A Message From Leesa Galatz, MD

The year 2025 was one of significant accomplishments for the Leni and Peter W. May Department of Orthopedic Surgery at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, with U.S. News & World Report ranking The Mount Sinai Hospital No. 14 nationally for Orthopedics for 2025-2026. Building on our legacy of dedication to research, innovation, and patient care, the Department made several outstanding accomplishments in 2025, which we are excited to share with you.

In a new Mount Sinai study, published on the front page of Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research in June 2025, Michael R. Hausman, MD, and Paul J. Cagle Jr., MD, have identified a new classification for nerve injuries that could transform treatment for patients with severe limb injuries. The research challenges the traditional understanding of peripheral nerve injuries and could help surgeons assess which patients would benefit from surgery early on.

We are proud to announce that The Mount Sinai Hospital achieved the lowest readmission rates in New York State after hip and knee replacement surgery and the lowest in New York City for surgical-site infection rates following hip replacement. This is according to the Hospital-Acquired Infections in New York State, 2022, a report released by the New York State Department of Health.

We are also proud to announce a new program helping osteoporosis patients at Mount Sinai. Own the Bone®, launched in partnership with the American Orthopaedic Association, evaluates all patients aged 50 and older who sustain certain fragility fractures for the disease and explores treatments and interventions to prevent future injuries.

Additionally, Mount Sinai’s Jaehon M. Kim, MD, FAAOS, FACS, and his team won first-place honors in the Top 10 Video Hand.e Video Theater at the 79th Annual Meeting of the American Society for Surgery of the Hand in September 2024. Their video details an effective technique that leads to better outcomes for patients with scapholunate dissociation.

Also in 2025, Mount Sinai’s Nilsson Holguin, PhD, received a grant from the Alpha-1 Foundation to explore a link between alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency, a rare genetic disorder commonly recognized as a disease of the lungs and liver, and osteoporosis, with a goal to identify possible treatments for alpha-1 osteoporosis.

We are also excited to share the appointment of two talented physicians to our department: John K. Cordero, MD, a fellowship-trained hip and knee reconstruction specialist; and Alexander M. Crawford, MD, MPH, a Harvard and Rothman Orthopaedic Institute-trained spine surgeon.

Our dedication to improving our patients’ lives and striving to develop new and effective treatments in the field of orthopedic surgery will continue in 2026. Our position within the Mount Sinai Health System, one of the largest hospital systems in New York City, gives our researchers access to a vast set of patient data, which allows them to develop studies that are transforming the field with huge potential for improving patient outcomes. As we have in previous years, we will continue to encourage our faculty, residents, and fellows to strive to meet their academic goals while enhancing care for our patients.

I hope you will consider supporting us again this year and invite you to learn more about our programs, faculty, and commitment to being the best in medical education, patient care, and scientific research.