Dror Paley
MD, FRCSC
Medical Director
Previously, he was the Founder and Director of the Rubin Institute for Advanced Orthopedics, Baltimore, 2001-2009, and Professor & Chief of Pediatric Orthopedics at the University of Maryland, 1987-2001. Before that, he obtained subspecialty fellowship training in Pediatric Orthopedics, Hand Surgery, Trauma Surgery, and Limb Lengthening and Reconstruction Surgery,1985-87. He completed his orthopedic surgery residency at the University of Toronto 1980-1985 and his internship at Johns Hopkins 1979-80. He received his medical degree from the University of Toronto Medical School, Toronto, Canada, in 1979.
Dr. Paley is internationally recognized for his expertise in limb lengthening and reconstruction. He trained under the guidance of Prof. Gavril Ilizarov during multiple visits to Kurgan, Soviet Union. Dr. Paley introduced the Ilizarov method to the US and Canada in 1987. He was the Founder and first president of the Limb Lengthening and Reconstruction Society in 1989 and of the International Limb Lengthening and Reconstruction Society in 2015. He is the recipient of numerous awards, including Gubernatorial Citation 1990, Pauwel’s Medal in Clinical Biomechanics 1997, Best paper/poster award by SICOT, AAOS, POSNA, AORS; best illustrated medical textbook 2003; Health Professional of the Year 2011, Health Hero of the Year 2013, Florida Most Influential Business Leader 2019, 20, 21, 22, and was named a Living Legend by the Palm Beach Illustrated. He served as the Orthopedic Surgeon to the White House from 2017 to 2021. He has published over 150 peer- reviewed articles, five books, and 60 book chapters. Most notably: Principles of Deformity Correction, Springer (2002, 2005). The CORA method of deformity analysis in this text has become the gold standard for deformity planning in orthopedics.
He currently holds an academic appointment as a Professor of Orthopedics at the University of Vermont and Florida Atlantic University. He sits on the Board of Governors of St. Mary’s Medical Center. He has performed 25,000+ surgeries. Patients come to see him from all 50 states and over 100 countries. He is fluent, writes, reads, and lectures in six languages. He runs the Paley and unLIMBited Foundations and does mission trips around the world.
Dr. Paley grew up in Canada and moved to the United States in 1987. He lives with his wife Jennifer and stepson Daelan and has three grown children, Benjamin, Jonathan, and Aviva, and two grandchildren, Dalia and Jack. His hobbies include reading history, skiing, road and mountain biking, rock climbing, and scuba diving. He is fluent and lectures in six languages – English, Hebrew, French, Italian, Spanish and Russian and can converse to a more limited extent in Portuguese, German and Arabic.
Schedule an Appointment with Dr. Paley
Paley Institute Orthopedic Specialties
Limb Deformity Correction & Lengthening
Congenital Deformities
Constitutional Short Stature
Post traumatic Limb Deformities
Limb Length Discrepancies
Bone Healing Problems, Bone Defects, Bone & Joint Infections
Skeletal Dysplasia and Dwarfism
Tumor-like conditions (MHE, Ollier’s, Fibrous Dysplasia, MF1)
Metabolic Disorders
Developmental Deformities
Joint Contractures & Joint Stiffness
Foot Deformities
Upper Extremity Deformities
Short Residual Limb following amputation
Peripheral Nerve Disorders
Dedication to Teaching
Dr. Paley organized the first Ilizarov course in 1987 and the first ASAMI North America (Limb Lengthening and Reconstruction Society) meeting in 1989. He served as the first president of this subspecialty society (now called the LLRS-Limb Lengthening and Reconstruction Society). He was the past president-elect of the International Limb Lengthening and Reconstruction Society and the Chairman of the Combined Meeting of ILLRS, LLRS, and ASAMI International-BR. He organized and ran the internationally attended Annual Baltimore Limb Deformity Course from 1989-2008. He has lectured and demonstrated surgery in more than 80 countries and provides training for specialists from around the world through a fellowship program.
