Dr. James Shaw is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Orthopedic Surgery at McGovern Medical School at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth).
James Shaw, MD is a board-certified (American Board of Orthopedic Surgery) orthopedic surgeon who specializes in orthopedic trauma surgery.
Dr. Shaw was born in Austin, Texas. He completed his undergraduate degree at the University of Texas at Austin in Biomedical Engineering. He also spent time during his junior year studying abroad in Cambridge, England. His studies led him to pursue a career in medicine, and he completed his medical degree at the University of Texas McGovern Medical School in Houston. He completed a residency in Orthopedic Surgery at the University of Texas Health and Science center at Houston. While there, he quickly cultivated a passion for trauma surgery. Dr. Shaw spent two months of his chief year in Santiago, Chile, and Cape Town, South Africa as a visiting trauma fellow. During that time, he had a unique experience observing the challenges of delivering orthopedic care in international healthcare systems.
Dr. Shaw subsequently completed his final year of formal training at the Hospital for Special Surgery in Manhattan, New York, serving as a trauma fellow. He additionally spent one month in Miami studying the management of infections, nonunions, and malunions as well as principles of circular frame fixation and bone distraction osteogenesis. He subsequently was hired by the University of Miami as a faculty member in their trauma department. He spent two highly productive years at Ryder Trauma Center, Jackson Memorial Hospital caring for patients, teaching residents and fellows, and working on various research projects.
Dr. Shaw was hired to rejoin his academic program at McGovern Medical School in Houston as faculty, practicing orthopedic trauma surgery. His training specializes in orthopedic trauma with an emphasis on complex periarticular fractures and dislocations of the extremities, pelvis and acetabulum. Dr. Shaw also has special interest in treating periprosthetic fractures, nonunions, malunions, deformity correction, and infections.
Dr. Shaw is active in orthopedic research and has been published in peer-reviewed journals, invited chapters in orthopedic textbooks, and presented his work at national meetings. He is an active member of the Orthopedic Trauma Association and the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons.
Dr. Shaw has spent the past decade in Houston, which he now calls home. When he is not caring for his patients, he and his wife, Tahlia, enjoy spending time with their families and traveling the world together.
Ongoing Research
2022 Department of Orthopaedics, University of Miami
James Shaw MD., Gireesh Reddy MD., Neil Mohile MD., Ramakanth Yakkanti MD.
“Efficacy of Intraoperative Cell Salvage on Perioperative Blood Transfusion in Pelvic and Acetabular Surgery: A Matched Cohort Analysis?”
Podium presentation AAOS, Chicago 2022
2020 Department of Orthopaedics, Hospital for Special Surgery
James Shaw MD., Peter Sculco MD., David Helfet MD., David Wellman MD.
“Is Screw Fixation Into The Cement Mantle Safe In Femur Periprosthetic Fracture
Management?”
Poster presentation AAHKS, Dallas 2019
2020 Department of Orthopaedics, Hospital for Special Surgery
James Shaw MD., Craig Klinger., Andy Miller MD., David Wellman MD., David Helfet MD.
“Outcomes of Operatively Treated Infected Non-unions with Retained Hardware”
2017 Department of Orthopaedics, McGovern Medical School
James Shaw MD., Milton Routt MD., Joshua Gary MD.
“Intra-operative multi-dimensional fluoroscopy of guidepin placement prior to
Iliosacral screw fixation for posterior pelvic ring injuries and sacroiliac dislocation:
an early case series.”
International Orthopaedics, 41(10), 2171-2177.
2019 Department Of Orthopaedics, McGovern Medical School
Marschall Berkes MD., James Shaw MD., Steven Warner MD., Timothy Achor MD.
“Medialized trochanteric starting point and focused lateral endosteal beak reaming
to optimize success of intramedullary nailing in atypical femur fractures: A technical
trick and case series.”
Journal of Orthopaedic Trauma, 33 (8), 313-317.
2019 Department of Orthopaedics, McGovern Medical School
James Shaw MD., Joshua Gary MD., Andrew Burgess MD., Catherine Ambrose PhD.
“The Effects of Sterilization Techniques on Bioactivity of Polymethyl Methacrylate
Antibiotic Beads Containing Vancomycin and Tobramycin.”
Podium presentation OTA, Denver 2019
Journal of Orthopaedic Trauma, April 2020
2020 Department of Orthopaedics, McGovern Medical School
James Shaw MD., Joshua Gary MD., Catherine Ambrose PhD., Milton Routt MD.
“Multidimensional Pelvic Fluoroscopy: A New and Novel Technique for Assessing
Safety and Accuracy of Percutaneous Iliosacral Screw Fixation.”
Digital presentation OTA, Denver 2019
Journal of Orthopedic Trauma, April 2020