Lisa Lattanza

Dr. Lisa Lattanza is the Ensign Professor and Chair of the Department of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation at Yale School of Medicine. She is a world-renowned hand and upper extremity surgeon specializing in pediatric and adult elbow reconstruction, with particular expertise in 3D surgical planning for deformity correction. As one of only two female chairs of orthopaedics in the U.S. when she began her appointment in September 2019, she has been a trailblazer for women in this male-dominated field.

Her educational journey includes:

• MD from Medical College of Ohio (now University of Toledo College of Medicine and Life Sciences) in 1993
• Internship at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center
• Residency in orthopaedic surgery at University of Missouri Kansas City
• Fellowship in hand surgery at Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons/Roosevelt Hospital
• Additional fellowship training in pediatric hand and upper extremity at Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children

Dr. Lattanza's research focuses on innovative approaches to upper extremity reconstruction, particularly using 3D surgical planning for deformity correction in both children and adults. Her work has pioneered new classification systems and treatment approaches for complex conditions like Chronic Monteggia Fracture Dislocations in children. She is also deeply committed to addressing the underrepresentation of women in orthopaedic surgery through research and outreach initiatives.

A leader in global health, Dr. Lattanza frequently travels to Nicaragua and other countries on surgical mission trips, performing hand surgery and expanding global initiatives within her department. Her clinical expertise was demonstrated in 2016 when she led a team to perform the world's first elbow-to-elbow transplant, transplanting a patient's left elbow into his right arm to provide him with one functioning extremity after a devastating accident.

Her significant contributions to the field have been recognized with numerous awards:

• Diversity Award from the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (2021)
• Medical University of Ohio Distinguished Alumni (2024)
• UCSF's Compassionate Physician Award (2013) and Exceptional Physician Award (2014)
• Jefferson Award for Community Service (2014)
• Multiple designations as a "Top Doctor" by San Francisco Magazine (2012-2019) and Marin Magazine (2015-2019)

Dr. Lattanza co-founded the Perry Outreach Program in 2009 (now the Perry Initiative), which has grown from 18 high school girls in San Francisco to over 17,000 participants across the country. Her research has shown that young women who complete the program apply and match to orthopaedic surgery residencies at a rate of about 24%, significantly higher than the national average of 14%. She serves as president of the Ruth Jackson Orthopaedic Society and is active in several professional organizations including the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, the American Society for Surgery of the Hand, and the American Orthopaedic Association.

She leads the 3D Orthopaedics Lab and the 3-D Patient-Specific Surgical Correction Program at Yale, where her team develops innovative approaches to surgical planning and execution using advanced imaging and printing technologies. Her work continues to push the boundaries of what's possible in precision orthopaedic surgery while addressing critical issues of diversity and inclusion in the field.