David B. Cohen, MD, FAAOS

Dr. David Cohen is Board-Certified in both Orthopaedic Surgery and Sports Medicine, and specializes in treating shoulder, knee and elbow problems. Whether you are high level athlete or someone striving to maintain an active lifestyle, you will be treated with compassion and will leave his office with a clear understanding of your problem and path toward recovery. He uses non-surgical treatments whenever possible and is an expert in arthroscopic and minimally-invasive surgical techniques when necessary. He completed both his residency and fellowship at The Hospital for Special Surgery, the number one ranked Orthopaedic Hospital in the world, treating professional athletes from the NY Giants and Mets, and his sports medicine research has been internationally recognized. He has been the Head Team Orthopaedic Surgeon for all of Quinnipiac University Bobcat athletes since 2003. Dr. Cohen was named “Top Doctor” in 2021, 2022 and 2023 by Connecticut Magazine.

Primary Specialty

Additional Specialties

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My name is Dr. David Cohen. I’m an orthopaedic surgeon at Connecticut Orthopaedics and my area of specialization is what we call Sports Medicine. I’ve always wanted to be an orthopaedic surgeon. It’s just been something, ya know, that you want to do from when you’re young. And as I got older it was no surprise that I went in that direction. Certainly, I have a segment of my practice that takes care of high level division one athletes, young baseball players, soccer players. But, most people fall into the category of sports medicine patients if they have problems with their shoulders, their knees or their elbows. That’s what I deal with and ya know I take care of those problems for 11 or 12 year olds all the way up to the 98-year-olds. I think a lot of people really come to my practice because they want to understand what’s going on. Everyone knows that they have an issue, but they don’t understand what it really is or they’ve seen somebody else who hasn’t really given them the explanation they need to be satisfied. And not every treatment is right for every person. And often there are surgical treatments. Often there are non-surgical treatments. And I think a step-wise, organized approach to solving the problem, done in a joint fashion, is really the best approach to treating people. What I love most about being a sports medicine orthopaedic surgeon is that I have enormous opportunity to have an impact on people’s lives. I love dealing with people. I love making people better. I love creating relationships with my patients where I can understand what their goals are and I can do everything possible to get them back to whatever it is they what to be doing. You can make a huge difference and you can take an injured person and get them back to the level of play or function that they were at previously. And you know, that’s a real privilege to be involved in that kind of pursuit as your livelihood and I feel very lucky.

Contact

For all general questions, prescription refills or to schedule an appointment, contact our office at:

Phone:
203.407.3518
Fax:
203.407.3558

Education and Training

  • B.A. Dartmouth College
  • M.D. Dartmouth-Brown Combined Medical Program
  • Chief Resident Orthopaedic Surgery – The Hospital For Special Surgery at Cornell University Medical Center
  • Orthopaedic Surgery Resident – The Hospital For Special Surgery at Cornell University Medical Center
  • Fellowship in Sports Medicine, Shoulder, and Knee Reconstruction- The Hospital for Special Surgery
  • International Traveling Fellowship in Complex Shoulder Reconstruction with Professor Christian Gerber, Balgrist Hospital, Zurich, Switzerland
  • Assistant Clinical Professor - Quinnipiac University, Department of Surgery Frank H. Netter MD School of Medicine

Board Certifications

  • American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery
  • Subspecialty Board Certification in Sports Medicine

Hospital Affiliations

  • Connecticut Orthopaedics Surgical Center – Branford
  • Connecticut Orthopaedic Institute at MidState Medical Center
  • Yale-New Haven Hospital Saint Raphael Campus

Team Affiliations

  • Head Team Orthopaedic Surgeon, Quinnipiac University Bobcats
  • Clinical Instructor, Yale University
  • Head Team Physician, Amity Spartans

Office Locations

Testimonials

David B. Cohen's Videos

Conditions and Treatments

CONDITIONS OF THE KNEE

Arthroscopy and Reconstruction

Broken Bones and Injury

Fractures

Tears and Instability

Pain Syndromes

CONDITIONS OF THE SHOULDER

Tears and Instability

CONDITIONS OF THE ELBOW

Educational Videos

Full Biography

Practice Philosophy:  Welcome to Dr. Cohen’s practice!  Dr. Cohen is a specialist in the care of athletes and active individuals of all ages. His practice emphasizes treating shoulder, knee and elbow problems, and prioritizes kindness, caring, patient education, and communication in our quest to get you back on the field, in the gym, or to an active lifestyle quickly and safely.  Dr. Cohen utilizes a multitude of non-surgical approaches when appropriate, and when surgery is the right choice, Dr. Cohen is an expert at minimally-invasive, arthroscopic techniques.

Credentials:  Dr. Cohen is a Board-Certified Orthopaedic Surgeon. He has also earned his Subspecialty Board Certification in Sports Medicine.

