Dr. Raj Shani is an orthopedic surgeon in sports medicine with a focus on surgery of the shoulder, knee, and ankle as well as general orthopedics. Dr. Shani is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Surgery at The University of Texas Medical School at Houston. He also practices medicine at the Memorial Hermann Ironman Sports Medicine Institute.
Dr. Shani completed his undergraduate degree in Biomedical Engineering at Washington University in Saint Louis, Missouri, where he graduated summa cum laude at the top of his class. Returning to Texas, he graduated from Baylor College of Medicine and was nominated for AOA, the Honors Medical Society. Dr. Shani finished his five-year orthopedic residency at The University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston.
Dr. Shani recently finished a fellowship in sports medicine and surgery of the knee, shoulder, and ankle at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. There, he kept professional athletes in top shape as an associate team physician for the Atlanta Falcons (NFL) and the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (NCAA Division 1). In addition, he recently served as one of the team physicians for the NCAA Basketball Final Four 2013 in Atlanta. Dr. Shani has extensive experience in covering sports injuries from high school to the collegiate and even to the pros.
Dr. Shani is a professional member the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, American Orthopedic Society of Sports Medicine, and Arthroscopy Association of North America. He has published and presented multiple papers on cutting edge sport medicine procedures, and has also gives numerous presentations to fellow orthopedic surgeons all across the country. Dr. Shani is active in orthopedics research, recently focusing on better ways to complete ACL reconstruction and heal cartilage quicker to get athletes back to sports quicker. He has traveled internationally learning new and innovative techniques in sports medicine. Dr. Shani also participates in Operation Rainbow, a group that conducts international mission work treating orthopedic injuries in underserved communities.
Family & Hobbies
Dr. Shani lives in Heights in Midtown Houston, where he enjoys spending time with his family and stays very active in the lives of his niece and nephew. A native Texan, Dr. Shani was born and raised in Houston and is fluent in Spanish. He attended Memorial High school, where he competed in track and cross-country. When he’s out on the field today, he enjoys playing basketball, baseball and golf. Dr. Shani remains active in the local religious and youth sporting community.
He is the team physician for the local Lutheran North High School football team and really enjoys working with students. He can often be found covering local high school football in Houston, one of his favorite past times. When the weather is nice out (and he’s not helping patients), you could find Dr. Shani biking at Hermann Park, swimming outside, or running around Rice University. When he can get out of town, he spends as much time as possible in Galveston playing and training in watersports. He loves cooking Texas BBQ when he can fire up the grill, and his favorite dessert is pecan pie.
