2024 Dr. & Mrs. J. Elmer Nix Award Recipient
Joseph Zuckerman, MD

Dr. Zuckerman is the Walter A. L. Thompson Professor of Orthopedic Surgery at the NYU School of Medicine (SOM) and Chair of the Department of Orthopedic Surgery at NYU Langone Health. He is a graduate of Cornell University and of the Medical College of Wisconsin, where he was a member of the Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society. He completed his residency in orthopaedic surgery at the University of Washington Affiliated Hospitals, a fellowship in adult reconstructive surgery and arthritis research at Harvard’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and was a visiting clinician in shoulder surgery at the Mayo Clinic.

Dr. Zuckerman joined the faculty of the Hospital for Joint Diseases (HJD) in 1984 and was appointed Chair of its Department of Orthopedic Surgery in 1994. Three years later, he became chair of the NYU Department of Orthopedic Surgery and initiated the successful merger of the two departments. He served as director of the orthopaedic residency program, one of the largest in the country, from 1990 to 2006. Being involved in resident education has always very been important to Dr. Zuckerman. It was one of the most important reasons he chose an academic career. He takes great pride in the fact that since 1984 he has been actively involved in the education of almost 320 orthopaedic residents. Dr. Zuckerman’s dedication to orthopaedic resident education is evident by the fact that he is a five-time recipient of the “Teacher of the Year” award from the NYUHJD orthopaedic residents. In 2011, he received the “Distinguished Teaching Medal” from New York University. In 2013, he received the Master Educator Award from the NYU School of Medicine and in 2015, received the Distinguished Educator Award from the American Orthopaedic Association.

Dr. Zuckerman is an internationally recognized expert in shoulder surgery and hip and knee replacement. He established the Hip Fracture Research Group and the Shoulder Research Group and is a design surgeon of a shoulder replacement system for the treatment of glenohumeral arthritis and proximal humerus fractures.

Dr. Zuckerman has received the Clinical Research Award from the Orthopaedic Research and Education Foundation (OREF), the Mel Post Award from the American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons (ASES), Alumnus of the Year from the Medical College of Wisconsin and the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Arthritis Foundation’s New York Chapter. He was selected as an American-British-Canadian (ABC) Traveling Fellow by the American Orthopaedic Association (AOA). He serves as a spokesman for the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons (AAOS), sits on the editorial board of several medical journals, and has authored 16 textbooks and over 400 scientific articles. He is former president of the ASES and former chair of the Council on Education for the AAOS, which is the largest professional orthopaedic association in the world. He completed a four-year term as a member of the AAOS Board of Directors serving as second vice-president, first vice-president, and president from 2009-2010. More recently, he chaired the New Building Campaign Steering Committee which successfully raised almost $10M. He currently serves as Chair of the AAOS Committee on Outside Interests.

In addition to Dr. Zuckerman’s educational, research, and administrative responsibilities, he maintains an active clinical practice specializing in shoulder replacement and hip and knee replacements, performing over 300 operative procedures each year. His responsibilities at the NYU School of Medicine have included serving as President of the Medical Staff at Bellevue Hospital Center from 1999 to 2003. He has chaired numerous Chair Search Committees at NYUSOM including Surgery, Radiology, and Medicine and also chaired the Search Committee for the Dean/CEO of the Medical Center.