Faculty

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Pouya Alijanipour, MD

Alijanipour, PouyaAssistant Professor
Adult and Pediatric Spine Surgery

Dr. Alijanipour specializes in Spine Surgery. He has extensive subspecialty training in the surgical treatment of adult and pediatric spine conditions. His clinical interest encompasses a wide spectrum of spinal diseases such as degenerative disorders of cervical, thoracic and lumbar spine, spinal deformities such as scoliosis and kyphosis, as well as spinal trauma, infection and tumors. 

After earning his Medical Degree from University of Tehran Iran, Dr. Alijanipour completed a 5-year residency program in Orthopedic Surgery at Hospital Costa del Sol in Marbella, Spain. He received board certification from the Spanish Society of Orthopedic Surgery and Traumatology in 2013. Subsequently, Dr. Alijanipour worked as a senior research fellow at Rothman Institute, Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia for 2 years where he designed, conducted and published multiple clinical and basic science research projects. He also received several awards and scholarships for his scientific contribution.  Eventually, Dr. Alijanipour completed three consecutive years of accredited clinical fellowship training in Orthopedic Spine Surgery at Hospital for Special Surgery (Weill Cornell University, New York), Children’s Hospital of New Orleans (Louisiana State University, New Orleans) and Jackson Memorial Hospital (University of Miami). 

Before joining the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Rehabilitation at the University of Texas Medical Branch as an Assistant Professor, Dr. Alijanipour worked as a Clinical Instructor of Orthopedic Spine Surgery at University of Miami and as an Adult and Pediatric Orthopedic Spine Surgeon at Methodist Hospitals in Merrillville, Indiana. Dr. Alijanipour has had several national and international presentations. He has numerous publications in peer-reviewed journals and book chapters. 

Dr. Alijanipour has practiced Orthopedic Surgery in 3 different countries and fluently speaks English, Spanish and Persian. His primary goal is to provide outstanding evidence-based patient care using the most innovative techniques and technologies via both minimally invasive and open surgical procedures. He also aims to educate and inspire the next generation of Orthopedic surgeons and to perform cutting-edge research in Spine Surgery. 

Dr. Alijanipour enjoys spending time with his wife and two sons as well as reading, swimming, tennis and travelling. He looks forward to contributing to the happiness of his patients and the community.

Dr. Alijanipour's areas of expertise include:

Degenerative disorders of cervical, thoracic and lumbar spine
Spinal deformities, scoliosis and kyphosis
Spinal trauma, infection and tumors

Education

MD, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Iran (09/1995- 04/2003)

Training

  • Observership/Research Fellowship at Rothman Institute, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, USA (10/2011-03/2012 and 06/2013-07/2015)
  • Orthopedic Spine Surgery Clinical Fellowship at Hospital for Special Surgery, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York (08/2015-07/2016) AO Spine North America Fellowship
  • Pediatric Orthopedic Surgery Clinical Fellowship at Children’s Hospital of New Orleans, Louisiana State University School of Medicine, New Orleans (08/2016-07/2017)
  • Orthopedic Spine Surgery Clinical Fellowship at Jackson Memorial Hospital, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami (08/2017-07/2018)

Certifications

  • Medical License of Medical Licensing Board of Indiana (06/2019)
  • Medical License of Louisiana State Board of Medical Examiners (11/2018)
  • Medical License of Texas Medical Board (09/2018)
  • Medical License of Florida Board of Medicine (07/2018)
  • Training License of Florida Board of Medicine (05/2017)
  • Training License of Louisiana State Board of Medical Examiners (08/2016)
  • Training Permit of New York State Education Department Medicine Unit (08/2016)
  • Certificate of Education Commission For Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) (04/2012)
  • Board Certification of Spanish Society of Orthopedic Surgery and Traumatology (SECOT) (10/2013)
  • Equivalent Medical License from Spanish Ministry of Education and Culture and Ministry of Health (04/2007)
  • Unrestricted Medical License of Registration from Iran Medical Council (04/2003)

