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Duretti Fufa, MD

Hand and Upper Extremity, Trauma
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About Dr. Fufa

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Dr. Duretti Fufa is a board certified orthopedic surgeon specializing in hand surgery with additional expertise in reconstruction and microsurgery. She earned her undergraduate and medical degrees from Harvard University before completing her orthopaedic surgery residency at Hospital for Special Surgery. Dr. Fufa completed fellowship training in hand and upper extremity surgery at Washington University in St. Louis. Her subspecialty training continued with a plastic surgery fellowship in trauma and microsurgery at Chang Gung Memorial Hospital in Taipei, Taiwan.

With unique training in both orthopedic and plastic surgery, Dr. Fufa's interests range from fractures and common hand and wrist problems to complex wound coverage, limb salvage and post-trauma functional enhancement. Aside from these clinical and research interests, Dr. Fufa is interested in global medicine and volunteerism and has traveled to Germany, China, India, Honduras and Ethiopia on medical exchanges.

Learn about Dr. Fufa's work at CURE for her latest mission at the CURE Ethiopia Children’s Hospital.

 

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Departments

Specialized Centers

Center for Brachial Plexus and Traumatic Nerve Injury
Limb Salvage and Amputation Reconstruction Center (LSARC)

Special Expertise

Hand and wrist surgery
Upper limb trauma
Complex reconstruction of the upper and lower limb
Functional surgery after trauma, replantation, burns

Procedures

Hand and Wrist Conditions:
Fractures
Lacerations
Carpal tunnel 
Trigger finger
Arthritis
Microsurgery
Complex Soft Tissue Wounds & Reconstruction
Post-traumatic deformity and dysfunction
Free Tissue Transfer

Patient Stories

Videos

Patient ratings for Dr. Fufa

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Insurance

If your insurance is not listed, please call our office if you have questions regarding your insurance coverage. If you have out-of-network benefits, then your insurance may reimburse you for a portion of your office visit. We will work with you and your insurance to minimize your out-of-pocket costs. Financial assistance may be available for patients in need.

Credentials

Appointments

Program Director, Orthopaedic Surgery Residency, Hospital for Special Surgery
Associate Attending Orthopedic Surgeon, Hospital for Special Surgery
Associate Professor of Clinical Orthopedic Surgery, Weill Cornell Medical College
Associate Attending Orthopedic Surgeon, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital

Affiliations

American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons
American Orthopaedic Association
American Society for Surgery of the Hand
American Association for Hand Surgery
American Society for Reconstructive Microsurgery
American Society for Peripheral Nerve
American College of Surgeons
American Heart Association, Healthcare Provider BLS/ACLS Certification
New York Society for Surgery of the Hand
The Thomas B. Quigley Society for the Advancement of Sports Medicine
The J. Robert Gladden Orthopaedic Society
Ruth Jackson Orthopaedic Society
The Association for Surgical Education

Certification

The American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery
Certificate of Added Qualifications, Surgery of the Hand

Awards

ASSH Bunnell Fellowship Award, 2022
New York Magazine: Top Doctors, 2019-2022
Castle Connolly Top Doctors in New York Metro Area, 2019-2022
Nancy Bischoff Mentor Award, Hospital for Special Surgery, 2021
Castle Connolly Regional Top Doctors, 2019-2020
Top Doctors New York Metro Area, 2019-2020
American College of Surgeons Annual Surgical Simulation Summit, Best in Show Award, 2019
American Society for Surgery of the Hand, Emmanuel Kaplan Award, 2019
Exceptional Women In Medicine, 2019
New York Society for Surgery of the Hand Residents and Fellows Night, 1st Place Prize, 2018
American Orthopaedic Association Emerging Leaders Program, 2017
American Society for Surgery of the Hand, Gelberman Scholar Award, 2017 
Hospital for Special Surgery Richard S Laskin, MD Young Attending Award, 2017 
American Foundation for Surgery of the Hand Resident/Fellow Fast Track Grant, 2017.
American Society for Surgery of the Hand Young Leaders Program participant, 2014
AO Trauma International Fellowship, 2013
Overseas Chinese Affairs Council, Elite Scholarship, 2012
American Foundation for Surgery of the Hand-Health Volunteers Overseas, Young Surgeon Traveling Fellowship, 2009

Education

Bachelor: Harvard University, Cambridge, MA – Bachelor, 2002
Medical: Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA – Doctor of Medicine, 2006
Internship: General Surgery – New York Presbyterian/Weill-Cornell, New York, NY/USA, 2007
Residency: Orthopaedic Surgery – Hospital for Special Surgery, 2011
Fellowships: Hand and upper extremity surgery, Washington University, St. Louis, MO/USA 2012
Trauma and microsurgery, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taipei/Taiwan, 2013

