Professor
Mohamed A. Imam

MD, MSc (Orth)(Hons), DSportMed, ELP (Oxon), PhD, FRCS (Tr and Orth)

Profile

Professor Mohamed Imam is a fellowship-trained Consultant Trauma and Orthopaedic Surgeon based at the renowned Rowley Bristow Orthopaedic Centre, Ashford and St Peter’s Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Chertsey, Surrey. He specialises in disorders of the upper limb — the shoulder, elbow, wrist, and hand — alongside sports injuries and complex trauma, and offers both surgical and non-surgical treatment tailored to each patient.

He combines a busy clinical practice with senior leadership and a distinguished academic career. He has published more than 150 peer-reviewed papers and holds more than 1,000 five-star verified patient reviews across leading independent platforms. As a reflective surgeon, he places great value on patient feedback, aggregating and scrutinising reviews from multiple verified sources to drive continuous improvement in his care.

Professor Imam practises by a clear ethos: to deliver the highest-quality, patient-centred, value-based care grounded in the best available evidence. Where intervention is indicated, his expertise in arthroscopic (keyhole) surgery means he can offer the least invasive procedure appropriate to the condition.

Leadership & Academic Roles

Within his NHS Trust, Professor Imam holds several senior leadership positions: Director of Research and Development, Clinical Lead for Trauma Surgery, and Medical Governor. He is Professor of Digital Health and Executive Medical Director of the Smart Health Centre at the University of East London, where he leads research into the clinical application of artificial intelligence and machine learning in surgery.

He is the founder of the OrthoGlobe Collaborative, an international initiative dedicated to improving global musculoskeletal research outcomes and fostering collaboration across borders, and co-founder of the FRCS Mentor Initiative supporting the next generation of surgeons. He is also a founder of the British Egyptian Orthopaedic Society (BEOS). He is one of a small number of surgeons serving on the National Research Committee of the British Elbow and Shoulder Society (BESS), and he serves on the SICOT Education Committee. He is the creator of TheArmDoc, a patient-education platform spanning written and video resources.

Clinical Expertise

Shoulder

Rotator cuff tears and repair, frozen shoulder (adhesive capsulitis), calcific tendonitis, shoulder impingement, biceps injuries, recurrent shoulder instability and dislocation, acromioclavicular joint injuries, and shoulder arthritis. He performs arthroscopic reconstruction and the full range of shoulder replacement, including reverse and bony increased-offset reverse shoulder arthroplasty, and revision surgery.

Elbow

Tennis elbow (lateral epicondylitis) and golfer’s elbow, stiff elbow, ligament injuries, elbow arthroscopy, and elbow arthritis including joint replacement where appropriate.

Hand & Wrist

Carpal tunnel syndrome and decompression, tendon problems, wrist pain and instability, small-joint arthroscopy, and arthritis of the wrist and finger joints including joint replacement.

Sports Injuries & Complex Trauma

Diagnosis and management of acute and overuse sports injuries with techniques aimed at rapid, safe return to sport, alongside the management of complex upper-limb and periarticular fractures using minimally invasive fixation.

Regenerative & Innovative Techniques

Joint-preservation surgery, cartilage regeneration, and the application of bone marrow aspirate concentrate and biologics. Professor Imam performed the first NextAR augmented-reality shoulder replacement in England, using advanced navigation to enhance the accuracy of the procedure.

Diagnostic Approach

Professor Imam works within a multidisciplinary team of radiologists, anaesthetists specialised in upper-limb regional nerve blockade, physiotherapists, and occupational hand therapists. He uses the latest diagnostic technology, including MRI arthrography, 3-D CT scanning, high-definition ultrasound, digital radiology, nuclear medicine, and electromyography, to reach an accurate diagnosis and an informed, personalised treatment plan.

Training & Qualifications

Professor Imam holds a fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons of England and is on the GMC Specialist Register for Trauma and Orthopaedics. He earned a Master’s degree in Orthopaedics with distinction and a PhD in Musculoskeletal Sciences focused on rotator cuff tendon healing and shoulder biomechanics. He has completed an Executive Leadership Programme at the University of Oxford’s Saïd Business School and a Machine Learning specialisation at Stanford University.
Fellowships
After completing specialist training he undertook upper-limb fellowships at internationally recognised UK centres of excellence, including the Wrightington Upper Limb Unit and the Royal Orthopaedic Hospital in Birmingham, together with a complex trauma fellowship at Oxford University Hospitals.
Internationally, he trained under Professor Christian Gerber, a world-leading pioneer of modern shoulder surgery, at the Balgrist University Orthopaedic Centre in Zurich, and undertook complex trauma fellowships at the BGU Trauma Centre in Ludwigshafen, Germany. His travelling fellowships took him to the Mayo Clinic, the Steadman Clinic, Stanford University Hospital, and the university hospitals of Munich and Madrid, working alongside some of the world’s foremost upper-limb and trauma surgeons, supplemented by clinical visitations to elite centres across Europe, Asia, and the Americas.

