Eric R Wagner, MD, MSc

Eric Wagner, MD, was born in San Francisco, California, but moved to multiple cities in California, Colorado and Texas prior to college. He completed his undergraduate education at University of California, Davis, where he lettered for three years in basketball and majored in biochemistry and molecular biology. He then completed medical school at the University of Chicago, Pritzker School of Medicine. 
Following medical school, he completed his orthopaedic surgery residency training at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota (Ranked #2 in by US News and World Report). After residency, Dr. Wagner was selected to train in the top ranked Hand and Microvascular Surgery at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. Following this year, Dr. Wagner was selected to the train in the prestigious Harvard’s International Shoulder and Elbow Fellowship at Massachusetts General, and Brigham and Women’s Hospitals in Boston, Massachusetts. As part of the international component of the Harvard fellowship, Dr. Wagner trained with world leaders in shoulder arthroplasty and arthroscopy in Nice, France, and in Annecy, France.
Dr. Wagner sees patients at Emory’s primary Orthopaedic Office at the Musculoskeletal Institute. He also spends a portion of his time at Emory University Orthopaedics and Spine Hospital in Tucker and Grady Memorial Hospital. His clinical areas of specialty include common and complex pathologies from the shoulder through the hand. He specializes in treating many of the most complicated and complex pathologies within the upper extremity, recognized as a national and international expert in the advanced arthroscopy and joint replacement techniques. He has published over 350 peer-reviewed journal articles, delivered over 1000 lectures and presentations at national and international meetings, and authored over 25 book chapters. He serves as the shoulder/elbow associate editor for JAAOS, regional editor for JHS GO, and associate editor for the ASSH Hand.e and Handthology, as well as on multiple leadership positions and committees at the American Society of Surgery for the Hand (ASSH), the American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons (ASES), the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS), and the Georgia Shoulder and Elbow Society (GSES).  He served as the co-chair of the ASES Specialty Day at the 2024 AAOS Annual Meeting, the co-chair for the ASSH 2024 Annual Meeting, the ASES Fellows Day Co-Chair in 2025 and 2026, and is the founder and director for the ASES International Journal Club from 2020 through 2026. Additionally, he has received numerous grants to support his clinical and basic science research interests and has received numerous national and international awards (see below) for many of his upper extremity research investigations. For example, he was selected to participate in the prestigious American Orthopaedic Association's (AOA) North American Traveling Fellowship (NATF) in 2021.  Furthermore, he won the Gelberman Traveling Fellowship award in 2020-2021 through the American Society for Surgery of the Hand (ASSH).  He also won the prestigious 2023 ASES Neer Award for the top clinical research project in the world focusing on shoulder surgery that year.
In his free time, Dr. Wagner enjoys spending time with his family, fly fishing, tango, swing and salsa dancing, skiing, playing and watching basketball, traveling and reading.

MEDIA APPEARANCES

• Fox News Local Television Interview 2019:  Association between Mobile Phone Usage and Thumb Injuries
• AAOS Now 2019:  The Increasing Burden of Musculoskeletal Care from Rising E Scooter Injuries
• Fox News Local Television Interview 2020:  Rising E Scooter Injuries and the Impact on Musculoskeletal Care
• Imaging Technology News (ITN) 2021:  The Novel Use of Dynamic Digital Imaging to Evaluate and Treat Shoulder Pathologies.
• AAOS Now 2021:  Using Dynamic Digital Imaging Change the Diagnostic and Treatment Algorithms for Shoulder Pathologies.
• Orthopaedics Today 2021 Cover Story:  Advancements in Wrist Arthroplasty May Improve Results.
• AAOS Innovation Hub 2022:  The Future of Imaging:  Dynamic Digital Imaging in the Diagnostic and Treatment of Upper Extremity Pathologies.
• Imaging Today 2022:  Emory Healthcare Researcher Wins Two Awards Using Konica Minolta’s AI Analysis Tool With Dynamic Digital Radiography in Shoulder Pathology
• AAOS Innovation Hub 2023:  Using Dynamic Digital Radiography to Improve our Diagnostic and Treatment Algorithms.
• Washington Post 2024:  What is Avocado Hand?  Injuries While Cutting Avocados Are On The Rise.
• San Francisco Radio Station 2024:  Avocado Hand.

