Dr. Rafael Diaz-Garcia oversees fellowship leadership, curriculum development, trainee evaluation and clinical supervision for the FIU/Baptist Health Orthopaedic Hand Surgery Fellowship.
He is an orthopedic hand and upper extremity surgeon with Baptist Health Orthopedic Care. Board-certified in plastic surgery and hand surgery, Diaz-Garcia specializes in peripheral nerve surgery to treat neuropathic pain, nerve compression (carpal tunnel, cubital tunnel, radial tunnel, etc.), nerve lacerations/injuries as well as brachial plexus pathology, including neurogenic thoracic outlet syndrome.
Before joining Baptist Health, he was the director of medical operations and chief of plastic surgery at Allegheny Health Network in Pittsburgh, PA. He also served as a clinical associate professor of plastic surgery at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.
Areas of Expertise
- Ligament injuries of the hand and wrist
- Nerve compression
- Nerve injuries including plexus
- Spasticity
- Tendon injuries
- Vascular insufficiency of the hand
Research Interests
- Wrist instability biomechanics
- Nerve injury repair
- Skin coverage and psychological intervention for upper extremity trauma patients
- Biologics
- Sharpey's fibers
Honors & Awards
- Top Doctors, Castle Connolly, 2021 – 2023
- Top Hispanic & Latino Doctor, Castle Connolly, 2023
- Top Doctors, Pittsburgh Magazine, 2022 – 2023
- Beta Gamma Sigma Honor Society, Johns Hopkins Carey Business School, 2023
- Teacher of the Year, University of Pittsburgh, Department of Plastic Surgery, 2022
- Dean’s Scholarship, Johns Hopkins, Carey Business School, 2020
Committees & Professional Organizations
- Member, American Society for Surgery of the Hand
- Member, American Society of Plastic Surgeons
- Member, American Society for Surgery of the Hand,
- Member, Steel City Hand Club
- Member, American Society for Peripheral Nerve
- Fellow, American College of Surgeons
Education
- MS, Health Care Management, Johns Hopkins Carey Business School, Baltimore, MD 2023
- Fellowship, Hand and Upper Extremity Surgery, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA 2014
- Residency, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Department of Surgery, University of Michigan Medical Center, Ann Arbor, MI 2013
- M.D., Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 2007
Board Certifications
- Plastic Surgery, American Board of Plastic Surgery, 2015
- Surgery of the Hand, American Board of Plastic Surgery, 2016