Christopher R. Chuinard, M.D.

Dr. Chuinard is board certified by the American Board of Orthopedic Surgery, specializing in shoulder and elbow surgery and has a Certificate of Added Qualification (CAQ) in Sports Medicine. His advanced training includes a shoulder fellowship with professor Pascal Boileau in Nice, France, traveling fellowships to other shoulder centers in Europe and the United States, and a Visiting Clinician in Elbow Surgery at Mayo Clinic. In 2010, he was awarded the AANA Travelling Fellowship.
He has performed over 1000 shoulder replacements, and has been instrumental in developing and bringing new technologies in open and arthroscopic surgery to market including pioneering arthroscopic nerve releases. Dr. Chuinard has patents for shoulder arthroplasty implants that have been used around the world. His outcomes data have been reported internationally, and have been used in FDA studies. His experience with these techniques resulted in his being selected as one of only a few surgeons in the West to teach these techniques in Asia.
His peers have selected him for membership in the American Orthopedic Association (AOA), American Shoulder and Elbow Society (ASES), the Association of Clinical Elbow and Shoulder Surgeons (ACESS), and the European Shoulder and Elbow Society (SECEC). He has served on the Value Committee of the ASES, and is a Past President of ACESS. He served as a question writer and reviewer for the Shoulder and Elbow section of the ABOS board exam and sub specialty exams, and he has served as a reviewer for several orthopedic journals.
He has authored multiple book chapters and papers on both open and arthroscopic techniques of the shoulder and elbow. His expertise has led him to be an invited speaker and lecturer around the world, including performing live surgery. He routinely serves as a faculty instructor at the Orthopedic Learning Center in Chicago, teaching other orthopedic surgeons advanced techniques of shoulder and elbow surgery. Furthermore, he has been a “key opinion leader” for several orthopedic companies for arthroscopic implants, shoulder replacements, and elbow replacements.
Dr. Chuinard continues his teaching interests by sponsoring clinical outcomes research rotations for medical students from both U of M and Michigan State.
When not working or travelling, Dr. Chuinard enjoys cycling, yoga, and fly-fishing. But his favorite pastime is spending time with his wife and two daughters.