Dr. Ilyas is charged with growing clinical research at the College, especially among our regional campuses and clinical affiliates. He will be focused on improving MD student access to research opportunities, increasing faculty engagement with clinical research, and supporting submissions and presentations at local, national and international scientific meetings. He will also encourage publication in peer-reviewed journals and applications for grant funding. The overall mission of this new role is to grow the reputation of the College’s clinical research efforts on the regional and national stage.

After earning his medical degree from Drexel in 2001, Dr. Ilyas completed residency training in general and orthopedic surgery at Temple, followed by a fellowship in hand, upper extremity and microsurgery at Harvard. He is currently a professor of orthopaedic surgery at Thomas Jefferson University and a surgeon at the Rothman Institute. He also serves as president of the Rothman Opioid Foundation and is a past president of the Pennsylvania Orthopaedic Society. Dr. Ilyas has a history of serving Drexel, as evidenced by his tenure on the College of Medicine’s Alumni Association Board of Directors and his mentorship of Drexel medical students for years.

A prolific researcher, Dr. Ilyas has been funded by the PA Department of Health, the Appalachian Regional Commission, the Rothman Opioid Foundation and the American Foundation for Surgery of the Hand for projects pertaining to upper extremity surgery, surgical pain management and combatting the opioid crisis. He has co-authored over 200 publications in academic journals and authored or co-authored over 20 book chapters. He is a sought-after speaker on orthopedic injuries, pain management, medical cannabis and wide-awake hand surgery, among many others.

Dr. Ilyas holds numerous editorial positions, including as consultant reviewer for Bone & Joint Surgery and the Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. He serves as section editor for the Journal of Medical Insight, and most recently has launched the journal SurgiColl. Beyond his clinical and teaching roles, Dr. Ilyas also serves as the consulting hand surgeon for the Philadelphia Eagles and the Philadelphia 76ers.