Orthopaedic Surgeon Kushal Patel, MD Recognized as 2026 Castle Connolly Top Doctor for Hand and Upper Extremity Expertise

Kushal Patel, MD, has been named a 2026 Castle Connolly Top Doctor, marking the second year he has received this designation. Only 7 percent of the nation's licensed physicians are chosen annually as Castle Connolly Top Doctors for their specialties in their regions. Dr. Patel is an orthopaedic surgeon specializing in hand and upper extremity surgery with Endeavor Health. He is board-certified in orthopaedic surgery and holds a subspecialty certificate in surgery of the hand.

"Being recognized as a Castle Connolly Top Doctor is a profound honor because it reflects the trust of my peers within the medical community," says Dr. Patel. "To me, this recognition isn't just about individual achievement; it's a testament to the high standard of specialized care we provide at Endeavor Health. It reinforces my commitment to bringing the latest advancements in hand and upper extremity surgery to our patients in our community, ensuring they receive the best possible outcomes." Dr. Patel evaluates and treats a wide range of primary conditions affecting the hand, wrist, and elbow. His medical focus includes managing traumatic injuries, degenerative conditions, and congenital anomalies of the upper limb.

Dr. Patel performs several key surgical procedures to restore function and alleviate pain for his patients, including hand and wrist fracture repair, trigger finger injection and release, anterior cervical corpectomy and fusion, tendon and nerve repair, joint reconstruction of the hand and wrist, management of deQuervain's disease, and surgical correction of syndactyly. Dr. Patel earned his medical degree from the University of Illinois College of Medicine in Chicago. He completed his residency in orthopaedic surgery at the University of Illinois Hospital, where he was selected as the Academic Chief Resident. He completed advanced subspecialty fellowship training in hand and upper extremity surgery at Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School.

Beyond his clinical practice, Dr. Patel has contributed extensively to orthopaedic research and global health. He served as the Morgan & Madison McClellan Research Fellow at the Institute for Global Orthopaedics & Traumatology (IGOT) at the University of California, San Francisco. He has authored numerous peer-reviewed publications on topics ranging from anesthesia effectiveness in hand injections to global orthopaedic research gaps. His leadership roles include serving as Chair of the AAOS Resident Assembly Education Committee. Top Doctors are nominated by peer physicians and selected by the physician-led Castle Connolly research team.

Castle Connolly publishes its Top Doctors list at https://castleconnolly.com and in a variety of print and online partner publications. Nominations are open to all board-certified MDs, DOs, and DPMs. The Castle Connolly team chooses honorees based on nominee criteria that includes their medical education, training, hospital appointments, and disciplinary histories. Doctors do not and cannot pay to be selected as a Castle Connolly Top Doctor.