 

2025 – present   American Association of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) Shoulder and Elbow Education Content Committee

2025                   Co-Chairman of the American Shoulder and Elbow Surgery (ASES) 2025 Fellows Day, San Diego, CA

2024 – present   Co-Chairman of the Corporate Advisory Council (CAC) of American Society of Hand Surgery (ASSH)

2024                   Co-Chairman of International Wrist Arthroscopy Society (IWAS) Course at the Federation of European Societies for Surgery of the Hand (FESSH) Annual Meeting, Rotterdam, Netherlands, June 27-29, 2024

2024 – present   Deputy Editor, Shoulder and Elbow, for Journal of American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgery (JAAOS)

2025 – 2028       Guest Editor, Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery (JBJS) Specialty Update, What’s New in Hand Surgery

2024 – present   Nominations Committee Member, American Association for Hand Surgery (AAHS)

2023 – 2024       Co-Chairman of the American Society of Hand Surgery (ASSH) 2024 Annual Meeting in Minneapolis, Minnesota

2023 – 2024       Co-Chairman of the American Shoulder and Elbow Society (ASES) Specialty Day at the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgery (AAOS) 2024 Annual Meeting, San Francisco, California.

2023 – 2024       Co-Chairman of the Annual Meeting Committee, American Society of Hand Surgery (ASSH)

2023 – present   Deputy Editor, Handipedia Initiative, American Society for Surgery of the Hand (ASSH)

2021 – present   Founder and Chair of American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeon’s (ASES) Virtual Journal Club

2020 – present   Editorial Board, Hand.e of American Society for Surgery of the Hand (ASSH)

2020 – present   Member of the Research Committee for American Shoulder and Elbow Society (ASES)

2020 – present   Member of the Young Members Steering Committee for American Society for Surgery of the Hand (ASSH)

2020 – present   Member of the Steering Committee for the Adrian E. Flatt Residents and Fellows Conference in Hand Surgery at the American Society for Surgery of the Hand (ASSH) Annual Meeting

2020 – present   Director of Research for the Emory Orthopaedic Surgery’s FOSSIL Program as part of its diversity and inclusion initiative

2019 – present   Member of Program Education Committee (PEC) for Emory University Orthopaedic Surgery Residency

2019 – 2024        Editorial Board for Techniques in Hand and Upper Extremity Surgery Journal (THUES)

2019 – 2024        Editorial Board for European Journal of Orthopaedic Surgery and Traumatology (EJOST)

2019 – present    Member of the Evidence Based Practice Committee of the American Society for Surgery of the Hand (ASSH)

2018 – present    Member of Young Leaders Group, Emory Orthopaedic Surgery Department

2018 – present    Editorial Board for Journal of Hand Surgery GO, American Society for Surgery of the Hand (ASSH)

2018 – present    Member of the International Relations Committee of the American Society for Surgery of the Hand (ASSH)

2018 – present    Member, International Wrist Investigators Workshop (IWIW)

2019                    American Society for Surgery of the Hand Young Leaders Program

2019                     Emory Clinic Young Leaders Development Program, Emory University

2014 – present   Member of the Research Management Committee (RMC) of the American Society for Surgery of the Hand (ASSH)

2015 – present   Member of the Emerging Leaders Program, American Orthopaedic Association (AOA)

2015                   Resident Leadership Forum (RLF) Participant, American Orthopaedic Association (AOA)

 2020 – present  Member, American Association for Hand Surgery (AAHS)

2019 – present    Associate Member, American Shoulder and Elbow Society (ASES)

2019 – present   Member, Congress of the European Society of Surgery for the Shoulder and Elbow (SECEC)

2019 – present   Member, Eastern Orthopaedic Association (EOA)

2019 – present   Member, Georgia Society for Surgery of the Hand (GSSH)

2019 – present   Member, Georgia Shoulder and Elbow Society (GSES)

2019 – present   Member, Georgia Orthopaedic Society (GOS)

2017 – present   Member, American Orthopaedic Association (AOA)

2014 – present   Member, American Society for Surgery of the Hand (ASSH)

2013 – present   Fellow, American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgery (AAOS)

2014 – 2016       Delegate at the American Medical Association (AMA) Annual Meeting representing the American Association of Hand Surgery (AAHS)

2013 – 2018       Member, Mid America Orthopaedic Association (MAOA)

2013 – present   Member, American Medical Association (AMA)

