NEW YORK, February 25, 2025 – (BUSINESS WIRE) – Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS), the world’s leading academic medical center focused on musculoskeletal health, has appointed internationally acclaimed sports medicine surgeon Riley J. Williams III, MD, as Chief of the Sports Medicine Institute (SMI). HSS treats athletes from more than half of all teams in major league baseball, basketball, football and hockey, and is the Official Hospital of teams and leagues including the Brooklyn Nets, New York Football Giants, New York Knicks, New York Mets, and NY Red Bulls.
Effective March 1, Dr. Williams succeeds Andrew D. Pearle, MD, who has led the HSS Sports Medicine Institute since 2019 and will continue his distinguished clinical practice and research activities at HSS.
“We are very grateful for Dr. Pearle’s exceptional leadership over the past six years,” said Douglas E. Padgett, MD, surgeon-in-chief and medical director at HSS. With Dr. Williams at the helm, the SMI will continue to break new ground in clinical care, research and education, helping athletes and active individuals of all abilities return to the activities they love.”
A trailblazer in sports medicine, Dr. Williams specializes in knee, shoulder and elbow surgery, with a focus on knee ligament repair and cartilage reconstruction after sports-related and orthopedic injuries. He performed the first knee cartilage transplantation in New York at HSS in 1998. He is also a trusted medical expert for elite athletes and professional teams worldwide, serving as Medical Director and Head Team Orthopedic Surgeon for the Brooklyn Nets, New York Liberty, and New York Red Bulls MLS. He also leads the FIFA Medical Center of Excellence at HSS and was recently appointed the New York Chief Venue Medical Officer for the FIFA World Cup in 2026.
“I’m incredibly honored, humbled and excited to step into this new role,” said Dr. Williams, “It is a career milestone, and I owe a deep debt of gratitude to my peers and colleagues for their profound influence over the years.”
Leading a multidisciplinary team of more than 60 clinicians across HSS locations in New York, Connecticut, New Jersey and South Florida, Dr. Williams will focus on fostering greater collaboration among sports medicine surgeons and physicians, with the goal of taking patient outcomes, research and education to new heights.
“The HSS Sports Medicine Institute is home to the world’s greatest concentration of talent in the field. Dr. Williams is the right leader for their next chapter,” said Bryan T. Kelly, MD, MBA, HSS President & CEO. “His passion for performance, recovery and collaborative care will help the future of sports medicine and deliver outstanding results for our patients.”
Dr. Williams attended Yale University and is a graduate of the Stanford University School of Medicine. He then completed his residency in Orthopedic Surgery and a fellowship in Sports Medicine and Shoulder surgery at HSS, before starting his practice. Dr. Williams has published over 141 peer-reviewed research papers over his career. With hundreds of invited lectureships and several notable teaching awards over his career, he is widely regarded as a key opinion leader in the field of Sports Medicine.
Dr. Williams is a member of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine, the International Cartilage Regeneration and Joint Preservation Society, the Orthopaedic Research Society, American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons and the NBA Physicians Association.
About HSS
HSS is the world’s leading academic medical center focused on musculoskeletal health. At its core is Hospital for Special Surgery, nationally ranked No. 1 in orthopedics (for the 15th consecutive year), No. 3 in rheumatology by U.S. News & World Report (2024-2025), and the best pediatric orthopedic hospital in NY, NJ and CT by U.S. News & World Report “Best Children’s Hospitals” list (2024-2025). In a survey of medical professionals in more than 20 countries by Newsweek, HSS is ranked world #1 in orthopedics for a fifth consecutive year (2025). Founded in 1863, the Hospital has the lowest readmission rates in the nation for orthopedics, and among the lowest infection and complication rates. HSS was the first in New York State to receive Magnet Recognition for Excellence in Nursing Service from the American Nurses Credentialing Center five consecutive times. An affiliate of Weill Cornell Medical College, HSS has a main campus in New York City and facilities in New Jersey, Connecticut and in the Long Island and Westchester County regions of New York State, as well as in Florida. In addition to patient care, HSS leads the field in research, innovation and education. The HSS Research Institute comprises 20 laboratories and 300 staff members focused on leading the advancement of musculoskeletal health through prevention of degeneration, tissue repair and tissue regeneration. In addition, more than 200 HSS clinical investigators are working to improve patient outcomes through better ways to prevent, diagnose, and treat orthopedic, rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases. The HSS Innovation Institute works to realize the potential of new drugs, therapeutics and devices. The HSS Education Institute is a trusted leader in advancing musculoskeletal knowledge and research for physicians, nurses, allied health professionals, academic trainees, and consumers in more than 165 countries. The institution is collaborating with medical centers and other organizations to advance the quality and value of musculoskeletal care and to make world-class HSS care more widely accessible nationally and internationally. www.hss.edu.
Contacts
Noelle Caccia / Rachael Rennich / Tracy Hickenbottom
mediarelations@hss.edu
(212) 606-1197