Honors, Awards and Scholarships

  • Nominated for American Academy of Hip and Knee Surgeons (AAHKS) Award 2015 and Knee Society Scientific Award 2015 for: “Peri-Articular Injection Of Liposomal Bupivacaine Offers No Benefit Over Standard Bupivacaine In Total Knee Arthroplasty”
  • Resident/Fellow Award at 2015 Eastern Orthopedic Association Meeting for: “Would prior mini-open femoroacetabular osteoplasty compromise the outcome of subsequent total hip arthroplasty?”
  • Sigma Xi Research Competition Award at 2015 Jefferson School of Medicine for: “Heterotopic Ossification in Primary Total Hip Arthroplasty: Direct Anterior versus Direct Lateral”
  • Resident/Fellow Award at 2012 Eastern Orthopedic Association Meeting for: “Optimal ESR and CRP Cut-Off Values Based on New Criteria for Definition of Periprosthetic Joint Infection”
  • Scholarship of Spanish Society of Orthopedic Surgery (SECOT) 2012 and Andalusian Society of Orthopedic Surgery (SATO) 2012 as qualified resident for Overseas Clinical Fellowship
  • Title of “Honored Student” for ranking No. 36 in Iranian University Entrance Examinations in Medicine among 500,000 Iranian contestants in 05/1995
  • Ranked 1st in Provincial Scientific Competition in 05/1994 in high school

Administrative and Teamwork Experience

  • 11/1999 – 07/2001: English Translator for Novin Pezeshki Journal of Medicine (NPJM), Tehran, Iran. Translation of Medical Articles of Recognized Medical Journals from English into Farsi
  • 10/2003 – 03/2004: Emergency Room Physician of Mahallat General hospital, Mahallat, Iran (Part of Post-Graduate Compulsory Medical Service)
  • 03/2004 – 05/2005: Director of Two Rural Area Health Centers, Mahallat, Iran (Part of Post-Graduate Compulsory Medical Service). Local Executive Supervisor of World Health Organization (WHO) Programs
  • 05/2005 – 04/2008: Surgeon Assistant, Mehrad Hospital, Tehran, Iran. Active role in Perioperative Assessment and Management of Orthopedic Patients, Observership in Operating Room
  • International Consensus Meeting for Periprosthetic Joint Infection
    07/2018: Delegate for workgroup “Spinal Infections”
    07/2013: Liaison for workgroup “Operative Environment Factors in Periprosthetic Joint Infection”

Research Activities

  • 10/2000 – 04/2003: Research Fellow at Hematology, Oncology and Bone Marrow Transplantation Research Center, Shariati Hospital, Tehran, Iran Field of Research: Stem Cell Expansion and Preservation Methods
  • 04/2003 – 10/2003: Research Coordinator, Mehrad Hospital, Tehran, Iran.
  • 11/2006 – 04/2008: Research Fellow at Tracheal Diseases Research Center, Masih Daneshvari Hospital, Tehran Iran
    Fields of Research: Major Airway Trauma, Tumors of Trachea
  • 05/2008 – 06/2013: Clinical Research as part of Orthopedic Surgery Residency, Hospital Costa del Sol, Marbella, Malaga, Spain
    Field of Research: Periprosthetic Joint Infection
  • 10/2011- 03/2012 and 06/2013-07/2015: Clinical and Basic Science Research at Rothman Institute, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, USA
    Fields of Research: Diagnosis of Periprosthetic Joint Infection, Preventive measures in Operative Environment, Biomarkers for Femoroacetabular Impingement Syndrome, Postoperative Analgesia in Total Knee Arthroplasty, Heterotopic Ossification in Total Hip Arthroplasty

Intellectual Property

  • Method for Diagnosis Of Periprosthetic Joint Infection Using Prophenoloxidase Pathway
    Registered on 04/22/2014, Application Number: 117217-002 Parvizi J, Alijanipour P
  • Method for Measurement of Range of Motion and Alignment of Body Joints
    Registered on 05/12/2015, Application Number: 62159630 Alijanipour P, Chen AF