Research & Innovation

Professor Imam is a prolific and internationally recognised academic with more than 150 peer-reviewed publications and over 5,000 citations. He is editor of more than ten books and has written more than 100 book chapters. He is Chief Investigator on several national and international studies and has contributed to working groups producing national and international guidelines.
His research interests include artificial intelligence and digital health in surgery, novel biomaterials, ligament and cartilage regeneration, minimally invasive fracture-fixation devices, arthroscopic outcomes and techniques, and strategies to accelerate safe return to sport. He has designed orthopaedic instruments, described and published more than ten novel surgical procedures, and successfully filed patents in his field.
Selected Publications
- Three-Year Functional Outcome of Transosseous-Equivalent Double-Row vs Single-Row Repair of Small and Large Rotator Cuff Tears: A Double-Blinded Randomised Controlled Trial — Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery.
- Bony Increased-Offset Reverse Shoulder Arthroplasty — Shoulder & Elbow.
- Staged Revision With Antibiotic Spacers for Shoulder Prosthetic Joint Infections — infection-control outcomes.
- Guidance summary for the management of lateral elbow tendinopathy using the GRADE system.
- Should the Beach Chair Position Have National Guidelines to Reduce Cerebrovascular Complications? A National Survey of Surgeons and Anaesthetists.
- Normal Wrist Development in Children and Adolescents: A Geometrical Observational Analysis.

Books & Book Chapters

Professor Imam is editor of more than ten books, including textbooks on shoulders, orthobiologics, elbow injuries, medical leadership, digital health, arm problems for GPs, translational medicine, and AI literacy. He has also written more than 100 book chapters.
He has worked and currently working with top publishers including Springer Nature, Taylor and Francis, Orthopaedic Research UK, Choir Press and Meridian Publishers.

180+ Publications

4000+ Citations

75,440+ Reads

Awards & Honours

SICOT Pioneer Award.
ISAKOS Innovation Grant — International Society of Arthroscopy, Knee Surgery and Orthopaedic Sports Medicine (2023).
ISAKOS Upper Extremity Award (2017–2018).
Edward Jenner NHS Leadership Award — NHS Leadership Academy, NHS England (2017).
Arthroscopy Association of North America (AANA) Award (2017).
AAOS International Scholar — American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (2017).
EFORT Foundation Award — European Federation of National Associations of Orthopaedics and Traumatology (2015).
AO Travelling Trauma Fellowship — AO Foundation, Davos (2011).

Professional Roles

Director of Research and Development, Ashford and St Peter’s Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
Clinical Lead for Trauma Surgery and Medical Governor, Ashford and St Peter’s Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
Professor of Digital Health and Executive Medical Director, Smart Health Centre, University of East London.
Founder, OrthoGlobe Collaborative.
Co-Founder and Board Member, FRCS Mentor Initiative.
Founder, British Egyptian Orthopaedic Society (BEOS).
National Research Committee member, British Elbow and Shoulder Society.
SICOT Education Committee member.
Examiner and panel member, GMC Medical Licensing Assessment and GMC Specialty and Performance Assessment Panels.
Editorial board member and reviewer across more than 20 international medical journals.
Faculty and Trainer, ISAKOS Accredited International Teaching Centre; Convenor, Chertsey FRCS Course.
FIFA Medical Network member.

Professional Memberships

Specialist Register, Trauma and Orthopaedics — General Medical Council, UK.
Fellow, Royal College of Surgeons of England.
Gold Member, AO Trauma Foundation, Davos.
Member, British Orthopaedic Association.
Member, International Society of Orthopaedic Surgery and Traumatology (SICOT).
Member, European Society for Surgery of the Shoulder and the Elbow (SECEC).
International Scholar and Member, American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.
Member, British Elbow and Shoulder Society.
Member, British Orthopaedic Sports Trauma and Arthroscopy Association (BOSTAA).
Member, Fragility Fracture Network UK.
Member, British Trauma Society.
Member, FIFA Medical Network.

Patient Reviews

Professor Imam holds more than 1,000 five-star verified patient reviews across leading independent platforms, including Doctify, Top Doctors, and iWantGreatCare. Patients consistently describe clear communication, thorough explanation of procedure and recovery, and outstanding follow-up care — reflecting his enduring commitment to patient-centred, value-based practice