Alan Zhang, MD
Professor
Orthopaedic Surgery
School of Medicine

415-885-3832

Dr. Alan Zhang is a board-certified orthopaedic surgeon specializing in sports medicine and minimally-invasive arthroscopic surgery of the hip, knee and shoulder. In the hip, he treats labral tears, FAI (femoroacetabular impingement), hamstring tears and other athletic injuries. He is a specialist in advanced hip arthroscopy for labral repair and reconstruction as well as hip preservation.

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In the knee, he specializes in ACL tears, meniscus tears and cartilage injuries- including ACL reconstruction and meniscus repair surgery. In the shoulder, he specializes in rotator cuff tears, labral tears, dislocation/instability and biceps tears.

Dr. Zhang is the Director of the UCSF Sports Medicine and Shoulder Surgery Fellowship and the Director of the Hip Preservation Center. He is a team physician for the University of San Francisco NCAA Division I teams and Archbishop Riordan High School.

Dr. Zhang is a Fellow of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons and the Arthroscopy Association of North America. He was elected to the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine Council of Delegates and is an editorial board member for the American Journal of Sports Medicine and the Arthroscopy Journal. He is an invited international speaker and has published over 150 research articles, winning numerous awards on his studies. He is also an instructor for advanced hip arthroscopy courses and is a member of the International Society for Hip Arthroscopy.

Dr. Zhang graduated Summa Cum Laude from Rice University, studying biochemistry and cell biology. He obtained his M.D. from UCSD School of Medicine and was inducted into the Gold Humanism Honor Society. Dr. Zhang completed residency training in Orthopaedic Surgery at UCLA Medical Center followed by a fellowship in Sports Medicine and Shoulder Surgery at UCSF.

Awards

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  • Fellow- Arthroscopy Association of North America (FAANA), Arthroscopy Association of North America, 2022
  • Charles E. Neer Clinical Science Award, American Society for Shoulder and Elbow Surgery (ASES), 2021
  • Editorial Board Member, Arthroscopy Journal, 2021
  • Top Doctor- San Francisco, Castle Connolly, 2020-2022
  • Top Doctor, San Francisco Magazine, 2020-2022
  • Fellowship Committee, AOSSM, 2020
  • Sports Medicine and Arthroscopy Program Committee, American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS), 2020
  • Principal Reviewer, American Journal of Sports Medicine, 2020
  • Editorial Board Member, American Journal of Sports Medicine (AJSM), 2020
  • Orthopaedic Research Seed Grant, UCSF Medical Center, 2020
  • Council of Delegates, American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine (AOSSM), 2019
  • Top Doctor, Marin Magazine, 2019
  • Fellow- American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (FAAOS), AAOS, 2017
  • Western Orthopaedic Association/OREF Research Award, Western Orthopaedic Association/Orthopaedic Research and Education Foundation, 2017
  • Research Committee, AOSSM, 2016
  • AAOS Headline News Article, American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, 2016
  • James A. Rand Research Award, American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons (AAHKS), 2016
  • Steven P. Arnoczky Research Grant, American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine (AOSSM), 2016
  • Invited International Guest Speaker, Hong Kong Orthopaedic Association 36th Annual Congress, 2016
  • Heiman Research Fellowship Award, UCSF Medical Center, 2016
  • Member, International Society for Hip Arthroscopy (ISHA), 2015
  • New Orthopaedic Vision Award, UCSF Medical Center, 2015
  • Resource Allocation Program for Trainees Grant, UCSF Medical Center, 2015
  • Editor's Spotlight, Clinical Orthpaedics and Related Research, 2014
  • Research Poster Award, Western Orthopaedic Association 78th Annual Meeting, 2014
  • H&H Lee Surgical Research Travel Grant, UCLA Medical Center, 2011
  • Gold Humanism Honor Society, UCSD School of Medicine, 2008
  • Alumni Scholarship, UCSD School of Medicine, 2006
  • Summer Research Training Grant, NIH, 2005
  • Tuition Scholarship, UCSD School of Medicine, 2005
  • Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society, Rice University, 2004
  • Phi Lambda Upsilon Honorary Chemical Society, Rice University, 2004
  • President’s Honor Roll, Rice University, 2004

Education & Training

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  • BA Rice University
  • Orthopaedic Surgery Residency UCLA Medical Center
  • MD UCSD School of Medicine
  • Sports Medicine Fellowship UCSF Medical Center

Interests

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  • ACL tear
  • gluteus tear
  • labral tear
  • ACL reconstruction
  • femoroactabular impingement (FAI)
  • shoulder instability
  • hip arthroscopy
  • rotator cuff tear
  • meniscus tear

Websites

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Grants and Projects

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  • Evaluating Disease Progression in Hip Osteoarthritis, NIH, 2016-2026
  • Quantitative Magnetic Resonance Imaging for Femoroacetabular Impingement of the Hip, American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine, 2016-2018
  • Quantitative Magnetic Resonance Arthrography for Femoroacetabular Impingement of the Hip, UCSF Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, 2015-2016

Publications (179)

Top publication keywords:
Joint InstabilityShoulder DislocationArthroscopyPain, PostoperativeAnalgesiaArthroplasty, ReplacementFemoracetabular ImpingementPatient Reported Outcome MeasuresTibial Meniscus InjuriesNerve BlockArthroplasty, Replacement, ShoulderShoulder InjuriesShoulder JointHip JointShoulder Fractures

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