Brian R. Waterman, MD

10/12/2025

What a week back in RVA with friends, old & new. Thanks to the Orthopaedic Department at for allowing me to be your guest for the 2025 MEDRVA lecture. You’ve had an impressive lineup of previous keynote addresses (, , Steve Brockmeier, and others…), no pressure! In all sincerity, the sports medicine and shoulder teams were among the most welcoming and down to earth group I have ever visited, and to see the support and engagement from orthopedic community at Thursday night’s dinner was nothing short of outstanding. It’s a testament to the leadership and collegial spirit that & her team exudes. Fun and spirited debate about all things shoulder: tendon transfers, muscle advancement, biceps centralization, cable reconstruction, patches, and yes, even balloons.🎈 Thanks for your generosity of time and effort.

It was also a big trip down memory lane in Central Virginia. Over 20 years ago, I showed up to Massey Cancer Center as a lab assistant after UVA, looking to resurrect my academic credentials while living in The Fan, and hopefully find a path to medical school. Even further back still, I went to middle school in Chester. And the origin story of it all, Hopewell, VA where I was born while living my parents were stationed at Ft. Lee. It’s amazing to reflect on all the formative influences and humble beginnings at each stage of this journey, all of which I’m incredibly grateful for. A full circle moment, so thanks to the team at VCU for allowing me to live that out. Persistent, hard work, and the relationships you build will always define you, so invest in them and let the legacy of Alex Vap continue on. 🙏

09/27/2025

The Travelling Fellows from Latin America descended on North Carolina for the second leg of their U.S. tour. The Wake Forest & Duke teams combined forces to showcase the full Southern experience: TopGolf, NC Barbecue, al fresco dining, garden tours, microbrews, college futbol (, 7-0 W ‼️) and of course… shoulder surgery. Augmented RSA after failed SCR, revisions of a well fixed Neer stem, CAM procedures, anterior cable reconstruction with biceps augmentation, and much more. Great conversations and debates on contemporary topics!

All-stars Alessandro Nilo Fulvi (.nilo_; Mérida, MX) & Catalina Larrague (Buenos Aires, ARG) were incredible guests and shared their incredible experience with arthroscopic Eden-Hybinette procedure and Latarjet in collision athletes. Great talks at Duke Grand Rounds, and credit to Wake Forest colleagues , .traz, & for organizing an incredible schedule alongside Oke Anakwenze and Chris Klifto at Duke. As the pictures suggest, it’s a lot of heavy lifting, but so worth the effort to make the shoulder world feel that much smaller.

Don’t miss the out-takes at the end. It looks like we all need a little more work on the simulator!

09/20/2025

SECEC 2025 was a whirlwind trip to the Netherlands, and the international shoulder & elbow community did not disappoint. Despite a 30 hour unplanned side trip to JFK, Delta delivered as promised.

Our ASES Shoulder & Elbow Podcast highlighted several of the best research presentations, including Drs. Samuel Antuña, Arno Macken, Bjorn Salomonsson, and Maxime Antoni. Our ICL session on open and arthroscopic management of complex shoulder instability in the competitive athlete was packed, and credit to Peter Chalmers, Doruk Agkun, and Ruth Delaney. Our North American session led by ASES President Joaquin Sanchez-Sotelo highlighted the novel approaches to management of challenging rotator cuff pathology. Lastly, our session led by Clara Azevedo & Maristella Saccommano on How to Master Anterior Shoulder Instabilty offered a roadmap to success with Banakrt repair, DAS, and Latarjet procedures. Incredible discussion and presentations!

Rotterdam is an amazing city with vibrant architecture and a rich multicultural scene. From croquets to canals and bicycles, our Dutch hosts pulled out all the stops, including our former fellows dad, Dr. Maarten van der List. Congratulations to President and the executive committee for an incredible program. Thank you!

06/21/2025

03/16/2025

The week of was PACKED… amazing content, leadership lessons, connecting with mentors & friends, industry and society collaborations, and of course… a side trip to La Jolla for fish tacos and contrast therapy with our fellows. 🧊🔥Self care, is that what you call it? 😎

The BU program chair Tiger Li & President Paul Tornetta led a full program chocked full of hard-nosed science & evidence-based best practices for our patients. Thanks for the opportunity to be your Sports Medicine & Arthroscopy ICL Chair and allowing me to present our work on biological and structural augmentation of rotator cuff tears, complex shoulder instability, and failed bone block stabilizations. The AANA-ASES Specialty finished strong as well! Credit to program chairs, , Mike O’Brien, , and Bill Ciccone for leading the charge AND keeping us on time!

Quick side trip by the SOA meeting to present on AC joint injuries in Nashville, a blissful 10 hours of delays on the ground in terminal C, and finally home at the stroke of midnight last night for 🎂. Always great to be a guest of the team physicians, but even better to be back in NC! Great to see everyone along the journey!

02/20/2025

A great trip to Vail for Grand Rounds on “Cartilage Restoration & Joint Preservation” at the unparalleled & . Gracious hosts, fantastic discussion, &🙏 to for sponsoring the fellows lab on MACIArthro and all things . The future is bright!

02/10/2025

Speaking of Super Bowls, THIS was the upper crust of cartilage restoration and joint preservation. Thanks to Rachel Frank, Seth Sherman, Wayne Gersoff, Ralph Gamberdella, and Bert Mandelbaum for the long awaited return to the in Carlsbad, CA. The content was unrivaled, and scratched my itch for unparalleled dining experience. Love this team and am so grateful to be able to be along such an esteemed group of experts. A special thanks to Drs. Cohen & Cohen Kaleka for making the special trip from 🇧🇷 to educate the masses. ❤️ full, Shabbat dinner complete, the 🌎 future is bright!

01/27/2025

💥 BREAKOUT ALERT 💥

In this unmissable session, Brian R. Waterman, MD dives deep into the toughest cases of complex stability. Get ready to gain invaluable insights on what to do when the stakes are highest. Are you ready to tackle the most challenging injuries?

You can register now at www.sdsi-shoulder.com/reg Shariff K. Bishai, DO, MS, FAOAO Matthew Provencher, MD - Orthopedic Surgeon & Sports Medicine Specialist

11/18/2024

CCSES 2024 in the books!

10/29/2024

A week of amazing visitors to the Triad.
Professor David Diduch, MD from my alma mater, University of Virginia, was our Visiting Professor and Grand Rounds lecturer to speak on patellofemoral instability and share lessons learned on more than 200 trochleoplasties. What a wealth of experience and incredible role model for our team.

Not to be outdone, the Mr. Reading Rainbow….Levar Burton. Sarah and I truly relished the opportunity to break bread with you in Greensboro and share our love for exploration, literacy, and enlightenment. At 68, you are the consummate example of enthusiasm and renewal, and we applaud your versatility and lack of filler words (e.g. um, eh). Since childhood, you have been our hero. 🙌 ❤️. Join Guilford College & the Tanger Center to promote further events in the Triad.

10/19/2024

We love our patients! Draylin is a young man with a bright future, and we're proud to see him side-by-side with our Demon Deacon team captains. Ronisha White Wake Forest Football Atrium Health Advocate Health Care

10/11/2024

We truly couldn’t accomplish all the things we do for our patients without our , so I’ve got to give a huge thank you to those in and out of Sports Medicine on . You are the true core of our team, and we’re grateful for your collaboration and diligent care. A special thank you to the biggest “giant” of them all, Sabrina Shakya, PA-C, for all her behind the scenes work. Otherwise, thank you Aaron Wooten, Carly Ross, Cynthia Vallejo, Hal Rudicil, and all the other incredible PAs in our community.

We salute you! 🫡