Education and Training:  Graduating with Honors from Dartmouth College, Dr. Cohen attended the Dartmouth-Brown Combined Medical Program graduating in the top 10% of his class. He subsequently completed his orthopaedic surgery residency training and served as Chief Resident at The Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) at Cornell University Medical Center, the number one ranked orthopaedic training program in the United States (US News and World Report).  He was then accepted as an international Traveling Fellow under Professor Christian Gerber at Balgrist Hospital in Zurich Switzerland where he gained experience in cutting-edge techniques in shoulder surgery.  The Hospital For Special Surgery then selected him to return for a Fellowship in Sports Medicine, Shoulder and Knee Reconstruction where he spent an additional year mastering the most advanced, minimally invasive techniques in managing knee, shoulder, elbow problems, as well as sports-related injuries.  During this time, he successfully treated numerous world-class professional athletes and celebrities, including players from the New York Giants and the New York Mets.

Team Physician and Teaching:  Dr. Cohen has been the Head Team Physician for the Quinnipiac University Bobcats since 2003.  He holds weekly teaching clinics at the University treating Division One athletes from all sports teams.  In addition, he has an academic appointment of Clinical Instructor at the Frank H. Netter, MD School of Medicine at Quinnipiac University where he teaches his craft to the medical students.  He is the head team doctor for the Amity High School Football team and is devoted to the care of high school athletes throughout Connecticut.  Dr. Cohen has been the Head Team Physician for the New Haven County Cutters professional baseball team, Assistant Team Physician for The Power, New York’s women’s professional soccer team, and Head Team Physician for the Yale Men’s Rugby Team.  Dr. Cohen himself is a former Division One athlete racing for the Dartmouth Men’s Alpine Ski Team.

Publications and Awards:  The American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine has recognized Dr. Cohen with the Excellence in Research Award for his work on rotator cuff injuries (awarded for the Best Sports Medicine Paper of the Year).  His findings have influenced the way rotator cuff injuries are managed today.  He is also the author of multiple peer-reviewed published research articles and book chapters on knee and shoulder injuries.  He has published on arthroscopic treatment of cartilage injuries of the knee and labral repairs in the athlete’s shoulder.  He has lectured and presented his work nationally and internationally, and has taught residents, medical students, physician assistants, and undergraduate athletic trainers at Yale and Quinnipiac Universities.

Shoulder Arthroscopic Specialist

  • Shoulder Dislocation Repair
  • Rotator Cuff Repair
  • Labral Repair
  • Frozen Shoulder
  • Shoulder Replacement (anatomic and reverse) (Outpatient and Inpatient)

Knee Arthroscopic Specialist

  • ACL Reconstruction
  • Meniscus Repair
  • Tendon Repair
  • Cartilage Transplant
  • Knee Replacement

Elbow Arthroscopic Specialist

  • Loose Bodies
  • Tennis / Golfer’s Elbow Repair
  • Ligament Repair / Reconstruction (“Tommy John”)
  • Biceps Tendon Repair

Non-surgical Care

  • Orthobiologics
  • Cross Training
  • Rehabilitation
  • Yoga / Pilates

Sports Medicine

  • Cartilage Injuries
  • Teen / Youth Sports Injuries
  • Fitness Training
  • Team Doctor Coverage

Dr. Cohen’s CV

Associations

  • Arthroscopy Association of North America
  • American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons
  • American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine
  • American Board of Orthopaedic Surgeons
  • National Board of Medical Examiners

Awards

  • 2021, 2022, 2023 “Top Doctor” by Connecticut Magazine
  • Excellence in Research Award- American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine
  • International Association of Orthopaedic Surgeons: Top Doctor- 2010
  • America’s Top Orthopedists- 2009, 2010
  • Patients’ Choice Award- 2009

Research and Publications

  • Indomethacin and Celecoxib Impair Rotator Cuff Tendon-to-Bone Healing. Cohen DB, Kawamura S, Ehteshami JR, Rodeo SA. American Journal of Sports Medicine. 2006 Mar;34(3):362-9.   Recipient of AOSSM Excellence in Research Award
  • Outcomes of Isolated Type II SLAP (LABRAL) Lesions Treated with Arthroscopic Fixation Using A Bioabsorbable Tack. Cohen DB, Coleman S, Drakos MC, Allen AA, O’Brien SJ, Altchek DW, Warren RF. Arthroscopy. 2006 Feb;22(2):136-42 
  • The Outside-in Technique for Arthroscopic Meniscal Repair. Cohen DB, Wickiewicz TL.  Operative Techniques in Sports Medicine.  April 2003 (Vol. 11, Issue 2, Pages 91-103)
  • Arthroscopic repair of type II superior labral anterior posterior lesions with and without acromioplasty: a clinical analysis of 50 patients. Coleman SH, Cohen DB, Drakos MC, Allen AA, Williams RJ, O’Brien SJ, et al. Am J Sports Med. 2007;35:749–753 
  • The “Overabuse Syndromes”: Children in Sports.  Radomisli T, Ehrlich M, Cohen D.  Rhode Island Medicine, 1997

Appointments

  • Clinical Instructor Orthopaedic Surgery, Frank H. Netter School of Medicine at Quinnipiac University 
  • Clinical Instructor & Attending Orthopaedic Surgeon – Yale New-Haven Hospital
  • Attending Orthopaedic Surgeon – Connecticut Orthopaedic Institute at MidState Medical Center

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