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Daniel Wiznia, MD

Associate Professor of Orthopaedics & Rehabilitation
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Additional Titles

Co-Director of Yale's Avascular Necrosis & Osteonecrosis Program, Joint Reconstruction

Associate Vice Chair of Research, Basic Science

Director of Technology and Innovation, General Orthopaedics

Contact Info

Avascular Necrosis & Osteonecrosis Program

Attention Dr. Daniel Wiznia, YM CARE CENTER (Orthopaedics), 50 Division St, 2 Science Park, 3rd Floor

New Haven, CT 06511

United States

About

Titles

Associate Professor of Orthopaedics & Rehabilitation

Co-Director of Yale's Avascular Necrosis & Osteonecrosis Program, Joint Reconstruction; Associate Vice Chair of Research, Basic Science; Director of Technology and Innovation, General Orthopaedics

Biography

Dr. Daniel Wiznia is an Associate Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery and an Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering & Materials Science who specializes in reconstructive surgery of the hip and knee. He has expertise in total hip replacements and total knee replacement surgeries. He also specializes in revision hip and revision knee replacements. One of his major clinical focuses is avascular necrosis & osteonecrosis of the femoral head.

Dr. Wiznia is the Department of Orthopaedic's Director of Technology and Innovation. In this role, he leads and coordinates efforts in the use and development of technology and innovation in education, research and clinical care. Examples include robotics and navigation, the use of 3D modeling, virtual reality and artificial intelligence, as well as patient care platforms to coordinate efforts across the department in the use of surgical advances in innovation.

Dr. Wiznia is the Department of Orthopaedic's Associate Vice Chair of Research, Basic Science. In this role, he coordinates the support of faculty to conduct musculoskeletal research at the School of Medicine. His goal is to advance the Department’s basic science research and the 3D Collaborative for Medical Innovation (3DC). He supports and develops PhD candidates, physician scientists and investigators through mentorship and collaboration.

At the Yale School of Engineering & Applied Science, Dr. Wiznia teaches ME/BME404: Medical Device Design & Innovation. Dr. Wiznia teaches why medical devices fail and partners with physicians to tackle clinical problems with safe and effective medical devices. This course serves to translate research and engineering innovations into the clinical setting.

Dr. Wiznia is the co-director of Yale's masters program in Personalized Medicine & Applied Engineering. This educational partnership between the School of Medicine and School of Engineering aims to prepare engineers and medical students with the tools to develop innovative 3D solutions for personalized medicine.

For complex cases, Dr. Wiznia performs robotic and computer-navigated total joint replacement surgery, emphasizing minimally invasive and tissue-preserving procedures. When indicated, he utilizes patient-specific instruments and custom implants. Utilizing 3D technology, Dr. Wiznia is currently developing several custom personalized surgical techniques. These include patient specific total knee replacement, robotic hip and knee replacement, and 3D printing of custom surgical guides and instruments. Dr. Wiznia was the first surgeon at Yale New Haven Hospital to conduct robotic total knee replacement and robotic total hip replacement, and serves as YNHH's robotics surgeon lead and proctor.

As the co-Director of Yale School of Medicine's Avascular Necrosis & Osteonecrosis Program, Dr. Wiznia focuses on maintaining joint function in patients suffering from a condition in which bone tissue dies as a result of a temporary or permanent loss of blood supply to the bone. Patients receive coordinated care across a spectrum of treatments, including 3D surgical planning, regenerative medicine, osteoinductive adjuvants, hyperbaric oxygen treatments, and stem cell therapies. The goal is to provide the best opportunity for patients to maintain their native joints, as well as continuity, if patients eventually require total joint replacement. As a leader in AVN treatments, the innovative program merges evidence-based regenerative medicine with novel surgical techniques. In his engineering and medical device design lab, Dr. Wiznia has co-developed a personalized, custom treatment for femoral head avascular necrosis & osteonecrosis. His research focuses on a technique which utilizes autologous stem cells and 3D modeling, computer navigation and custom instrumentation to target osteonecrosis / avascular necrosis of the femoral head. With the goal to prevent femoral head collapse, Dr. Wiznia is translating this novel technology to the bedside.

In addition to his clinical work, Dr. Wiznia has developed research programs in avascular necrosis, total joint replacement, musculoskeletal healthcare disparities, 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. He is a fellow of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, a fellow of the American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons, a member of the American Orthopaedic Association and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. Dr. Wiznia is board certified by the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgeons.

Dr. Wiznia is from Connecticut, and he graduated from Amity High School in Woodbridge. He completed his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering at Yale University while working with several medical device startup companies. After graduation, he worked as a health care consultant for McKinsey & Company.

Dr. Wiznia received his medical degree with honors in research at Weill Cornell Medical College. He completed his orthopaedic surgery residency at Yale School of Medicine, followed by an adult reconstruction fellowship at New York University, Hospital for Joint Diseases at NYU School of Medicine. In addition, Dr. Wiznia completed an adult reconstruction fellowship at the Insall Scott Kelly Institute for Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine.

Dr. Wiznia is a conservative physician who believes that less is more. He forms a partnership with his patients, explains his thoughts fully and works with them every step of the way. He takes time to talk to his patients about how he arrived at his diagnosis and explains all of the available treatment options. He manages conditions without surgery whenever possible. Dr. Wiznia’s ultimate goal is to return his patients to the activities they enjoy, with the intention of improving their quality of life.

Appointments

Other Departments & Organizations

Education & Training

Fellow
New York University, Hospital for Joint Diseases (2018)
Fellow
Insall Scott Kelly Institute (2018)
Resident
Yale New Haven Hospital (2017)
Intern
Yale New Haven Hospital (2013)
MD
Weill Cornell Medical College (2012)
BS
Yale University, Mechanical Engineering

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 Subject Headings (MeSH)

Biocompatible Materials; Biomedical Engineering; Bisphosphonate-Associated Osteonecrosis of the Jaw; Computer Simulation; Delivery of Health Care; Engineering; Health Care Quality, Access, and Evaluation; Health Services Accessibility; Health Status Disparities; Healthcare Disparities; Hematopoietic Stem Cells; Hip Fractures; Hip Joint; Knee Joint; Orthopedic Equipment; Orthopedic Fixation Devices; Orthopedics; Osteonecrosis; Patient Simulation; Robotics; Stem Cells

Research at a Glance

Yale Co-Authors

Frequent collaborators of Daniel Wiznia's published research.

Publications

Featured Publications

2024

Clinical Trials

Current Trials

Academic Achievements & Community Involvement

  • activity

    American Medical Association

  • activity

    American Society of Mechanical Engineers

  • activity

    Society of Automotive Engineers

  • activity

    American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons

  • activity

    New England Orthopedic Society

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

Hip and Knee Orthopedic Surgery

Fact Sheets

Board Certifications

  • Orthopaedic Surgery

    Certification Organization
    AB of Orthopaedic Surgery
    Original Certification Date
    2020

Yale Medicine News

Get In Touch

Contacts

Clinical Inquiry Number
Appointment Number
Office Fax Number
Mailing Addresses

Avascular Necrosis & Osteonecrosis Program

Attention Dr. Daniel Wiznia, YM CARE CENTER (Orthopaedics), 50 Division St, 2 Science Park, 3rd Floor

New Haven, CT 06511

United States

Orthopaedics & Rehabilitation

P.O. Box 208071

New Haven, CT 06520-8071

United States

Administrative Support

Locations

  • Department of Orthopaedics & Rehabilitation

    Academic Office

    47 College Street, Rm 221C

    New Haven, CT 06510

  • Patient Care Locations

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