Reviewer Activity

  • Scientific Journals (Independent Reviewer)
    Spine (Phila Pa 1976)
    The Spine Journal
    Journal of Arthroplasty (JOA) - Elite Reviewer
    Open Orthopedic Journal
  • Scientific Journals (Ad hoc reviewer)
    New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM)
    The Lancet
    Osteoarthritis and Cartilage (OAC)
    Spine (Phila Pa 1976)
    Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery (JBJS)
    Journal of American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons (JAAOS)
    Bone and Joint Journal (BJJ)
    Acta Orthopaedica
    Expert Review of Medical Devices
    American Journal of Orthopedics (AJO)
    Journal of Hip Preservation Surgery (JHPS)
    Orthopedics
  • Congresses:
    Eastern Orthopedic Association 2014 (Ad hoc reviewer)

Membership in Scientific Societies/Professional Organizations

  • Iranian Medical Society (07/2003)
  • Sociedad Española de Cirugía Ortopédica y Traumatología (SECOT) (11/2009)
  • American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons (AAOS) (11/2011)
  • North American Spine Society (NASS) (08/2014)
  • AO Spine (08/2015)

Peer-Reviewed Publications

  1. Alijanipour P, Dylan Greif, Nathan H. Lebwohl, Joseph P. Gjolaj. Isolated Multiple Lumbar Transverse Process Fractures with Spinal Instability - An Unusual yet Serious Association. European Spine Journal. Eur Spine J. 2019 Aug 12
  2. Alijanipour P, Henry JK, Liabaud B, Smith JS, Gum JL, Shaffrey CI, Ames CP, Mundis GM, Burton DC, Bess S, Buckland AJ, Schwab FJ, Lafage V, Kim HJ. International Spine Study Group. Do improvements in Radiographic and Clinical Outcomes in Adult Spinal Deformity Surgery apply to all positions? A Comparison of Sitting and Standing Positions. Journal of Neurosurgery Spine, publication in process
  3. Manrique J, Alijanipour P, Heller S, Dove M, Parvizi J. Increased Risk of Heterotopic Ossification Following Revision Arthroplasty for Periprosthetic Joint Infection. The Archives of Bone and Joint Surgery. 2018 Nov;6(6):486-491.
  4. Aali-Rezaie A, Alijanipour P, Shohat N, Vahedi H, Foltz C, Parvizi J. Red Cell Distribution Width: An Unacknowledged Predictor of Mortality and Adverse Outcomes Following Revision Arthroplasty. J Arthroplasty. 2018 Jul 4. [Epub ahead of print]
  5. Yadav A, Alijanipour P, Ackerman CT, Karanth S, Hozack WJ, Filippone EJ. Acute Kidney Injury Following Failed Total Hip and Knee Arthroplasty. J Arthroplasty. 2018 June (Epub ahead of print)
  6. Alijanipour P, Patel RP, Naik TU, Parvizi J. Heterotopic Ossification in Primary Total Hip Arthroplasty Using the Direct Anterior vs Direct Lateral Approach. J Arthroplasty. 2017 Apr;32(4):1323-1327
  7. Alijanipour P, Tan TL, Matthews CN, Viola JR, Purtill JJ, Rothman RH, Parvizi J, Austin MS. Peri-Articular Injection Of Liposomal Bupivacaine Offers No Benefit Over Standard Bupivacaine In Total Knee Arthroplasty: A Prospective Randomized Clinical Trial. J Arthroplasty. 2017 Feb;32(2):628-634
  8. Schroeder GD, Kepler CK, Alijanipour P, Kurd MF, Kumar P, Radcliff KE, Rihn JA, Anderson DG, Hilibrand AS, Vaccaro AR. The Economic Implications of Dural Tears. Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 2016 Oct 1;41(19):1548-53
  9. Davis G, Patel RP, Tan TL, Alijanipour P, Parvizi J. Ethnic Differences in Heterotopic Ossification Following Total Hip Arthroplasty.  Bone Joint J. 2016 Jun;98-B(6):761-6
  10. Kurd MF, Alijanipour P, Schroeder GD, Millhouse PW, Vaccaro A. Magnetic Resonance Imaging Following Spine Trauma. JBJS Rev. 2015 Oct 27;3(10)
