Sandeep Mannava, MD, PhD is a board certified and fellowship trained orthopedic surgeon who specializes in orthopedic sports medicine; arthroscopic surgery (minimally invasive surgery) of the knee and shoulder; as well as shoulder reconstruction and replacement. He is an expert in sports and work related knee injuries (meniscal injuries and ACL tears). He is an expert in traumatic and degenerative shoulder conditions including rotator cuff tears, shoulder arthritis, and shoulder dislocations/instability.
Dr Mannava has a clinical and research interest in orthopedic regenerative medicine--including the use of platelet rich plasma and bone mineral aspirate concentrate (BMAC, stem cells) to treat various orthopedic conditions. Additionally, Dr Mannava enjoys general orthopedic surgery and takes general orthopedic surgery call at Strong Memorial Hospital (our region's only Level 1 trauma center) and supervises care through the Orthopedic Urgent Care Clinic.
Dr Mannava partners with patients to determine their goals and expectations, then provides the medical care--both surgical and non-surgical--to obtain excellent outcomes that help patients of all ages achieve and maintain an active, healthy lifestyle. He is a compassionate physician scientist, an advocate for athletes, and a thought leader in orthopaedic sports medicine. Dr Mannava enjoys innovating and educating in the areas of orthopaedic surgery, arthroscopic surgery, biomedical sciences, and sports medicine. He provides high quality, evidenced based, and cutting-edge care to all of his patients.
Dr Mannava is one of the most published orthopaedic sports medicine surgeons in the western and central New York region. Dr Mannava has published over 80 manuscripts and book chapters, was awarded several competitive research grants, and invented a surgical device that was patented. Additionally, he has presented over 100 research abstracts at regional, national, and international conferences. He has expertise in regenerative medicine, in vivo biomechanics, the biology of aging, shoulder surgery, athletic knee injuries, and the overhead athlete. He remains an active volunteer physician with the United States Ski and Snowboard Association (USSA) and continues to provide medical care for U.S. Olympic athletes while on faculty at the UR Medicine Department of Orthopaedics & Rehabilitation. Dr Mannava is also a team physician and lead orthopedic surgeon for the Golden Eagles at The College of Brockport (SUNY).
Originally from Utica, New York, Dr Mannava graduated from Cornell University cum laude, with high honors in biological sciences, and distinction in research. He then attended medical school at the State University of New York (SUNY) at Syracuse--Upstate Medical University.
Dr Mannava completed his orthopaedic surgery residency at Wake Forest University. During his residency, he graduated from the Wake Forest Graduate School of Arts and Sciences with a PhD, awarded for research related to rotator cuff disorders. Dr Mannava went on to complete his arthroscopy and sports medicine fellowship training at the prestigious Steadman Clinic and Steadman Philippon Research Institute in Vail, Colorado. While in Vail, he helped in the treatment of professional and elite athletes from the NFL, NHL, NBA, MLB, and numerous Olympians while serving as a fellow in Vail, CO.
Dr Mannava moved to Rochester, New York with his wife, Dr Kathleen Mannava, a dermatologist and dermatopathologist at UR Medicine. Dr Kathleen Mannava is a native of Spencerport, New York and the Drs Mannava are looking forward to raising their two children closer to their families. Outside of work, Dr Sandeep Mannava enjoys spending time with his family, tennis, golf, skiing, as well as watching professional and collegiate sports.
Professional Background
Dr Sandeep Mannava is a native of Utica, New York where he graduated from New Hartford Senior High School. He went on to complete his undergraduate education at Cornell University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences in Ithaca, New York, with a bachelor of science (B.S.) in Biological Sciences with a concentration in animal physiology. He graduated Cornell University cum laude, with high honors in biology, and distinction in research. He then completed his doctor of medicine (M.D.) at the State University of New York (SUNY) Upstate Medical University in Syracuse, New York.
