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A. Bobby Chhabra, MD

Lillian T. Pratt Distinguished Professor and Department Chair
David A. Harrison Distinguished Educator

Photo of Orthopaedic Chair A. Bobby Chhabra, MD Dr. A. Bobby Chhabra is the Lillian T. Pratt Distinguished Professor and Chair of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and the David A. Harrison Distinguished Educator at the University of Virginia. He is he Director of the UVA Health Orthopaedic Center and is a team physician for the UVA Department of Athletics. He currently is the Vice President of the American Society for Surgery of the Hand. He will serve as President of ASSH in 2025-2026.  He has served as Chair of the UVA Department of Orthopaedic Surgery since 2013.

Dr. Chhabra’s areas of expertise include hand, wrist, and elbow trauma and arthritis with a particular interest in sports injuries and congenital hand surgery. He has been the physician lead and driving force in the development and construction of UVA’s Hand Center, and the brand new 200,000 square foot comprehensive UVA Health Orthopaedic Center which opened in early 2022.

Dr. Chhabra is a nationally recognized educator. He has received the University of Virginia School of Medicine Dean’s Award for Excellence in Teaching, the University of Virginia Master Educator Award, and the David A. Harrison Distinguished Educator Award, the highest teaching honor at the University of Virginia School of Medicine.

In 2014, Dr. Chhabra was inducted into the Raven Society, the most prestigious honorary society at the University of Virginia. In 2022, he received the University of Virginia Master Clinician Award.

Dr. Chhabra has published over 70 peer-reviewed articles, 40 book chapters, has been the editor for five text books, given 170 national and international presentations and has been invited as a Visiting Professor at 35 prestigious institutions.

In 2021, Dr. Chhabra received the Virginia Orthopaedic Society Distinguished Career Achievement Award. In 2022, he received the American Society for Surgery of the Hand David P. Green Mentorship Award.

For the last 6 years, Dr. Chhabra has had a weekly show on local ESPN/WINA radio, “Best Seat in the House Injury Report” and “Real Athletic Conversations” where he discusses everything from college sports injuries to the latest in the NFL, NBA, and other professional sports. He and his co-host, Jay James, have won the Associated Press of Virginia Best Sports Show Award in 2017-2018 and in 2020-2021.

Beyond Orthopaedics

“I enjoy spending time outdoors with my wife and kids and I am an avid Virginia Cavalier and Washington D.C. sports fan.

Contact

Office Location:
UVA Orthopaedic Center
2280 Ivy Road
Charlottesville, VA 22903
Mailing Address:
Box 800159 HSC
Dept Orthopaedic Surgery
University of Virginia
Charlottesville, VA 22908

Clinical Office Phone:
434.924.2663
Administrative Office Phone:
434.243.0218
Office Fax:
434.244.4454

Appointments

Chair, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Virginia

Lillian T. Pratt Distinguished Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery

Vice President of the American Society of Surgery for the Hand

David A. Harrison Distinguished Educator

Director, UVA Orthopaedic Center

Hand and Upper Extremity Consultant, University of Virginia Athletics

Professor of Plastic Surgery

Professor of Pediatrics

Specialty and Subspecialty

Specialty: Orthopaedics

Subspecialty: Hand, Wrist, and Elbow Surgery, Microsurgery

 

Education

Education: Johns Hopkins University, BA, Molecular Biology (1991)
University of Virginia School of Medicine, Doctor of Medicine (1995)

Residency:  General Surgery Internship
Postdoctoral Research Fellowship, Orthopaedic Basic Science
Residency in Orthopaedic Surgery,
University of Virginia 1995-2001

Fellowship: Hand, Upper Extremity, Microvascular & Congenital Hand Surgery, Hand Center of San Antonio and Texas Scottish Rite Hospital

Special Expertise

Sports Related Injuries to the Hand, Wrist, and Elbow

Congenital and Pediatric Hand Surgery

Trauma and Arthritis of the Hand, Wrist, and Elbow

Microvascular Surgery

Research Interests

Stem cell technology and tissue engineering treatment for volumetric muscle loss

Awards

Best Doctors of America (2008-2020)

Top Doctors in Virginia, Virginia Living (2019, 2020)

Best Bedside Manner Award. Our Health, Charlottesville & Shenandoah Valley Magazine (2018, 2019)

Associated Press of Virginia Best Sports Show for “Best Seat in the House Injury Report with Dr. Bobby Chhabra” (2017-2018)

Best Boss in Charlottesville, Daily Progress Newspaper, Charlottesville, Virginia (2018)

David Harrison Distinguished Educator Award, UVA School of Medicine (2016)

Charles W. Miller UVA Resident Teaching Award (2010)

Master Educator Award, UVA (2007)

Dean’s Award for Excellence in Teaching, UVA (2006)

Charles W. Miller UVA Resident Teaching Award (2006)

Robert Pruner UVA Resident Teaching Award (2004)

opaedics, 2004

Certification and Licenser

Board Certified in Orthopaedic Surgery (American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery)

Subspecialty Certification (CAQ) in Surgery of the Hand (American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery)

Licensed to practice in Virginia

Recent Publications

Lobb DC, DeGeorge BR Jr, Chhabra AB. “Bone Graft Substitutes: Current Concepts and Future Expectations.” J Hand Surg Am. 2019 Jun;44(6):497-505.e2. doi: 10.1016/j.jhsa.2018.10.032. Epub 2019 Jan 28. Review. PMID 30704784

Hess DE, Drace P, Franco MJ, Chhabra AB. “Failed Thumb Carpometacarpal Arthroplasty: Common Etiologies and Surgical Options for Revision.” J Hand Surg Am. 2018 Sep;43(9):844-852. doi: 10.1016/j.jhsa.2018.03.052. Epub 2018 Jun 20. Review. PMID 29934082

Gause TM 2nd, Nunnery JJ, Chhabra AB, Werner BC. “Perioperative Narcotic Use and Carpal Tunnel Release: Trends, Risk Factors, and Complications.” Hand (NY) 2018 Aug 1:1558944718792276. doi: 10.1177/1558944718792276. [Epub ahead of print]. PMID 30067126

Lipman MD, Gause TM, Teran VA, Chhabra AB, Deal DN. “Radial Hand Fracture Fixation Using Tripod Technique With Headless Compression Screws.” J Hand Surg Am. 2018 Jun;43(6):575.e1-575.e6. doi: 10.1016/j.jhsa.2018.03.009. Epub 2018 Apr 27. Review. PMID 29709352

Ding M, Jin L, Xie L, Park SH, Tong Y, Wu D, Chhabra AB, Fu Z, Li X. “A Murine Model for Human ECO Syndrome Reveals a Critical Role of Intestinal Cell Kinase in Skeletal Development.” Calcif Tissue Int. 2018 Mar;102(3):348-357. doi: 10.1007/s00223-017-0355-3. Epub 2017 Nov 2. PMID 2998359

Additional Websites for Dr. Chhabra

News

Best Seat in the House Injury Report with Dr. Bobby Chhabra from UVA Orthopaedics

(ESPN Radio/WINA Newsradio)