Dr. Katherine Rosenwasser promoted to Chief Pediatric Orthopedic Trauma
Katherine A. Rosenwasser, MD, was recently named Chief of Pediatric Orthopedic Trauma at Columbia University Irving Medical Center (CUIMC) / Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital of New York (MSCHONY). Dr. Rosenwasser obtained her undergraduate degree from Duke University and then matriculated to Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians & Surgeons. After earning her M.D., she extended her training at CUIMC in their prestigious orthopedic surgery residency, where she served as Administrative Chief Resident in 2017-2018. Dr. Rosenwasser subsequently completed two fellowships: first in Pediatric Orthopedic Surgery at the premier Hospital for Sick Kids in Toronto, ON and then at the International Limb Lengthening and Reconstruction Center at the prestigious Sinai Hospital’s Ruben Institute for Advanced Orthopedics in Baltimore, MD.
A 2018 alumnus of the New York Orthopaedic Hospital/Columbia Orthopedics residency program, Dr. Rosenwasser returned to Columbia as an Assistant Professor of Orthopedic Surgery in 2020. Two years later, she was named the Director of Medical Student Education for Orthopedic Surgery. In this role, Dr. Rosenwasser coordinates the third-year clerkship and curriculum; under her leadership the Department boasts incredibly positive reviews across the board. On the national level, she is an active member of the Ruth Jackson Orthopaedic Society (RJOS) and the Pediatric Orthopaedic Society of North America (POSNA) where she was selected to the 2024-2026 POSNA Mentorship Program. This spring, CUIMC/MSCHONY will host POSNA’s traveling fellows, with Dr. Rosenwasser as the site lead for the New York City visit.
MSCHONY is the only Level-1 Pediatric Trauma Center in New York City and is also a tertiary children’s hospital receiving transfers from dozens of local hospitals not affiliated with the NYP system, as well as within enterprise transfers for escalation of care. There are seven board certified orthopedic surgeons with subspecialty training in pediatric orthopedic surgery who share the 24/7/365 trauma call.
As the Chief of Pediatric Orthopedic Trauma, Dr. Rosenwasser showcases her tremendous training in both hot (recent injury) and cold (past injury) pediatric trauma, experience garnered from her dual fellowship training. She is a physis expert (physis is the primary center for skeletal growth of long bones)—using state of the art techniques to both diminish the risk of growth disturbance at the onset of trauma and also correcting the sequelae (condition resulting from a prior disease, injury, or attack) of malunion, nonunion and growth arrest should it occur in the post-trauma period. Dr. Rosenwasser treats the zone of injury, as well as the entire limb and child with thoughtful precision for the best outcomes despite traumatic beginnings.
Congratulations Dr. Katherine Rosenwasser!