Dr Mannava then pursued a post-doctoral research fellowship in orthopedic surgery, regenerative medicine, biomedical engineering, and neuroscience as part of an integrated, 7-year, residency physician-scientist training program at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. While enrolled in the 7-year residency pathway, Dr Mannava received his doctor of philosophy (PhD) through the Neuroscience Program at Wake Forest University Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. Sandeep Mannava, MD, PhD completed his orthopedic surgery internship, orthopedic surgery residency, and his orthopedic surgery chief resident year at Wake Forest University, Wake Forest School of Medicine, North Carolina Baptist Medical Center, and Wake Forest Baptist Health in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
He then completed an additional year of orthopedic sports medicine and arthroscopic surgery fellowship training at the Steadman Clinic and Steadman Philippon Research Institute in Vail, Colorado. During his fellowship in Vail, Colorado, Dr Mannava studied complex knee surgery and comprehensive shoulder surgery--both minimally invasive and open surgical procedures--in addition to orthopedic regenerative medicine techniques. Dr Mannava also competed a part-time research, leadership, and health policy fellowship through the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) and American Board of Orthopedic Surgery (ABOS) visiting scholars program.
Dr Mannava has extensive previous research experience, serving as a summer research fellow at the Masonic Medical Laboratories in Utica, New York; an undergraduate urban semester intern at Weill Cornell Medical School in New York City; and an undergraduate research assistant at Cornell University Department of Biomedical Sciences. He went on to serve as a graduate research assistant at SUNY Upstate Medical University. He completed post-doctoral research and served as a physician scientist at Wake Forest University. He was then a clinical fellow and researcher associated with the Steadman Philippon Research Institute in Vail, Colorado.
Dr Mannava is active in several medical societies including American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS), Orthopaedic Research Society (ORS), Arthroscopy Association of North America (ANNA), American Orthopedic Society for Sports Medicine (AOSSM), and the American Orthopaedic Association (AOA) Emerging Leaders Program. He also serves as a volunteer physician in the active pool of United States Ski and Snowboard Association (USSA). He has traveled to Russia, the Czech Republic, and throughout the United States with US Olympians in the Skiing and Snowboarding disciplines to provide orthopedic sports medicine event and training medical coverage.
Research
Research Interests: Biology of aging, Soft tissue biomechanics and tensioning, Tissue engineering, Regenerative medicine, Medical eduction, Athletic knee injuries, Shoulder surgery, Rotator cuff biology
Summary of research efforts:
Rotator cuff tears are a common cause of upper-extremity disability, particularly in elderly patients over 50 years of age. For chronic, full-thickness, rotator cuff tears, repair surgery can be technically challenging due to large gap distances and increased stiffness of the muscle-tendon unit. In contrast, acute rotator cuff tears are associated with lower repair tensions, less fibro-fatty infiltration of the muscle, and better functional outcomes. Our research group has previously utilized animal models to understand rotator cuff muscle function in the acute and chronic tear setting and these results can be translated into clinical recommendations using computational modeling. Through the use of electrophysiological and innovative surgical techniques, we were able to study the role of aging, tenotomy, and suprascapular neuropathy on in vivo skeletal muscle dysfunction. We have translated some of these findings utilizing mathematical modeling to make predictions regarding shoulder surgery outcomes. Through these experimental studies, our group is optimistic that we can improve the clinical neurophysiological understanding and care of rotator cuff dysfunction. Previous work by our group has been translated into a patented surgery device that is currently being studied clinically during rotator cuff repair surgery.
Additional clinical research efforts have focused on medical education, athletic knee injuries, regenerative medicine, stem cell technology, healthcare policy/leadership, and shoulder surgery. Many of our findings on the athletic patient population have been published in peer-reviewed journals and presented both nationally and internationally. Through this team approach, we hope to translate our basic science research findings into clinical recommendations that will ultimately benefit our patients, allowing us to provide world-class and cutting-edge patient care.