About Dr. Cusano

Dr. Antonio Cusano is an attending orthopedic surgeon and specialist at UConn Health. He is also an assistant professor at the University of Connecticut.

As a shoulder, knee, & elbow surgery and sports medicine specialist, Dr. Cusano’s experience across the entire spectrum of musculoskeletal pathology enables comprehensive and longitudinal care for patients with a variety of conditions. Dr. Cusano has extensive experience caring for athletes at all levels, from a young person with shoulder instability or ligamentous knee injury to the weekend warrior with a rotator cuff tear. He has served as a team physician for the New York Giants and NFL Combine.

Dr. Cusano has a special interest in caring for athletes of all ages, from adolescence through adulthood and at all levels of participation, from the weekend warrior to the high school, collegiate and professional athlete. His clinical interests include primary and revision ACL reconstruction, multi-ligament knee injuries, osteotomies, cartilage loss, meniscus pathology, shoulder instability, rotator cuff and labral tears, pectoralis and distal biceps tendon ruptures, elbow injuries, and shoulder arthritis. In addition, he has a special interest in complex shoulder and knee reconstruction and revision procedures. He is dedicated to providing exceptional patient care with the highest level of expertise and compassion.

Dr. Cusano completed his orthopedic surgery residency at the University of Connecticut, and his sports medicine and shoulder surgery fellowship training at the Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) program in New York City. In addition to his clinical training in the United States, Dr. Cusano has also served as the assistant team physician for the New York Giants, alongside Drs. Russell Warren, Scott Rodeo & Sam Taylor and Hall of Fame Athletic Trainer, Ronnie Barnes.

Dr. Cusano studied biology and Hispanic Studies as an undergraduate at Boston College, where he graduated cum laude and was team captain of the Boston College Men’s Club Ice Hockey team. Dr. Cusano attended medical school at the Boston University School of Medicine.

Dr. Cusano also has a strong interest in research and believes that it is through research that advances in the field of orthopaedic surgery and patient care are made possible. His research interests focus on ligament reconstruction, rotator cuff repair outcomes, large database studies, shoulder arthroplasty, surgical techniques, and biomechanics. Dr. Cusano has had his research presented at over forty national and regional conferences. In addition, he has received multiple research awards and grants and has contributed over sixty peer-reviewed publications and book chapters to the field of orthopaedics. Dr. Cusano serves as a reviewer for the American Journal of Sports Medicine and the HSS Journal: The Musculoskeletal Journal of the Hospital for Special Surgery.

Education

Professional Training

Awards

  • Cavazos Award | University of Connecticut Orthopaedic Residency: Awarded yearly to the person best believed to most closely exemplify an outstanding, well-rounded resident, mentor, and role model

  • Neviaser Award in Basic Science | American Shoulder & Elbow Society (ASES), Journal of Shoulder & Elbow Surgery.  Effectiveness of topical adjuvants in reducing biofilm formation on orthopedic implants: an in vitro analysis

  •  Clinical Research Award in Sports Medicine | American Orthopaedic Association. The Statistical Fragility of Platelet-Rich Plasma in Rotator Cuff Surgery: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

  • Clinical Research Award Finalist| Philadelphia Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine. The Statistical Fragility of Platelet-Rich Plasma in Rotator Cuff Surgery: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

  • Academic Distinction, cum laude | Boston College  

  • Academic Distinction, Order of Old Farms Recipient | Avon Old Farms. Awarded to a student who most generously serves the welfare of Avon Old Farms and is governed in all human relationships by a deep sense of honor. Unanimous vote of the faculty and the Student Council is required for election into the Order of Old Farms

Academic Grants & Scholarships

  • Greater Hartford Orthopaedic Education and Research (GHOERF) Grant. Biomechanical Evaluation Using the Lacertus Fibrosus as a Local Autograft in the Setting of Distal Biceps Rupture

  • Greater Hartford Orthopaedic Education and Research (GHOERF) Grant. The Utility of the Biceps Palpation-Rotation Test in Diagnosing Partial Biceps Tendon Tears

Affiliations

  • American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons (ASES)

  • American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS)

  • American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine (AOSSM)

  • Arthroscopy Association of North America (AANA)