research programs in osteonecrosis of the femoral head, total joint replacement, health care policy, and injury prevention. His findings have been reported in many professional peer-reviewed publications, and his research has been presented at regional and national meetings.
Clinical Specialties
Fact Sheets
Avascular Necrosis of the Hip
Learn More on Yale MedicineHip Labral Tears
Learn More on Yale MedicinePeriacetabular Osteotomy (PAO)
Learn More on Yale MedicineCartilage Injury and Repair
Learn More on Yale Medicine
Board Certifications
Orthopaedic Surgery
- Certification Organization
- AB of Orthopaedic Surgery
- Original Certification Date
- 2020
Yale Medicine News
News & Links
Media
- Preoperatively modeling the patella tracking of a patient with mal-tracking of the patellofemoral joint, who requires a total knee replacement.
- Mathematical model depicting stresses placed through total hip replacement implant to evaluate hardware failure analysis.
- Complex deformity of the pelvis 3D printed for surgical planning.
News
- October 31, 2024Source: NBC News
Semaglutide linked to reduced arthritis knee pain in people with obesity, study finds
- October 30, 2024
Medicine and Engineering Converge Over Advanced Technology in Master’s Program
- August 07, 2024
Grant to Help Team Develop Dynamic 3D Tumor Analysis
- June 13, 2024Source: Yale Internal Medicine
Grand Rounds Video: Update on Diagnosis and Management of Avascular Necrosis