Dr. Paley was the Congress Chairman of the ILLRS Conference in Miami, 2015
Innovative Corrective Surgical Techniques in Pediatric Lower Limb Deformities Lecture
Academic and Other Credentials
Dror Paley, M.D., is a board-certified, fellowship-trained orthopedic surgeon and the most experienced surgeon in the United States and the world in limb lengthening and deformity correction. A partial listing of Dr Paley’s credentials include:
- Dr Paley has won several awards, including a Gubernatorial Citation for Outstanding Contributions in Orthopedic surgery in 1990 by the Governor of Maryland and the Pauwel’s Medial in Clinical Biomechanics in 1997 by the German-Speaking Countries Orthopedic Association. Best paper/poster award by SICOT, AAOS, POSNA, AORS. His book was also awarded the best illustrated medical textbook in 2003. He was recently awarded Health Professional of the Year by the Chamber of Commerce of the Palm Beaches and was named Health Hero of the Year by the Palm Beach Medical Society.
- Dr. Paley also initiated and organized several fundraising initiatives including the Save-a-Limb Fund and currently runs the Paley Foundation.
- He has published over 130 articles in the peer-reviewed literature and has authored and edited 5 books and 40 book chapters. His latest book, Principles of Deformity Correction, has set a new standard in the understanding and treatment of limb deformities. He is currently completing a book on the Congenital Lower Limb Deformities.
- He was professor of Orthopedics, chief of Pediatric Orthopedics and co-director and founder of the Maryland Center for Limb Lengthening and Reconstruction at the University of Maryland between 1987-2001. On more than one occasion, he was awarded the Orthopedic Residents Best Teacher Award. He was adjunct Professor of Orthopedics at the University of Toronto (2009-2014) and taught and operated at the Hospital for Sick Children in this role. He is also a Professor of Orthopedics at the University of Vermont.
- He obtained subspecialty fellowship training over the course of three years in Pediatric Orthopedics, Hand Surgery, Trauma Surgery and Limb Lengthening and External Fixation Surgery. He was also awarded the AOA-COA North American Travelling Fellowship.
- Dr Paley completed his internship at The Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore in 1980, and his orthopedic surgery residency at The University of Toronto Hospitals in 1985.
- He received his medical degree from the University of Toronto Medical School, Toronto, Canada in 1979.
Treatment for Special Orthopedic Conditions
Dr Paley’s expertise extends equally to children and adults, as well as for the upper and lower extremities. He specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of:
- Congenital lower limb deformities (eg., congenital femoral deficiency [PFFD]
- Dr. Paley also initiated and organized several fundraising initiatives including the Save-a-Limb Fund and currently runs the Paley Foundation.
- Hemihypertrophy, fibular hemimelia, tibial hemimelia, posteromedial tibial bow, congenital dislocation of patella, congenital pterygium of knee, congenital pseudarthrosis)
- Congenital upper limb deformities (e.g., short humerus and forearm, radial clubhand, ulnar clubhand, radiohumeral synostosis, radioulnar synostosis, syndactyly, absent thumb, polydactyly, congenital pterigium of elbow)
- Other upper and lower limb deformities due to: growth arrest, fractures, radiation, infection.
- Post-traumatic limb deformities and leg length discrepancies (e.g., malunion)
- Bone healing problems (e.g., problem fractures, delayed union, nonunion, congenital pseudoarthrosis)
- Bone defects, bone and joint infections (e.g., osteomyelitis, septic arthritis, sequellae of neonatal sepsis)
- Skeletal dysplasias (e.g., achondroplasia, hypochondroplasia, spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia, pseudoachondroplasia, chondrometaphyseal dypslasia, mesomelic dysplasia, Ellis-van
- Tumor-like conditions (e.g., fibrous dysplasia, neurofibromatosis, multiple hereditary exostoses (MHE), Ollier’s disease)
- Metabolic disorders (e.g., rickets, Paget’s disease, osteogenesis imperfecta, osteopetrosis, osteoporosis)
- Other miscellaneous developmental deformities (e.g., Blount’s disease, growth arrest, neonatal sepsis sequelae)
- Joint contractures and joint stiffness (e.g: Chondrolysis, hip-knee-ankle arthritis)
- Foot deformities (e.g., clubfoot, vertical talus, dropfoot, equinus, flatfoot, short metatarsals (brachymetatarsia), Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease)
- Hip disorders including Perthes, hip dislocation and dysplasia in children and young adults and neonatal septic hip sequellae
- Short residual limb following amputation
- Joint preservation for arthritis of the hip, knee and ankle
- Peripheral nerve disorders (e.g., nerve entrapment)
- Short stature: normal, constitutional and dwarfism related
Publications
International Journal of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation