Stephen Quinnan, MD

Dr. Stephen Quinnan joined the Paley Orthopedic & Spine Institute in 2020. Dr. Quinnan has been a major innovator in the field of orthopedic surgery, having invented and published multiple groundbreaking surgical treatments. Several of these are in the areas of treatment for limb deformity, severe fractures, and post-traumatic complications. Specifically, his pioneering work includes a new technique for bone transport with circular external fixation using internal cables known as Balanced Cable Transport. He also developed and has educated the world on the revolutionary method of BC-TATN, which is Balanced Cable Transport and Then Nailing. This method sets new records for what is possible in limb reconstruction achieving by far the fastest times to the completion of reconstruction ever reported with outstanding overall success rates for patients with bone loss.

In addition to these major advancements, Dr. Quinnan also was a co-inventor of the Bone Transport Nail now manufactured by Nuvasive. This nail is a major breakthrough in that for the first time it offers a tool designed for treating bone loss with distraction osteogenesis using a totally internal method without external fixation. He has also described a new paradigm in the treatment of fracture nonunion and malunion for the modern age using distraction and compression nails.

In addition to these innovations in limb reconstruction, Dr. Quinnan also co-developed the first-ever technique for Minimally Invasive Surgery for Lumbopelvic Fixation. This method was co-published in the seminal work with Dr. Seth Williams and has now been widely accepted resulting in a major change in the treatment of severe posterior pelvic fractures, especially those of the sacrum. Dr. Quinnan also developed medical device systems for external fixation as well as plate and screw fixation with Globus Medical. In addition, Dr. Quinnan has been an early adopter and innovator in the area of 3D printing applications in extremity and trauma reconstruction including total talus replacement.

Dr. Quinnan specializes in the treatment of fracture nonunion and malunion, limb lengthening, correction of limb deformity and malalignment, treatment of lower and upper extremity bone loss, treatment of osteomyelitis, distraction osteogenesis with bone transport, limb and joint preservation surgery. Dr. Quinnan also specializes in amputee reconstruction including osseointegration for amputees, targeted muscle reinnervation, and residuum lengthening in addition to expert fracture care for the pelvic and acetabulum, lower and upper extremities, foot and ankle. Dr. Quinnan’s limb reconstruction expertise incorporate additional techniques including hip, knee, and ankle replacement, distraction arthroplasty of the ankle, orthoplastic reconstruction, arthrodesis of the upper and lower extremities, and treatment of knee and ankle contractures. He is certified by the American Board of Orthopedic Surgery and is the only Active Member of the Orthopedic Trauma Association in Palm Beach County.

Prior to joining the Paley Orthopedic & Spine Institute, Dr. Quinnan worked as the Chief of Orthopedic Trauma Surgery at the University of Miami Health System Department of Orthopedics, as well as Chief of Orthopedic Trauma Surgery at Jackson Memorial Hospital and Director of Orthopedic Surgery at Jackson South Medical Center. In addition, Dr. Quinnan served as Associate Professor of Orthopedic Surgery and Fellowship Director at the University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Orthopedic Trauma Fellowship.

For his education and training, Dr. Quinnan completed an orthopedic trauma fellowship at the world’s top fellowship in this field at the R Adams Cowley (RAC) Shock Trauma Center, University of Maryland Medical System located in Baltimore, MD. Dr. Quinnan also finished a limb lengthening and deformity reconstruction fellowship at the Royal Brisbane Hospital, Brisbane, Australia. For his orthopedic surgical internship and residency, Dr. Quinnan worked at St. Luke’s Roosevelt Hospital Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Columbia University located in New York, NY. Dr. Quinnan graduated medical school from the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons.

Since 2011, Dr. Quinnan has been a leader in the METRC (Major Extremity Trauma Research Consortium) and has acted as both investigator and site director in over a dozen multicenter research studies with grants totaling over $1 million in research funding. Dr. Quinnan was the site principal investigator for the EMS BIND study and was on the steering committee for the FIXIT study in addition to being an associate investigator for multiple other studies. He has also conducted many other independent research studies as well as with the Biedermann Biomechanics laboratory.

Throughout his medical career, Dr. Quinnan has authored numerous orthopedic surgery books and medical journal articles. Dr. Quinnan has also presented his orthopedic surgery research and findings globally at medical conferences and nationally at conferences and grand rounds meetings. In 2014, Dr. Quinnan was awarded the Howard Rosen Award for outstanding instructor granted by AO Trauma Education North America. In 2017, he received the Rosa Family Endowed Award in Orthopedics granted for “Outstanding contributions in academic development and education.”