Francis H. Shen, MD

Dr. Francis H. Shen is the Warren G. Stamp Endowed Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery, Professor of Pediatrics, head of the Orthopaedic division of Spine, and Co-Director of the Spine Center at UVA. He serves as the department’s Vice Chair for Faculty Affairs. He completed an undergraduate biomedical engineering degree from the University of Michigan, received his M.D. and completed Orthopaedic Surgery residency at UVA. This was followed by a Spine Surgery Fellowship at Rush University and Pediatric Spinal Deformity training at Shriners Hospitals for Children in Chicago. He also completed an Orthopaedic Research Fellowship at UVA, and was selected as a Scoliosis Research Society (SRS) Traveling Fellow and North American Spine Society (NASS) Traveling Fellow.

Dr. Shen’s clinical practice includes the management of degenerative conditions, spinal deformity, trauma, tumors, and infections of the spine. He utilizes traditional open surgical techniques, but also specializes in cutting-edge minimally invasive surgery, image guided spine surgery, and microsurgery. He performed the first robotic-assisted spine surgery, and the first robotic-assisted computer image-guided surgery at UVA. Dr. Shen has been recognized as a Top Doctor by US News and World Report, Castle Connolly Top Physicians, and profiled by Becker’s Spine Review. He has developed several novel surgical techniques, which have been published extensively in the peer-reviewed literature and textbooks.

Dr. Shen’s basic science research is focused on improving the future of patient care by applying tissue engineering principles to solve clinically relevant problems. Nationally, he is the Director of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeon’s Board Review Course, he serves as a Board Examiner for the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgeons, and is an editorial board member for The Spine Journal, SPINE, European Spine Journal, and SpineLine. Internationally, Dr. Shen has served as a Board Member of the AOSpine Foundation, was a program member of the International Meeting on Advanced Spine Techniques, and is a member of the Cervical Spine Society Executive Board. He has been the recipient of numerous clinical and basic science awards including multiple awards for Outstanding Basic Science Papers, and Outstanding Clinical Papers in The Spine Journal. He has received over 20 Young Investigator Awards, Career Development Grants, and Foundation Awards for his basic science and clinical research.

Beyond Orthopaedics

“I try to spend as much time as I can with my daughter. She is the light of my life.”

Warren G. Stamp Endowed Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Virginia

Professor of Pediatrics, University of Virginia

Spine Division Head, University of Virginia

Co-Director of the Spine Center

Specialty: Orthopaedic Surgery

Subspecialty: Spinal Surgery

Complex revision spinal surgery

Complex adult and pediatric spinal deformity

Spinal tumors and infections

Spinal trauma

Clinical and biomechanical role of Dual Construct in complex spinal reconstructions

Surgical correction of high grade spondylolisthesis

Patient outcomes after spinal surgery

Current IRB Studies

Decadron Use and Outcomes of ACDF and PSF

Neurochecks in SIMU

ENT Eval Prior to Revision ACDF

Education:   B.S., Biomedical Engineering, University of Michigan (1992)
M.D., University of Virginia (1996)

Residency:   Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Virginia
Orthopaedic Research Fellowship, University of Virginia

Fellowship: Spine Surgery, Rush University
Pediatric Spinal Deformity, Shriners Hospitals for Children
North American Spine Society Clinical Traveling Fellowship
Scoliosis Research Society Traveling Fellows

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

Licensed to practice in Virginia

Best Doctors in America (2014-2017, 2019-2020)

Best Bedside Manner, Our Health Charlottesville (2019)

Master Clinician Award, University of Virginia (2018)

European Spine Journal Reviewer of the Year (2015)

NASS Best Meeting Paper, North American Spine Society (2015)

Top Doctor in Orthopaedic Surgery, U.S. News (2012-2017)

SPINE Journal Reviewer of the Year, SPINE (2012)

NASS Outstanding Basic Science Paper Runner-Up, Spine Journal (2009, 2012)

OTA Advisor Resident Award, Orthopaedic Trauma Association (2012)

Clinician Scientist Award, OREF (2004-2012)

Scoliosis Research Society Hibbs Award Best Basic Science Paper (2009)

Career Development Award, MTF (2007)

Young Investigator Award, North American Spine Society (2007)

National Osteoporosis Foundation Award (2007)

New Investigator Award, Cervical Spine Research Society (2007)

NASS Outstanding Basic Science Paper Awards, Spine Journal (2006, 2007)

NASS Outstanding Clinical Science Paper Award, Spine Journal (2007)