Asif Ilyas

Asif Ilyas, MD, MBA, FACS

Associate Dean of Clinical Research; Academic Vice Chair of Orthopedic Surgery; Adjunct Professor of Orthopedic Surgery and Pediatrics


Department: Orthopaedic Surgery, Pediatrics

Education

  • BS in Biology - Wilkes University (1997)
  • MD - Drexel University College of Medicine (2001)
  • MBA - Brown University (2020)

Awards & Honors

  • Distinguished Service Award, Pennsylvania Orthopaedic Society (2024)
  • Pennsylvania Orthopaedic Society Best Paper Award (2021)
  • Orthopedics Blue Ribbon Awards (2020, 2021)
  • John J. Gartland Award, Jefferson University (2019)
  • Sumner L. Koch Award, Chicago Society for Surgery of Hand (2019)

Memberships / Professional Affiliations

  • American College of Surgeons
  • American Orthopaedic Association
  • American Orthopaedic Association – Emerging Leaders Program
  • American Society for Surgery of the Hand
  • American Association for Hand Surgery
    • Member, Board of Directors, January 2024-December 2025
  • Orthopaedic Trauma Association
  • American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons
  • AO North America
  • MGH Hand Club
  • Pennsylvania Orthopaedic Society
2024 Philadelphia Magazine Top Doctors™

Asif Ilyas, MD, MBA, FACS, is a practicing orthopedic surgeon specializing in hand, upper extremity, and orthopedic trauma surgery as a member of the Rothman Institute at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital and Bryn Mawr Hospital.

  • Named "Top Doctor" by Philadelphia magazine (2024)

Internships

  • General Surgery - Temple University Hospital (2002)

Residencies

  • Orthopaedic Surgery - Temple University Hospital (2006)

Fellowships

  • Hand, Upper Extremity and Microsurgery - Harvard Medical School/Massachusetts General Hospital (2007)

Affiliated Hospitals

Rothman Orthopaedic Institute

Asif M. Ilyas, MD ’01, MBA, FACS, is associate dean of clinical research at Drexel University College of Medicine. 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.

Beyond his clinical and teaching roles, Dr. Ilyas also serves as the consulting hand surgeon for the Philadelphia Eagles and the Philadelphia 76ers.

Research

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.

In the Media

“Philadelphia’s Silent Crisis: The Alarming Rise of ‘Tranq’ Wounds and the Fight to Save Lives”
My ChesCo (February 19, 2025)

“HMN 2025: What are the challenges in treating ‘tranq’ wounds amid Philadelphia’s Xylazine disaster”
Health Medicine Network (February 18, 2025)

“Xylazine: the latest drug to join the opioid crisis”
WPHL-TV (PHL-17) (December 10, 2024)

“Xylazine is a new threat that demands swift action using lessons from the past | Opinion”
Penn Live (October 7, 2024)

“Study Reveals Simple Video Can Cut Opioid Use After Knee Surgery”
MyChesCo (July 18, 2024)

Additional articles...

Publications

How Patients Dispose of Unused Prescription Opioids: A Survey of over 300 Postoperative Patients
Talebi R, Miller C, Abboudi J, Brahmabhatt S, Emper W, Lonner J, Kistler J, Mazur D, Pedowitz D, Ilyas AM.
Cureus. 2022 Aug 17;14(8):e28111. doi: 10.7759/cureus.28111. eCollection 2022 Aug.PMID: 36134102

Trends in Opioid Prescribing Following Pennsylvania Statewide Implementation of a Prescription Drug Monitoring Program
Miller C, Ilyas AM
Cureus. 2022 Aug 11;14(8):e27879. doi: 10.7759/cureus.27879. eCollection 2022 Aug.PMID: 36110459

Perspectives of Orthopedic Patients on Medical Cannabis: A Survey of More Than 2500 Patients
Townsend CB, Liss F, Langman C, Mazur D, Stache SA, Sharma S, Stolzenberg DS, Srinivasan M, Pedowitz D, Namdari S, Wang ML, Greis AC, Ilyas AM
Orthopedics. 2022 Sep 13:1-6. doi: 10.3928/01477447-20220907-05. Online ahead of print.PMID: 36098574

Scaphoid Nonunion: A Review of Surgical Strategies
Van Nest D, Ilyas AM
Orthopedics. 2022 Sep-Oct;45(5):e235-e242. doi: 10.3928/01477447-20220608-03. Epub 2022 Jun 13.PMID: 35700430

Use of Triggers to Detect Adverse Events After Outpatient Orthopedic Surgery at a Single Ambulatory Surgery Center
Calem DB, Horan DP, Taylor MT, McEntee RM, Pedowitz DI, Emper WD, Ilyas AM
Orthopedics. 2022 Mar-Apr;45(2):116-121. doi: 10.3928/01477447-20220105-07. Epub 2022 Jan 12.PMID: 35021026

Additional publications...

* This physician's clinical practice is independent of Drexel University.


Contact Information


Rothman Institute
925 Chestnut Street
Philadelphia, PA 19107
Phone: 610.755.3711