Evan Flatow


Evan L. Flatow is an American orthopaedic surgeon-scientist and academic medical leader whose work in shoulder surgery, tendon biology, and shoulder arthroplasty has been widely cited in specialty medical literature and technology-transfer case studies. He has authored several hundred peer-reviewed articles and book chapters and is a named inventor on multiple U.S. patents related to shoulder implant systems and musculoskeletal system|musculoskeletal] interventions, including designs for the evolution of modern shoulder arthroplasty.
Flatow is Executive Vice President for Clinical Affairs of the Mount Sinai Health System and Dean for Clinical Affairs at the Icahn [School of Medicine at Mount Sinai]. He retired from active surgical practice in 2024 and previously served as President of Mount Sinai West and Mount Sinai Morningside, as well as Chair of the Leni and Peter W. May Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.

Education

Flatow graduated from Princeton University with an A.B. in biomedical sciences in 1977, completing a senior thesis titled The Comparative Biochemistry of Microtubule Accessory Proteins.
He earned his medical degree from the Columbia University [College of Physicians and Surgeons] in 1981. Following medical school, he completed a surgical residency at St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital Center and an orthopaedic residency and fellowship at Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center.

Career

After joining the faculty of Columbia University in the late 1980s, Flatow became a prominent figure in academic shoulder and elbow surgery. In 1998, he joined Mount Sinai Hospital, where he later served as Chair of Orthopaedic Surgery and, beginning in 2014, as President of Mount Sinai West.
Specialty medical publications and trade outlets have cited Flatow for his clinical expertise and for his leadership in developing shoulder surgery programs at major academic medical centers.

Research

Flatow's research has focused on shoulder biomechanics, rotator cuff tendinopathy, and shoulder arthroplasty, integrating cadaveric and biomechanical studies with long-term clinical outcomes research. Review literature has cited tendon fatigue-damage models developed or applied by his research group as influential in shaping contemporary understanding of tendinopathy and tendon degeneration.
In shoulder arthroplasty, technology-transfer case studies and clinical overviews have cited implant systems associated with Flatow and collaborators as examples of how academic research informed commercially adopted surgical solutions.

Patents and technological innovation

Flatow has contributed to the development of shoulder arthroplasty implant systems and associated instrumentation, particularly designs intended to preserve bone stock, improve joint conformity, and accommodate physiologic shoulder motion. Technology-transfer publications have described the Bigliani–Flatow shoulder prosthesis as part of the broader evolution of modern shoulder arthroplasty.
Other work has addressed biologic and interventional approaches to tendinopathy, reflecting the translational integration of biomechanical research and clinical application.

Honors and awards

Flatow has received multiple Neer Awards for Excellence in Shoulder Research from the American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons, recognizing sustained contributions to shoulder biomechanics and clinical outcomes research.
He was elected to the College of Fellows of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering.

Influence

Flatow's work has been cited in professional literature and specialty medical media as part of the evolution of modern shoulder surgery, particularly in rotator cuff repair, tendon biology, and shoulder arthroplasty.
Technology-transfer case studies have discussed implant systems associated with Flatow as examples of how academic research has informed widely adopted surgical technologies.

Publications

Flatow is a reviewer for Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research, the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, Arthroscopy, the Journal of Orthopaedic Research, and the American Journal of Sports Medicine. He is the former North American editor and chair, board of trustees, for the Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery. He is a reviewer for that journal as of 2022.

Books

Flatow has written and edited multiple surgical textbooks and reference works in orthopaedic surgery and has contributed numerous book chapters to specialty volumes. Selected books include:
  • Shoulder Arthroplasty. Louis U. Bigliani and Evan L. Flatow. Springer, 2005..
  • The Rotator Cuff, Part I. Evan L. Flatow. The Orthopedic Clinics of North America. Saunders, 1997. ASIN B0019FV1QW.
  • The Rotator Cuff, Part II. Evan L. Flatow. The Orthopedic Clinics of North America. Saunders, 1997. ASIN B0018OPBX8.
  • Humerus. Evan L. Flatow and Christoph Ulrich ; Evan L. Flatow. Butterworth-Heinemann, 1997..
  • The Unstable Shoulder. Louis U. Bigliani, Robert A. Arciero, Evan L. Flatow, Roger G. Pollock, James E. Tibone, and Jon J. P. Warner. American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, 1996..
  • Complex and Revision Problems in Shoulder Surgery. Jon J. P. Warner, Joseph P. Iannotti, and Evan L. Flatow. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2005..
  • Atlas of Essential Orthopaedic Procedures. Evan L. Flatow and Alexis C. Colvin. Wolters Kluwer Health, 2019..

Peer-reviewed publications

As of 2025, Flatow was cited 22,700 times, has an h-index of 85 and an i10-index of 202.
Highest cited :
  • Citations: 930
  • . Citations: 735
  • . Citations: 668
  • . Citations: 619
  • Citations: 481
Most recent:
*