Children's Hospital of Philadelphia Announces Wudbhav N. Sankar, MD, as Incoming Chief of its Orthopedic Center

A nationally recognized pediatric orthopedic leader, Dr. Sankar brings expertise in hip disorders, spinal deformity, pediatric trauma and patient-centered recovery

PHILADELPHIA, Feb. 19, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) is pleased to announce that following a national search, Wudbhav (Woody) N. Sankar, MD, will become the new Chief of CHOP's Orthopedic Center, effective July 1, 2026. An internationally recognized leader in pediatric orthopedic surgery, Dr. Sankar brings deep clinical expertise in hip disorders, spinal deformity and pediatric trauma, as well as a strong record of innovation in patient-centered care and recovery.

Dr. Sankar succeeds John M. "Jack" Flynn, MD, who will remain on staff at CHOP while stepping down as Chief of the Orthopedic Center for medical reasons. A CHOP physician for 30 years and Chief for more than a decade, Dr. Flynn has led transformative advances in pediatric orthopedics. During his leadership, CHOP's Orthopedics team made scoliosis surgery faster and safer, developed limb‑sparing tumor treatments that greatly reduced the need for amputations, led research that sharply reduced postoperative narcotic use, introduced lifesaving evaluations and treatments for thoracic insufficiency, and advanced image‑guided spine navigation techniques that have improved the safety of deformity surgeries nationwide.

"As we approach this transition, we celebrate Dr. Flynn's legacy of sustained innovation and improved safety and the lasting improvements in care that will continue to benefit children for generations," said N. Scott Adzick, MD, CHOP's Surgeon‑in‑Chief. "We're very fortunate that Dr. Sankar, a dedicated clinician and researcher who has played a pivotal role on our team, will oversee the center. Under his leadership, we will continue to strengthen our global standing in orthopedic care, accelerate earlier diagnosis, deliver safer interventions and pursue innovations that benefit patients and families."

CHOP's Orthopedic Center offers in-depth expertise across sports medicine, fracture care, and complex upper-extremity, neuromuscular, and spine conditions for children, teens, and young adults. Known for outstanding outcomes and family-centered care, CHOP is consistently ranked among the nation's top pediatric hospitals for orthopedics, sports medicine, and bone health by U.S. News & World Report and named one of the best pediatric orthopedics programs by Newsweek.

Dr. Sankar currently serves as Director of the Young Adult Hip Preservation Program and leads the Hip Disorders Program at CHOP. He cares for infants, children and young adults with a full range of hip conditions, including developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH), femoroacetabular impingement (FAI), Legg‑Calvé‑Perthes disease and slipped capital femoral epiphysis (SCFE).

"It's been one of the great privileges of my career to recruit, mentor, and promote the exceptional orthopedic faculty who have propelled our program to the top in the nation," said Flynn. "Since joining CHOP in 2009, Dr. Sankar has been instrumental in raising the standard of care for children with hip and spinal disorders – leading clinical advances, training the next generation and improving outcomes for countless patients and families."

During his tenure at CHOP, Dr. Sankar has pioneered nontraditional bracing for infants who fail Pavlik harness therapy, developed intra- and postoperative blood‑flow assessment techniques for dislocated hips, and introduced in‑clinic ultrasound to speed diagnosis and decision‑making. He also helped create dedicated spine teams that shortened operative times and improved scoliosis outcomes and was instrumental in developing CHOP's Scoliosis Rapid Recovery Pathway, which maximizes pain control and early mobilization, minimizes opioid use, and enables many children to go home within a few days after major spine correction.

Dr. Sankar's research focuses on public health improvements in hip dysplasia, novel ultrasound techniques for infant DDH, optimal management of slipped epiphysis and hip instability in children with trisomy 21. He is Associate Director of the International Hip Dysplasia Institute (IHDI), plays leading roles in multi‑center research groups including the International Perthes Study Group (IPSG) and ANCHOR and serves on the board of the Legg‑Calvé‑Perthes Foundation.

"I'm deeply grateful to Dr. Flynn for his visionary leadership, mentorship, and tireless commitment to excellence," said Sankar, who is also a professor of Orthopedic Surgery at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. "I'm honored to assume the role of CHOP's Orthopedic Chief at a program known for its diligence, compassion and cross‑disciplinary collaboration. Together with our exceptional team, I'm committed to accelerating innovation, improving recovery and delivering the highest‑quality outcomes for every child and family we serve."

Dr. Sankar earned an engineering degree from Cornell University and his medical degree from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. He completed orthopedic surgical training at the University of Pennsylvania, pediatric orthopedic fellowships at Children's Hospital Los Angeles and Shriners Hospitals for Children (Los Angeles), and advanced training in adolescent and young adult hip preservation at Boston Children's Hospital. He has authored more than 150 peer‑reviewed articles, chapters and reviews, and has written and edited two books.

Dr. Sankar is also Director of Orthopedic Fellowship at CHOP, which is recognized as one of the top fellowship training programs in the country. He is actively involved in several professional societies. These include the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS), the American Orthopaedic Association (AOA), the Scoliosis Research Society (SRS), and the Pediatric Orthopedic Society of North America (POSNA). Within POSNA, he previously served on the board of directors as a junior member-at-large and secretary and currently directs the preeminent pediatric orthopaedic educational event in the world: the international pediatric orthopaedic symposium, better known as IPOS.

About Children's Hospital of Philadelphia:
A non-profit, charitable organization, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia was founded in 1855 as the nation's first pediatric hospital. Through its long-standing commitment to providing exceptional patient care, training new generations of pediatric healthcare professionals, and pioneering major research initiatives, the hospital has fostered many discoveries that have benefited children worldwide. Its pediatric research program is among the largest in the country. The institution has a well-established history of providing advanced pediatric care close to home through its CHOP Care Network, which includes more than 50 primary care practices, specialty care and surgical centers, urgent care centers, and community hospital alliances throughout Pennsylvania and New Jersey. CHOP also operates the Middleman Family Pavilion and its dedicated pediatric emergency department in King of Prussia, the Behavioral Health and Crisis Center (including a 24/7 Crisis Response Center) and the Center for Advanced Behavioral Healthcare, a mental health outpatient facility. Its unique family-centered care and public service programs have brought Children's Hospital of Philadelphia recognition as a leading advocate for children and adolescents. For more information, visit https://www.chop.edu.

Contact: Amanda DiPaolo Bradley
Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
267-391-8599
[email protected]

SOURCE Children's Hospital of Philadelphia