Kenneth Y. Chern, M.D., F.A.A.O.S., A.A.N.A

Dr. Kenneth Y. Chern, an orthopaedic surgeon, is annually selected by his peers as one of New Jersey Monthly Magazine’s “Top Docs”. Dr. Chern is currently a partner of Seaview Orthopaedics and Medical Associates and also serves as the Chief Information Officer for the group. He is a Jersey native having grown up in Morris County and attended Princeton University. He graduated from Princeton with High Honors (magna cum laude) and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa, America’s most prestigious academic honor society.  His next stop was New York City where went on to attend Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. After graduation from medical school, he was awarded the Frank E. Stinchfield Fellowship in orthopaedic research at the New York Orthopaedic Hospital of Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center and authored multiple scientific journal publications on knee biomechanics. He went on to do clinical training in orthopaedic surgery at the same institution. After orthopaedic surgery residency, Dr. Chern completed a fellowship in sports medicine and arthroscopic surgery at the Baptist Hospital in Nashville, TN where he trained in advanced arthroscopic techniques for treating sports injuries including hip arthroscopy. One of his fellowship mentors, Dr. J.W. Thomas Byrd, is a key figure in the development of modern arthroscopic techniques in the treatment of hip injuries and is referred to as the “godfather of hip arthroscopy”.

Dr. Chern has specific expertise in surgery of the shoulder, knee, and hip. Shoulder procedures that Dr. Chern performs include arthroscopic procedures (repair of rotator cuff tears, superior capsular reconstruction, Bankart, and remplissage procedures for instability, repair of AC joint dislocation), Latarjet procedure for recurrent instability, internal fixation of the clavicle and proximal humerus fractures, and both anatomic and reverse total shoulder replacements. He also performs complex knee procedures including ACL, PCL, LCL, MCL reconstruction, cartilage resurfacing, subchondroplasty, meniscus repair and transplantation as well as knee replacement. Dr. Chern was the first surgeon to perform hip arthroscopy in Central Jersey 24 years ago. Arthroscopic hip procedures that Dr. Chern performs include femoroacetabular impingement decompression, labral repair and reconstruction, gluteus medius tendon repair, and soft tissue releases for snapping hip syndrome. Dr. Chern also performs platelet-rich plasma (PRP) and mesenchymal stem cell injections for various musculoskeletal injuries and osteoarthritis.

Dr. Chern is a fellow of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons and a member of the Arthroscopy Association of North America.  He is currently chairman of the Orthopaedic Surgery Department of Ocean Medical Center in Brick, NJ. He also has privileges at Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune, NJ, and Monmouth Medical Center in Long Branch, NJ as well as outpatient surgery centers in Monmouth and Ocean Counties.

In addition to directly treating patients, Dr. Chern works on a number of projects to improve the care of orthopaedic patients. He collaborates with hospital administrators on improving inpatient care by designing and monitoring quality metrics. In his role as CIO, Dr. Chern spearheaded the development of a Patent Reported Outcomes program at Seaview Orthopaedics to document, track and analyze the results of surgical procedures in order to improve patient outcomes.  He has also directed many other projects to leverage information technology to improve the patient experience at Seaview Orthopaedics and Medical Associates.