Riley J. Williams, III, MD
Orthopedic Surgeon & Sports Medicine Specialist
Knee, Elbow & Shoulder
Manhattan • Brooklyn • New York City
Dr. Riley J. Williams III is a specialist in the field of knee, elbow and shoulder surgery at Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) in New York City. He holds a dual appointment in the Department of Orthopedic Surgery:
- Full-time member of the Sports Medicine & Shoulder Service
- Clinician-Scientist in the Research Division.
He is also a Professor of Orthopedic Surgery at Weill Cornell Medical College.
Dr. Williams attended college at Yale University and medical school at Stanford University and completed both his Orthopedic Surgery training and Sports Medicine Fellowship training at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York. A well-respected researcher in the global orthopedic community, Dr. Williams has published over 150 original peer-reviewed research papers, book chapters and reviews. As a clinician and educator, he has been invited for dozens of visiting professorships and grand rounds lectures the world over.
Dr. Riley J. Williams III
ORTHOPEDIC SURGEON
Educational Background
Clinical and Research Interests
Dr. Williams grew up in Los Angeles, California. He attended Loyola High School, and subsequently obtained his Bachelor of Science from Yale University. After college, Dr. Williams earned his Medical Degree from Stanford University. While at Stanford, Dr. Williams began his early research into cartilage metabolism at the Orthopedic Research Laboratory. Following medical school, he interned in General Surgery at Huntington Memorial Hospital (USC) in Pasadena, California. Dr. Williams then headed East to the Hospital for Special Surgery where he did both his residency and fellowship training in Orthopedic Surgery, and Sports Medicine.
Dr. Williams started his practice at the Hospital for Special Surgery in 1998 and has been named a Best Doctor in New York City by Castle and Connolly annually since 2006. He performs over 600 surgeries a year.
His clinical and research interests include: cartilage regeneration, cartilage transplantation, arthroscopic Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) reconstruction, arthroscopic rotator repair, arthroscopic shoulder stabilization & labrum repair, posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) reconstruction, elbow ligament reconstruction, and partial knee-replacement. Dr. Williams is the Director of the Institute for Cartilage Repair at Hospital for Special Surgery in Manhattan.
Professional Sports Team Involvement
Baseball
Dr. Williams worked with the New York Mets of Major League Baseball as a fellow and was made their Assistant Team Physician in 1998.
Basketball
Dr. Williams became the Medical Director and Head Team Physician for both the New Jersey/Brooklyn Nets (NBA) in 2004 and continues to serve in this role. Dr. Williams is a Team Physician for USA Basketball. He will be the official team doctor for the US Olympic Basketball teams at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics Games.
Soccer
Dr. Williams became the Medical Director and Head Team Physician for the New York Red Bulls (MLS) and continues to serve in this role. As the director of the FIFA Medical Center of Excellence at the Hospital for Special Surgery, his expertise in soccer medicine and leadership activities in this area helped HSS to achieve Center of Excellence designation in 2014.
Football
Dr. Williams worked with the New York Giants as a fellow.
Positions and Affiliations
| ATTENDING ORTHOPEDIC SURGEON | Hospital for Special Surgery |
| PROFESSOR OF ORTHOPEDIC SURGERY | Weill Cornell Medical College |
| DIRECTOR OF THE INSTITUTE FOR CARTILAGE REPAIR | Hospital for Special Surgery |
| MEDICAL DIRECTOR | Brooklyn Nets Basketball |
| MEDICAL DIRECTOR | New York Red Bulls Soccer |
| INTERNATIONAL CARTILAGE REPAIR SOCIETY (ICRS) | |
| AMERICAN ORTHOPEDIC SOCIETY FOR SPORTS MEDICINE (AOSSM) | |
| AMERICAN SHOULDER AND ELBOW SURGEONS (ASES) | |
| ANTERIOR CRUCIATE LIGAMENT (ACL) STUDY GROUP | |
| NBA TEAM PHYSICIAN SOCIETY | |
| MLS TEAM PHYSICIAN SOCIETY |
After the incident, I literally didn’t know when I’d be able to play basketball again. . .I am so grateful to Dr. Williams and the Team USA staff for helping me at that scary moment and for their support as I worked to get back onto the court.
I not only felt cared for in the medical sense, but I felt like Dr. Williams, Melissa and the entire team made a conscious effort to make my success their mission. They were helpful and supportive, beyond the confines of the hospital itself.
Locations
610 W 58th Street
New York, NY 10019
148 39th Street, 7th Floor
Brooklyn, NY 11232
Office Hours
Monday-Friday: 9:00 am – 4:30 pm
Fax: 212-774-2895