  11. Gehrke T, Alijanipour P, Parvizi J. The Management of an Infected Total Knee Arthroplasty. Bone Joint J 2015;97-B (10 Suppl A) 20-9
  12. Alijanipour P, Adeli B, Hanssen EN, Chen AF, Parvizi J. Intraoperative Purulence is Not Reliable for Diagnosing Periprosthetic Joint Infection. Journal of Arthroplasty – 2015 Aug;30(8):1403-6
  13. Kucukdurmaz F, Alijanipour P. Current concepts in Orthopedic Management of Multiple Trauma. Open Orthopedic Journal –2015 Jul 31;9:275-82. doi: 10.2174/1874325001509010275.
  14. Patel R, Alijanipour P, Parvizi J. Advances in the Diagnosis of Periprosthetic Joint Infection after Total Hip and Knee
    Arthroplasty. Open Orthopedic Journal – accepted (in press)
  15. Parvizi J, Alijanipour P, Barberi EF, Hickok NJ, Phillips KS, Shapiro IM, Schwarz EM, Stevens, MH, Wang Y, Shirtliff ME. Novel Developments in the Prevention and Treatment of Periprosthetic Joint Infections. Journal of American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons 2015 Apr;23 Suppl:S32-43.
  16. Alijanipour P, Parvizi J. Infection post-Total Knee Replacement: Current Concepts. Current Reviews of Musculoskeletal Medicine. 2014 Jun;7(2):96-102
  17. Alijanipour P, Heller S, Parvizi J. Prevention of Periprosthetic Joint Infection: Effective Strategies. Journal of Knee Surgery. 2014 Aug;27(4):251-8
  18. Alijanipour P, Karam J, Llinás A, Vince KG, Zalavras C, Austin M, Garrigues G, Heller S, Huddleston J, Klatt B, Krebs V, Lohmann C, McPherson EJ, Molloy R, Oliashirazi A, Schwaber M, Sheehan E, Smith E, Sterling R, Stocks G, Vaidya S. Operative Environment. Journal of Orthopedic Research. 2014 Jan;32 Suppl 1:S60-80
  19. Alijanipour P, Karam J, Llinás A, Vince KG, Zalavras C, Austin M, Garrigues G, Heller S, Huddleston J, Klatt B, Krebs V, Lohmann C, McPherson EJ, Molloy R, Oliashirazi A, Schwaber M, Sheehan E, Smith E, Sterling R, Stocks G, Vaidya S. Operative Environment Journal of Arthroplasty. 2014 Feb;29(2 Supplemet): 49-64
  20. Alijanipour P, Bakhshi H, Parvizi J. Diagnosis of Periprosthetic Joint Infection: The Thresholds for Serological Markers. Journal of Clinical Orthopedics and Related Research (CORR), 2013; May 21
  21. Zmistowski B, Tetreault MW, Alijanipour P, Chen AF, Della Valle CJ, Parvizi J. Recurrent Periprosthetic Joint Infection: Persistent or New Infection? Journal of Arthroplasty, 2013 October; 28(9): 1486-9
  22. Farzanegan R, Alijanipour P, Akbarshahi H, Abbasidezfouli A, Pejhan S, Daneshvar A, Behgam MS. Major Airway Trauma, Management and Long Term Results. Annals of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, 2011; 17(6): 544-51
  23. Kamran Alimoghaddam, Mandana Mohyedin, Sina Vatandoust, Zahra Goliaei, Pouya Alijanipour, Farima Forouzia. Ex vivo Expansion of Cord Blood Cells and Its Clinical Application. Yakhte Medical Journal, Vol . 8, No. 3, Autumn 2006, 210-218
  24. Mohyeddin Bonab M, Moghaddam K A, Pouya AP, Beshtar M, Ghavam Zadeh A. The Effect of 8 Days of Storage at 4°C on Total Nucleated Cell Count, Cell Viability, and Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony Forming Unit (GM-CFU) of Mobilized Peripheral Blood Stem Cell. Tehran University Medical Journal. 2004; 62(1): 1-15 (Article in Farsi)

Book Chapters - 19

Presentations - 20

Poster Presentations - 11

Editorials, Commentaries, Miscellaneous - 5

UTMB Health

Clinic Locations:

UTMB Health Primary Care Pavilion
400 Harborside Dr.
Galveston, Texas 77555
Call: (409) 266-7846

UTMB Health League City Campus
2240 Gulf Freeway South
League City, Texas 77573
Call: (832) 505-1200

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