Harvinder S. Sandhu, MD, co-chief emeritus of the spine service at Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) in New York, has been appointed the Chair of the Department of Orthopedics at Stamford Hospital, effective November 1, 2022. Dr. Sandhu succeeds Charles “Chip” Cornell, MD, who is retiring following a distinguished career at HSS culminating in leading the collaboration with Stamford Health since its inception in 2017.
HSS has specialized in musculoskeletal care since 1863 and is ranked no. 1 for orthopedics worldwide and nationwide. Stamford Health is an independent, non-profit healthcare system committed to caring for the community through a wide range of high-quality health and wellness services offered by Stamford Hospital, Stamford Health Medical Group and ambulatory locations throughout southwestern Connecticut. Stamford Hospital has been recognized by U.S. News & World Report as a “High Performing Hospital” including in the specialty area of Orthopedics, has achieved Magnet Designation for Nursing Excellence and Planetree Gold Certification for Excellence in Person-Centered Care. The collaboration was formed to bring world-class orthopedic care closer to home for southern New England residents.
HSS Orthopedics with Stamford Health offers a comprehensive array of surgical and non-surgical orthopedic services, including sports medicine, sports rehab, joint replacement, and treatment of all conditions affecting the spine, foot and ankle, and hand and upper extremities. HSS orthopedic specialists consult with patients at locations in Stamford, Hamden, and Wilton. If surgery is necessary, HSS surgeons operate at the award-winning Stamford Hospital and Stamford Health Tully Health Center.
Introduced this year at the HSS Stamford location at Chelsea Piers, HSS Orthopedics Now provides patients 16 years of age and older access to orthopedic care for sudden injuries and severe pain, in order to triage, diagnose, treat, and when needed referral to a higher level of care in an expedited timeframe.
“I’m honored to step into this new role and continue building upon the momentum of our relationship with Stamford Health,” said Dr. Sandhu. “Opportunities for growing the initiative include providing the full spectrum of musculoskeletal care across multiple specialties for sports, degenerative, and arthritic related conditions without the need to travel outside the region.”
Before joining HSS in 1997, Dr. Sandhu was chief of the spinal surgery service at UCLA. His clinical practice specializes in minimally invasive spine surgery, robotic surgery, and the use of spinal biologics to enhance healing. Dr. Sandhu is also actively engaged in researching and developing medical devices and instruments used in spinal surgery and holds several patents. In addition, he has authored or co-authored well over 100 articles published in peer-reviewed journals and has received research awards from the North American Spine Society, the Orthopaedic Research Society and the International Society for the Study of the Lumbar Spine, including the prestigious Volvo Award in Spinal Research.
“I look forward to working with Dr. Sandhu as we expand the offerings of our collaboration with HSS to serve more patients in need of high-quality orthopedic services,” said Kathleen Silard, President & CEO at Stamford Health. “We pride ourselves on partnering with the best, and with HSS we’ve created a world-class center for musculoskeletal care in Connecticut. In the coming years, we’ll continue to expand the Collaborative’s geographic footprint in Connecticut, grow the number of providers and enhance our programmatic services to best meet the needs of our community.”
“HSS Orthopedics with Stamford Health will benefit greatly from Dr. Sandhu’s vision and expertise as a clinician, researcher and educator,” said Louis A. Shapiro, president and CEO at HSS. “We thank Dr. Cornell for his exceptional leadership in establishing and evolving our unique collaboration with Stamford Health, to provide an unsurpassed level of orthopedic care align with HSS best practices to thousands of residents living in Connecticut and New England.”
HSS is the world’s leading academic medical center focused on musculoskeletal health. At its core is Hospital for Special Surgery, nationally ranked No. 1 in orthopedics (for the 13th consecutive year), No. 3 in rheumatology by U.S. News & World Report (2022-2023), and the best pediatric orthopedic hospital in NY, NJ and CT by U.S. News & World Report “Best Children’s Hospitals” list (2022-2023). In a survey of medical professionals in more than 20 countries by Newsweek, HSS is ranked world #1 in orthopedics for a second consecutive year (2022). Founded in 1863, the Hospital has the lowest complication and readmission rates in the nation for orthopedics, and among the lowest infection rates. HSS was the first in New York State to receive Magnet Recognition for Excellence in Nursing Service from the American Nurses Credentialing Center five consecutive times. An affiliate of Weill Cornell Medical College, HSS has a main campus in New York City and facilities in New Jersey, Connecticut and in the Long Island and Westchester County regions of New York State, as well as in Florida. In addition to patient care, HSS leads the field in research, innovation and education. The HSS Research Institute comprises 20 laboratories and 300 staff members focused on leading the advancement of musculoskeletal health through prevention of degeneration, tissue repair and tissue regeneration. The HSS Innovation Institute works to realize the potential of new drugs, therapeutics and devices. The HSS Education Institute is a trusted leader in advancing musculoskeletal knowledge and research for physicians, nurses, allied health professionals, academic trainees, and consumers in more than 145 countries. The institution is collaborating with medical centers and other organizations to advance the quality and value of musculoskeletal care and to make world-class HSS care more widely accessible nationally and internationally. www.hss.edu.
Stamford Health is a non-profit independent healthcare system with more than 3,700 employees committed to caring for the community through a wide range of high-quality health and wellness services. Patients and their families receive expert, compassionate care through the system’s 305-bed Stamford Hospital; Stamford Health Medical Group, with more than 40 offices in lower Fairfield County offering primary and specialty care; a growing number of ambulatory locations across the region; and support through the Stamford Hospital Foundation.
