Orthopaedic Surgery Grand Rounds: James P. Higgins, MD, FACS

Professor James P. Higgins, MD, FACS
Chief, Raymond Curtis National Hand Center

Dr. Higgins serves as the fourth chief in the 70+ year history of the Curtis National Hand Center in Baltimore, Maryland. Dr. Higgins completed his undergraduate work at Williams College in Massachusetts, his medical school training at the University of Rochester, and his plastic surgical training at the University of Rochester. He then completed a hand surgery fellowship at the Curtis National Hand Center in 2002 and became a faculty member. In 2011 he began his tenure as Chief of the Hand Center. 

Dr. Higgins dedicated much of his clinical and research efforts to the advancement of microsurgical reconstruction of upper extremity traumatic injuries with a focus on vascularized bone and cartilage transfer. His work was recognized when he was selected the recipient of the 2024 Weiland Award by the ASSH. This award is granted to a single surgeon for a lifetime contribution of clinical and scientific research for the advancement of hand surgery. As Chief, Dr. Higgins directs the Curtis National Hand Center’s civilian hand fellowship, but also serves at the site director of the Joint Walter Reed/Curtis Hand military fellowship that has provided hand surgery training for the US Army hand surgeons sine the 1960’s. He also serves as a team leader for the collaborative hand transplantation program with the Department of Plastic Surgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital

He will be giving two talks:

7 am: “Integrated Hand Center Model: Sterling Bunnell to Today”

8 am: “Refinements in Microsurgical Treatment of Upper Extremity Trauma