Donald Rose, MD

Sports medicine physician / Orthopedic surgeon

DONALD J. ROSE M.D., FACS, FAAOS
- BOARD CERTIFIED ORTHOPAEDIC SURGEON
- SPECIALIST IN SPORTS & DANCE MEDICINE
- DIRECTOR, HARKNESS CENTER FOR DANCE INJURIES, NYU LANGONE HEALTH

Dr. Rose is a nationally and internationally recognized orthopaedic specialist in the field of sports and dance injuries, extensively publishing and lecturing both in the United States and abroad. He has been an innovator in the field of arthroscopic and minimally invasive surgery.

Dr. Rose has served as the founding Director of the Harkness Center for Dance Injuries at NYU Langone Health since 1988. He has served as the Company Orthopaedic Consultant for many dance companies including Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre, Martha Graham, STREB, Complexions, Peridance Contemporary Dance Company, Dance Theatre of Harlem, Cedar Lake, numerous Broadway and off-Broadway shows, and the Joyce Theater Foundation

Dr. Rose has served as an Orthopaedic Consultant to the National Football League, as well as for Cirque du Soleil, Joffrey School, S.U.N.Y. Purchase, and the United Nations Medical Services. Dr. Rose has served as the New York Medical Director for the Women’s Professional Volleyball Association Tour. During his Sports Fellowship at Temple University Hospital, Dr. Rose provided orthopaedic coverage for the Philadelphia 76ers.

Dr. Rose graduated from Cornell University with a Bachelor of Arts degree where he was a member of the Varsity Rowing Team. During his orthopaedic residency at NYU Hospital for Joint Diseases, he was selected as Executive Chief Resident. He subsequently received a Frauenthal Traveling Fellowship.

Dr. Rose is the 1997 recipient of the prestigious Dance Library of Israel Documents of Dance Award. Dr. Rose was honored as the 2002 recipient of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey Distinguished Alumnus Award, as well as the 2012 UMDNJ – Robert Wood Johnson Medical School Distinguished Alumnus Award. He delivered the Convocation Address at the UMDNJ Robert Wood Johnson Medical School 2013 Graduation Ceremony. Dr. Rose has been honored by Martha Graham Dance School, Peridance, Buglisi Dance Theatre (Lifetime Achievement Award), Dance Theatre of Harlem (Chairman’s Award), and NYU Langone Medical Center. He was appointed as an Honorable Member, The Japanese Performing Arts Medicine Association. He has been listed as a "Top Doctor" by New York Magazine and Castle Connolly. As Director of the Harkness Center for Dance Injuries, he accepted the 2020 New York Dance and Performance Award- The Bessies 'For Service to the Field of Dance'.

Dr. Rose holds a Clinical Associate Professorship of Orthopaedic Surgery at NYU Grossman School of Medicine. He serves on the Sports Medicine Service at NYU Langone Orthopedic Hospital. At NYU Langone Orthopedic Hospital (formerly NYU Hospital for Joint Diseases), he served as Director of Ambulatory Surgery, a member of the Executive Committee, Chairman of the Ambulatory Surgery Standardization Committee, and is past President of the Alumni Association. Dr. Rose served on the Lincoln Center Business Council and is on the Actors Fund Dancers Resource Advisory Council and Peridance Contemporary Dance Company Board.

Dr. Rose is a Fellow of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons and the American College of Surgeons, and is an active member of several professional societies. He is on the Editorial or Advisory Board of several professional journals, and has served on the Instructional Course Faculty of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons and the Arthroscopy Association of North America.

Dr. Rose's personal athletic achievements include several Gold Medals (rowing) in U.S. National Championships, Royal Canadian Henley Championships, and the World Maccabiah Games.
Because I’m familiar with the mindset and physical requirements of athletes and performers, as their doctor, I can relate to them and better serve their needs. I practice an aggressively conservative approach to sports and dance injuries, whether through nonoperative or operative management.

Since 1988, I have served as the founding director of the Harkness Center for Dance Injuries at NYU Langone Orthopedic Hospital, where I manage injuries that are unique to dancers and conduct research on dance injury treatments. Additionally, I have served as an orthopedic consultant for several dance companies, including Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Martha Graham Dance Company, Dance Theatre of Harlem, Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet, and STREB Extreme Action, and for Broadway and Off-Broadway shows. I have also been an orthopedic consultant for the National Football League, Cirque du Soleil, The Joyce Theater, and SUNY Purchase, and served as the New York medical director for the Women’s Association of Volleyball Professionals tour.

In 1997, I received the Dance Library of Israel Documents of Dance Award. In 2002, I was honored by the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey with their Distinguished Alumnus Award, and in 2012, with the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School Distinguished Alumnus Award. I have been recognized by Castle Connolly’s “Top Doctors” series and as one of New York Magazine’s “Best Doctors in New York.” Also, I have served on the editorial and advisory boards of several professional journals.