2009 – 2011       Member, Admissions Committee, Pritzker School of Medicine – Chicago, IL

2025 – 2028       Guest Editor, Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery (JBJS) Specialty Update, What’s New in Hand Surgery

2025 – present   Editor of the Arthroscopy Association of North America (AANA) Wrist Arthroscopy Comprehensive Examination

2024                   Editor, Special Issue on Shoulder and Elbow Arthroplasty and Fracture, Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery (JSES) RRT

2024 – present   Deputy Editor, Shoulder and Elbow, Journal of American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgery (JAAOS)

2023                   Editor, Special Issue on Compression Neuropathies, Journal of Hand Surgery Global Open (JHS GO)

2020 – present   Editor, Hand.e of American Society for Surgery of the Hand (ASSH)

2019 – 2023       Editor, European Journal of Orthopaedic Surgery and Traumatology (EJOST)

2019 – 2022       Editor, Nerve Injuries after Orthopaedic Surgeries Textbook

2019 – 2023       Editor, Techniques in Hand and Upper Extremity Surgery Journal (THUES)

2018 – present   Editor, Journal of Hand Surgery Global Open (JHS GO)

2020 – present   Invited Reviewer, American Journal of Sports Medicine (AJSM)

2020 – present   Invited Reviewer, Seminars in Arthroplasty: JSES

2019 – present   Invited Reviewer, European Journal of Orthopaedic Surgery and Traumatology (EJOST)

2019 – present   Invited Reviewer, Techniques in Hand and Upper Extremity Surgery Journal (THUES)

2018 – present   Invited Reviewer, Journal of Hand Surgery Global Open (JHS GO)

2018 – present   Invited Reviewer, Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery (JBJS)

2018 – present   Invited Reviewer, Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery (JSES)

2017 – present   Invited Reviewer, Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Arthroplasty (JSEA)

2017 – present   Invited Reviewer, Journal of Hand Surgery (JHS)

To provide the highest quality of care, interpreter services may be utilized to ensure proper communication of medical information for deaf, hard-of-hearing, and non-English speaking patients or family members.

2024     Emory Researcher Appreciation Day Top Clinical Researcher Award, Emory School of Medicine 2024

2024     American Society for Surgery of the Hand (ASSH) Best Paper Award for Top Clinical Research Investigation at Annual Meeting, 2024:  Arthroscopic Pectoralis Minor Release and Infra-Clavicular Brachial Plexus Decompression for Neurogenic Thoracic Outlet Syndrome: A Novel Treatment for an Old Problem

2024    American Society for Surgery of the Hand (ASSH) Top 5 E-Posters Award at Annual Meeting, 2024:  Suture Tape Tension Band for Olecranon Fracture Fixation: Early Outcomes of a Novel Technique

2024     American Society for Surgery of the Hand (ASSH) Top 15 E-Posters Award at Annual Meeting, 2024:  Lower Trapezius Tendon Transfer Shows Superior Restoration of Shoulder Biomechanics Compared to Reverse Shoulder Arthroplasty for Massive Irreparable Rotator Cuff Tears: A Dynamic Radiography Study

2024     First Place at Georgia Orthopaedic Society 2024 Resident Competition. “Arthroscopic-Assisted Lower Trapezius Transfer vs. Superior Capsular Reconstruction for Treatment of Massive Irreparable Rotator Cuff Tears.” Georgia Orthopaedic Society Annual Meeting. Sept 2024

2024     Third Place at Georgia Orthopaedic Society 2024 Resident Competition. “Interfragmentary Screws Versus Intramedullary Screw for Proximal Phalanx Fractures: A Biomechanical Study in Matched Hands.” Georgia Orthopaedic Society Annual Meeting. Sept 2024

2024    SOA/OREF Resident Top Paper Presentation Award Winner: Arthroscopic-Assisted Lower Trapezius Transfer vs. Superior Capsular Reconstruction for Treatment of Massive Irreparable Rotator Cuff Tears. SOA. Miami Beach, FL. July 20, 2024.

