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.