Apurva S. Shah, MD, MBA

Apurva Shah, MD, MBA, is a nationally recognized expert in pediatric hand and upper extremity surgery, and has been named as a "Young Leader" by the American Society for Surgery of the Hand. He is an attending physician with CHOP’s Hand and Arm Disorders Program and directs the Brachial Plexus Program. Dr. Shah is one of a small group of surgeons in the country who perform complex reconstructive surgery for infants and children with brachial plexus birth palsy, including nerve grafting, nerve transfers, shoulder tendon transfers and humeral osteotomy. He also takes care of patients with acute flaccid myelitis and has performed nerve transfers for this rare condition.

Dr. Shah is passionate about caring for children with congenital hand and arm differences (anomalies). Watching these children grow and adapt to the world reminds him daily “to live life with a heart full of courage and joy.”

Although many congenital hand problems are rare, Dr. Shah has extensive experience treating a variety of conditions, including:

Dr. Shah serves as the Director of Clinical Research in the Division of Orthopaedic Surgery. He is a member of several multicenter research networks including Plexus Nexus and the Congenital Upper Limb Differences (CoULD) Registry. He has received several grants for hand and upper extremity research including funding from the Pediatric Orthopaedic Society of North America (POSNA) and the Orthopaedic Research and Education Foundation (OREF).

He has published more than 60 peer-reviewed scientific articles, reviews and textbook chapters. Over the last several years, Dr. Shah’s research has pioneered the use of text messaging to communicate with families after surgery in order to better understand post-operative pain and opioid use. This research has changed the way children recover from orthopaedic surgery by decreasing pain while limiting opioid use. “Our team is focused on getting children back to their home, school, playground and sports field as quickly as possible. Kids need nothing more than to be kids.”

Dr. Shah earned his bachelor's degree in Economics at Yale University, his medical degree at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, and his MBA at Columbia Business School. He completed a residency in orthopaedic surgery at the University of Michigan followed by the Harvard Hand and Upper Extremity Fellowship. During fellowship, Dr. Shah began to appreciate “the wonder and beauty of a child’s hand.” Before long, he realized that pediatric hand surgery was his “path in life.” Dr. Shah pursued advanced training in pediatric hand and upper extremity surgery at Boston Children’s Hospital where he developed expertise in the management of brachial plexus birth injuries and the reconstruction of complex congenital hand differences.

Dr. Shah travels internationally to provide hand surgery and care to children in underserved areas. He has collaborated with the Touching Hands Project (THP) to develop a sustainable hand surgery program in Honduras. He has been happily married for over 15 years and has two energetic, young children. Dr. Shah enjoys cycling, tennis, travel, and (win or lose) Philadelphia Eagles football.

Second opinion for complex cases

Children with hand and upper limb disorders travel from all over the country to obtain world-class care at CHOP. If your family has been told your child may need surgery, and you would like an expert opinion from Dr. Shah, the CHOP Orthopaedics Nurse Navigator can coordinate travel arrangements and assist in streamlined access to the personalized care and excellence that CHOP and Dr. Shah have to offer.

Attending Surgeon

Co-director, Brachial Plexus Injury Program

Assistant Professor, Orthopedic Surgery, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania

Distal radius (wrist) fractures in children

Brachial plexus birth palsy

Congenital hand differences

Health services, activity-based costing, and cost-effectiveness

2017-2018, Best Doctors for Children, Pediatric Orthopaedics, South Jersey Magazine



2017, Clinical Award Paper Nominee: Flexion supracondylar humerus fractures: ulnar nerve deficit is a risk for open reduction, European Paediatric Orthopaedic Society (EPOS) and Pediatric Orthopaedic Society of North America (POSNA)

2017, Orthopaedic Trauma Association (OTA) Grant: Opioid utilization after rotational ankle fractures: a prospective interventional study utilizing mobile phones and software communication

2016, American Society for Surgery of the Hand (ASSH) Grant: Long-term follow-up following surgical reconstruction for pre-axial polydactyly

2016, Safe Keeping Achievement Award for Paper at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Annual Quality and Safety Day: A dedicated orthopaedic trauma operating room improves efficiency at a pediatric center, The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia

2016, Peter Armstrong Award for the Best Quality, Safety, Value Paper: Determining the prevalence and costs of unnecessary referrals in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis, Pediatric Orthopaedic Society of North America (POSNA)

2015, Orthopaedic Research and Education Foundation (OREF) Grant: Time-driven activity based cost analysis of open vs. endoscopic carpal tunnel release



2015, Orthopaedic Research and Education Foundation (OREF) Grant: Randomized controlled study examining the long term effectiveness of trigger finger injections with triamcinolone vs. dexamethasone



2015, Best Poster at 2015 Mid-America Orthopaedic Association Annual Meeting: Patient factors systematically influence hospital length of stay in common orthopaedic procedures, Mid-America Orthopaedic Association



2014 POSNA Directed Research Grant, Pediatric Orthopaedic Society of North America (POSNA): Improving value delivery in pediatric distal radius fracture care



2014, Young Leaders Program, American Society for Surgery of the Hand



2014, Semifinalist for Roger A. Mann Award: Time and money: do Medicare RVUs match physician time requirements for orthopaedic procedures?, American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS)



2014, Clinical Award Paper Nominee: Time and money: do Medicare RVUs match physician time requirements for orthopaedic procedures?, Pediatric Orthopaedic Society of North America (POSNA)



2009 – 2010, Administrative Chief Resident, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Michigan Hospitals

Editorial Positions

02/13 – present, Consultant Reviewer, Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery

04/13 – present, Consultant Reviewer, Journal of Pediatric Orthopaedics

Memberships in Professional Organizations

American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS)

American Society for Surgery of the Hand (ASSH)

American Association for Hand Surgery (AAHS)

Pediatric Orthopaedic Society of North America (POSNA)

Pediatric Hand Study Group