2024    Emory Orthopaedic Surgery Residency Clinical Teaching Award, Best Lecturer for 2023-2024.

2024     Emory Orthopaedic Surgery Residency Teaching Award, Best Research Collaborator for 2023-2024.

2023     Best Poster Award at the American Society of Surgery for the Hand (ASSH) 2023 Annual Meeting:  “Oral Medrol Dosepack in Total Shoulder Arthroplasty:  Results of a Randomized Controlled Trial”

2023     British Elbow and Shoulder Society (BESS) Ian Kelly Prize 2023 – awarded to the presenter of the second highest scoring paper for:  “Artificial intelligence automated analysis of scapula dynamics using dynamic digital radiography: A validation and reliability study”

2023     Emory Orthopaedic Surgery Residency Teaching Award, Best Research Collaborator for 2022-2023.

2023     Emory Orthopaedic Surgery Residency Teaching Award, Best Clinical Lecturer for 2022-2023.

2023     First Place at Georgia Orthopaedic Society 2023 Resident Competition. “Methylprednisolone Taper is an Effective Addition to Multimodal Pain Regimens after Total Shoulder Arthroplasty: Results of a Randomized Controlled Trial.” Georgia Orthopaedic Society Annual Meeting 2023. Sept 2023

2023    Southern Orthopaedic Association President’s Top Resident Paper:  “Methylprednisolone Taper Reduces Acute Pain and Opioid Consumption after TSA”

2023    Charles S. Neer Award 2023, Best Clinical Paper of the Year in the Field of Shoulder Surgery:  “Methylprednisolone Dosepack is an Effective Addition to Multimodal Pain Regimens after Total Shoulder Arthroplasty:  Results of a Randomized Controlled Trial”

2023    Atlanta Magazine Top Doctors (Orthopaedic Surgery Subspecialty) Award 2023.

2022    Emory Orthopaedic Surgery Residency Teaching Award, Best Research Collaborator for 2021-2022.

2022    Emory Orthopaedic Surgery Residency Teaching Award, Best Clinical Lecturer for 2021-2022.

2022    Presenter’s Choice Award Winner 2022 OREF Eastern Region Resident Research Symposium: “Artificial Intelligence Automated Analysis of Scapula Dynamics using Dynamic Digital Radiography: An Initial Reliability Study.” 

2022   Best Overall Paper Runner-Up, 2022 OREF Eastern Region Resident Research Symposium:  “Artificial Intelligence Automated Analysis of Scapula Dynamics using Dynamic Digital Radiography: An Initial Reliability Study.”

2022   Atlanta Magazine Top Doctors (Orthopaedic Surgery Subspecialty) Award 2022

2022   Presidential Keynote Speaker at the Mexican Orthopaedic Association Annual Meeting for the Shoulder and Elbow Section, April 27 to May 1, 2022.

2022   American Orthopaedic Association (AOA) North American Traveling Fellowship (NATF) Award for 2022

2021   Best Paper of the Year 2021 Award from JHS GO:  “Management of Acute Distal Radioulnar Joint Instability Following a Distal Radius Fracture: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis” published in Volume 3, Issue 3 of The Journal of Hand Surgery Global Online (JHS GO)

2021   American Society for Surgery of the Hand (ASSH) Richard H. Gelberman Award for 2020-2021, International Traveling Fellowship

2021   Kelly Day Research Award 2021, Emory Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, 2nd Place:  “Novel Measurement of Scapulohumeral Rhythm Using Dynamic Imaging”

2021   Thomas E Whites Resident Award, Georgia Orthopaedic Society (GOS), 2nd Place, Annual Meeting 2021:  “Post-operative Glucocorticoid use in Shoulder Arthroplasty: Results of a Randomized-Control Trial”

2020     American Society for Surgery of the Hand (ASSH) Best Paper Award for Top Clinical Research Investigation at Annual Meeting, 2020:  “Opioid Free Distal Radius Surgery: Methylprendisolone is 50% of the Way There!”

2020    Emory Researcher Appreciation Day Top Clinical Researcher Award, Emory School of Medicine 2020

2020   Georgia Orthopaedic Society 2020 Thomas E. Whitesides Resident Award (2nd Place):  Biomechanical Evluation of Scapholunate Reconstruction Techniques.

2019    Musculoskeletal Tumor Society (MSTS) Award for 2019. “What reconstructive technique provides the best functional outcome following oncologic intraarticular resection of the proximal humerus?”

2019     First Alternate for the American Orthopaedic Association (AOA) North American Traveling Fellowship (NATF) for 2019

2019     European Society for Surgery of the Shoulder and Elbow (SECEC) Top Paper Finalist 2019, Copenhagen, Denmark:  “Needle Arthroscopy vs. MRI: a prospective, blinded, randomized controlled trial.”

