Steven Orr, MD

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Get to know Orthopaedic Surgeon Dr. Steven Orr, who serves patients in New York, New York.

Dr. Orr is a fully-trained orthopaedic surgeon and a fellowship-trained hand and upper extremity surgeon, specializing in conditions of the hand, wrist, forearm, and elbow. He is in practice with RYC Orthopaedics, P.C. in New York, New York.

The mission of RYC Orthopaedics, P.C. is to provide the highest quality orthopaedic and sports medicine care utilizing an individualized and aggressively conservative approach. The providers recognize that every patient has a unique set of problems but a common goal of improving their quality of life and restoring a high level of activity. They strive to offer these patients every opportunity to succeed and improve with non-operative treatment. However, if surgery is required, they strive to offer cutting edge procedures and uncompromised, meticulous care in the setting of an atmosphere dedicated to academics and research.

Alongside his clinical role, Dr. Orr serves as a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine. He is thrilled to retain an affiliation with NYU Langone Health (NYU Hospital for Joint Diseases) and to continue serving as an educator to residents and fellows.

Among his professional affiliations, he is an active member of the American Medical Association and the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.

A native of Atlanta, Georgia, Dr. Orr graduated magna cum laude from Vanderbilt University. He completed his medical school training at Duke University School of Medicine, where he was awarded the Anthony V. Seaber Student Fellowship from the Piedmont Orthopaedic Foundation for his research in the field of tendon engineering.

He moved to New York to complete his orthopaedic residency training at Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS). While at HSS, Dr. Orr’s research focused on optimizing imaging techniques of the complex joints of the hand and wrist, and he received grants from both the American Foundation for Surgery of the Hand and the Orthopaedic Research and Education Foundation for this work. He was also instrumental in the development and adoption of a patient safety and quality improvement initiative promoting early detection of and rapid intervention for new post-operative nerve complications in joint replacement patients.

During his fellowship in hand and upper extremity surgery at NYU Langone, Dr. Orr’s training encompassed the full spectrum of hand surgery, including microsurgical and arthroscopic techniques. While in fellowship, he turned his research efforts to identifying and addressing implicit bias as it pertains to hand surgery. 

Beyond his clinical, research, and educational endeavors, Dr. Orr is a member of GLMA: Health Professionals Advancing LGBTQ Equality and the NYU Langone Orthopaedic Diversity and Inclusion Committee. In these roles, he works to promote healthcare equality and representation for LGBTQ patients and providers.

Orthopaedic surgery is the branch of surgery concerned with conditions involving the musculoskeletal system. Orthopaedic surgeons use both surgical and non-surgical means to treat musculoskeletal trauma, spine diseases, sports injuries, degenerative diseases, infections, tumors, and congenital disorders.

Among Dr. Orr’s various awards and honors include: Resident Clinician Scientist Training Grant, Orthopaedic Research and Education Foundation, 2018 ($20,000), “Novel Radiographic Views of the Scaphotrapezial Joint”; Resident/Fellow Fast Track Grant, American Foundation for Surgery of the Hand, 2017 ($5,000), “Cadaveric Validation of Novel Radiographic Views of the Scaphotrapezial Joint”; Surgeon-In-Chief Research Grant, Hospital for Special Surgery, 2017 ($5,000), “A CT-Based Approach to Determine Optimal Radiographic Views of the Scaphotrapeziotrapezoid Joint during Scaphoid ORIF with Cadaveric Validation”; Anthony V. Seaber Student Fellowship, Piedmont Orthopaedic Foundation, 2014; Duke-Singapore Student Scholar Fellowship, 2011; Dean’s Merit Scholarship, Duke University School of Medicine, 2009; and James C. and J. Liston Roberts Honor Scholarship, Vanderbilt University College of Arts and Science, 2005.

Outside of his work in healthcare, he enjoys singing, writing songs on his Yamaha keyboard, staying fit, spending time with friends and family, eating great food, and traveling the world with his husband.

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