Hafiz F. Kassam, MD

About Dr. Hafiz F. Kassam

Dr. Hafiz Kassam is a board-certified orthopedic surgeon specializing in shoulder reconstruction. He serves as HOI’s medical director of shoulder reconstruction.

Dr. Kassam has extensive experience in complex shoulder and elbow reconstruction and sports injuries. Dr. Kassam pursued his education and training at world-class institutions in three countries. After completing his undergraduate work and medical training in the United Kingdom, he completed his residency at the University of Toronto, which is one of the largest and most academically productive programs in North America. He then moved to the USA and completed his shoulder and elbow fellowship training at Yale University. He is an expert in minimally invasive techniques in shoulder and elbow joint replacement as well as advanced arthroscopy, traumatic reconstruction and non-operative treatments. He has performed more than 1,000 shoulder replacements and arthroscopic reconstructions in his career so far.

Believing in evidence-based choices for his patients and improving outcomes in modern orthopedics, Dr. Kassam is a well-published clinician-scientist. He has authored numerous original scientific research studies, technique guides, and textbook chapters, presenting his work on both the national and international stages. He is the program chair for the Northern California Shoulder and Elbow Course and sits on the Editorial Board for the Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Arthroplasty. Dr. Kassam is a member of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, the Arthroscopy Association of North America as well as the highly selective society of American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons. He is regularly invited as faculty at national courses on shoulder and elbow surgery and is currently a member of several multi-center research initiatives.

His involvement in these forums has given him extensive experience in the latest technologies and designs in shoulder and elbow surgery. These include minimally invasive total and reverse shoulder replacements as well as cutting edge arthroscopic procedures such as rotator cuff biologic augmentation and arthroscopic treatment of sports injuries. Dr. Kassam is also one of the few physicians in Southern California who specializes in revision shoulder and elbow surgery, tendon transfer operations, advanced soft tissue reconstructions and arthroscopic bony stabilization procedures.

An avid sportsman himself, and having competed internationally as a ranked middleweight boxer, Dr. Kassam is uniquely situated to understand the needs of the competitive athlete and the difficulties they can encounter. He is currently a ringside physician for USA Boxing.

Dr. Kassam is passionate about his work and approaches each of his patients with empathy and sound judgment to ensure they all achieve their best possible outcomes.

Education Medical Education - University of Manchester United Kingdom
Residency - University of Toronto (Orthopedic Surgery)
Fellowship - Yale New Haven Hospital (Shoulder & Elbow Surgery)