2019    Emory Researcher Appreciation Day Top Clinical Researcher Award, Emory School of Medicine 2019

2019   John Joyce Award Finalist, International Society for Arthroscopy, Knee and Orthopedic Surgery (ISAKOS) 2019, Las Vegas, NV:  “Tendon Transfer Comparison for the Treatment of Posterosuperior Irreparable Rotator Cuff Tears.”

2019   Neer Award Finalist, American Shoulder and Elbow Society (ASES) at American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons (AAOS) Specialty Day 2019, Las Vegas, NV:  “Comparison of Open and Arthroscopic Tendon Transfers in the Treatment of Posterosuperior Irreparable Rotator Cuff Tears.”

2018    Robert Cofield Award for Top Podium Presentation at American Shoulder and Elbow Society (ASES) Fellows Conference:  “Learning Curve of Superior Capsular Reconstruction”, presented at San Diego Shoulder Institute (SDSI) 2018.

2018    Top Educational Video Presentation, American Academy of Orthopedic Surgery (AAOS) 2018 Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA:  “Arthroscopic-assisted Lower Trapezius Transfer for Posterosuperior Irreparable Rotator Cuff Tears.”

2018     Top Paper Presentation, International Federation for Surgery of the Hand (IFSH) 2018 Annual Meeting, Singapore:  “Frailty, using the 5-item modified frailty index, in Distal Radius Fractures”

2016     Best Poster for 2016 American Association of Hand Surgery (AAHS) Annual Meeting:  “Predicting Failure and Complications in Total Wrist Arthroplasty; review of a 40-year experience” presented as best poster at 2016 Orthopedic Research Society (ORS) Annual Meeting.

2016    Mayo Clinic Patrick J. Kelly Traveling Fellowship Runner-up for Top Basic Science Paper: “VEGF-Mediated Angiogenesis and Vascularization of a Fumarate-Crosslinked Polycaprolactone (PCLF) Scaffold”

2015    Best Paper Award (1 of 3) at the European Shoulder and Elbow Society Annual Conference 2015, Milan, Italy: “BMI as a Continuous Variable in Shoulder Arthroplasty”

2014    Best Poster Award at the Residents and Fellows Section of the 2014 American Society for Surgery of the Hand (ASSH) Annual Conference: “FDS Opponensplasty through Guyon’s Canal”

2014   Mayo Clinic Patrick J. Kelly Traveling Fellowship Award for Top Basic Science Paper: “Ligament Tissue Engineering using a Novel Porous Polycaprolactone Fumarate (PCLF) Scaffold and Adipocyte Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells and Platelet Lysate”

2014   Mayo Clinic Mark B. Coventry Traveling Fellowship Award for Top Clinical Paper: “BMI as a Continuous Variable Total Hip Arthroplasty”

2014   Best Paper Award in Clinical Investigation at 2014 Mid America Orthopaedic Association (MAOA) Annual Conference: “Total Hip Arthroplasty Survival Stratified according to BMI”

2013   Clinician Scholar Development Program.  Selected to participate and represented American Society for Surgery of the Hand (ASSH) at AAOS/OREF/ORS event in Roseville, IL, from October 9-11, 2012.

2011    Leon O. Jacobson Prize for Top Translational Science Paper, “Examining the Inhibition of Osteosarcoma Tumorigenesis and Induction of Osteogenic Differentiation by IGFBP5” Senior Scientific Session, Pritzker School of Medicine

2010   Calvin Fentress Fellowship Award, “Examining the Mechanism Underlying Tumorigenic and Metastatic Inhibition of Osteosarcoma by IGFBP5”, Pritzker School of Medicine

2009 – 2011   Inaugural Pritzker Molecular Research Fellowship, University of Chicago Hospitals and Pritzker School of Medicine

2007      Top Clinical Science Award, “Prognosis Associated with Crohn’s Disease and Colorectal Cancer”, Pritzker Annual Research Conference – Chicago IL

2006 – 2011   Pritzker School of Medicine Scholarship for Full Tuition,           Pritzker School of Medicine

2002 – 2003   Top Scholar Athlete, University of California Davis Men’s NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Team

2002       Salt Lake City Olympic Torch Relay Runner – Dallas, TX:  Nominated for Inspirational Role in Volunteering and Community Service, after an anonymous nominations and national competition