Daniel Wiznia, MD
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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 OrthopaedicsBiography
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
Orthopaedics & Rehabilitation
Associate Professor on TermPrimary
Other Departments & Organizations
- 3-D Patient-Specific Surgical Correction Program
- Adult Reconstructive & Arthritis Program
- Avascular Necrosis & Osteonecrosis Program
- Clinical Faculty
- Gold College Affiliates
- Joint Reconstruction
- Orthopaedics & Rehabilitation
- Yale Medicine
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
Academic Achievements and 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 MedicineTotal Hip Replacement (Direct Anterior Approach)
Learn More on Yale Medicine
Board Certifications
Orthopaedic Surgery
- Certification Organization
- AB of Orthopaedic Surgery
- Original Certification Date
- 2020
Yale Medicine News
Links & Media
Media
3D Printed Arthritic Knee
Preoperatively modeling the patella tracking of a patient with mal-tracking of the patellofemoral joint, who requires a total knee replacement.Finte element modeling
Mathematical model depicting stresses placed through total hip replacement implant to evaluate hardware failure analysis.3D Printed Pelvis
Complex deformity of the pelvis 3D printed for surgical planning.
News
- June 13, 2024Source: Yale Internal Medicine
Grand Rounds Video: Update on Diagnosis and Management of Avascular Necrosis
- June 10, 2024Source: Huff Post
Is It Normal For Your Knees To Crack As You Age?
- May 28, 2024
Yale Begins 3D Orthopaedic Surgical Procedures That Are Fully In-house
- April 10, 2024
Six Faculty Selected as Research All Stars by Avant Garde Health
Get In Touch
Contacts
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
Locations
Department of Orthopaedics & Rehabilitation
Academic Office
Patient Care Locations
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