State Licensure

Languages

English, Spanish

For My Patients

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Surgical Locations

Dr. Fufa performs surgery at the following locations:

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Videos and Resources

Patient Education Articles

What Should You Expect from Needle Aponeurotomy Procedure for Dupuytrens


Volunteerism

Why I Volunteer with Duretti Fufa, MD

CURE Ethiopia Children's Hospital - Volunteer Mission

 

Publications by Dr. Fufa

Selected Journal Articles

Editorial Appointments

Hospital for Special Surgery Journal
Journal Orthoplastic Surgery, Editorial Board member
Journal of Hand Surgery
Journal of Plastic, Reconstructive & Aesthetic Surgery 
Orthoplastic Surgery
Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery – Global Open 

Selected Books/Chapters

Fufa D, Raphael B, Weiland A. Wrist Injuries in Baseball Players. In: Sports Medicine of Baseball. Edited by Dines J, Atlchek D. Andrews J, et al. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2012

Research

Dr. Fufa’s clinical and research interests range from fractures, common hand and wrist injuries, to complex wound coverage, limb salvage, and post-trauma functional enhancement. Below is a brief description of her current research efforts, which could be furthered with the help of philanthropic support.

Research Interests

Diagnosis and Treatment of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
Dr. Fufa is investigating how to better diagnose and treat carpal tunnel syndrome. Her research takes on a multimodal approach to improving treatment of patients with less invasive, more efficient and cost-effective methods. One of her studies explores the use of ultrasound to diagnose and predict response to treatment. She is also analyzing the use of physical examination as a potential predictor of patient outcome after carpal tunnel surgery. This work has to this point been supported by internal funding and has led to publication in the leading hand surgery journal. Findings from these ongoing projects will help to advance diagnostic and prognostic tools for patients with this common condition.

Public Health Care Delivery and Global Surgical Outreach
Dr. Fufa collaborates in a working group of hand surgeons with tremendous international surgical outreach experience called Global Quality in Upper Extremity Surgery and Training (QUEST). The mission of this group is to develop quality measures to quantify and ensure high-quality care on outreach trips. This research work can be used as a basis for all future hand surgical outreach trips and serves as a foundation to all participating organizations and physicians to ensure safe, high-quality care delivery, and appropriate utilization of resources.

Impact of Opioid Epidemic in Upper Limb Surgery
Dr. Fufa and her colleagues are studying the use of prescription opioids following upper limb surgery. This study has been ongoing for the past 2 years and is at the forefront of our research efforts given the narcotic abuse epidemic in the United States. It has been made possible by hospital and national grants and was won research awards with the American Society for Surgery of the Hand. Findings from this ongoing research will be used to improve patient education at HSS and ultimately influence pain management efforts and patient care at institutions across the country.

Orthopaedic Training and Education 
As residency program director, Dr. Fufa oversees various institutional projects aimed at improving education of trainees in orthopaedic surgery. One such project known as the “Surgical Games,” uses lab-based surgical simulation to ensure resident preparedness for optimal safety and patient care. This research and its findings will be utilized to improve the education of adult learners and better prepare the next generation of orthopaedic surgeons. Dr. Fufa is also studying factors influencing women who specialize in orthopaedic surgery, a field where women are historically underrepresented.

Physician Burnout and Wellness
Physician burnout is on the rise and its causes are multifactorial. It is known that burnout negatively impacts not only physician wellness, but also patient care. Dr. Fufa’s work has involved assessing markers of burnout among orthopaedic surgeons and trainees and determining workplace factors associated with it. This work aims to design and measure targeted interventions to improve these factors.

Patient Registries

Industry Relationships

Industry Relationships

HSS has a long history of supporting appropriate relationships with industry because they advance HSS's mission to provide the highest quality patient care, improve patient mobility, and enhance the quality of life for all, and to advance the science of orthopedic surgery, rheumatology, and their related disciplines through research and education.

Below are the healthcare industry relationships reported by Dr. Fufa as of February 27, 2023.

  • BICMD, Inc. - Consultant
  • HS2, LLC - Ownership Interest
  • Integra Life Sciences - Consultant; Research Support
  • Medartis - Consultant

HSS and its physicians make this information available to patients and the public, thus creating a transparent environment for those who are interested in this information. Further, the HSS Conflicts of Interest and Commitment Policy prohibits physicians from collecting royalties on products they develop that are used on patients at HSS.

Patients should feel free to ask their HSS physicians questions about these relationships.

Dr. Fufa in the News