Dr. Danica Vance is an orthopedic surgeon, Director of Sports Medicine, and Assistant Professor at the Columbia University Division of Orthopedic Surgery at Mount Sinai Medical Center, specializing in orthopedic sports medicine.

Dr. Vance graduated with a bachelor of science degree in Biological Anthropology and Anatomy from Duke University and earned her medical degree from the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. While at the University of Miami, she spent a full year dedicated to orthopedic sports medicine research. She went on to complete a residency in orthopedic surgery at Columbia University Medical Center in New York City. She then went on to complete a fellowship in orthopedic sports medicine at Duke University, where she served as a team doctor for the Duke University and North Carolina Central athletic teams.

While at Columbia, Dr. Vance received the Ira N. Wolfe Award for Excellence in Orthopedic Surgery, and has been the recipient of multiple grants including the Orthopaedic Research and Education Foundation (OREF) Resident Project Grant at Columbia, the Piedmont Orthopedic Foundation Research Grant while at Duke, and the CTSI Pilot Project Grant and the John K. Robinson Grant Award at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine.

Dr. Vance also held a number of research positions at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine and at the Center for Human Genetics at Duke University Medical Center. She also served as a resident lecturer and leader of the Perry Initiative Outreach Program at Columbia Orthopedics, which aims to inspire young women to be leaders in the orthopedic surgery field.

Dr. Vance has been published in peer-reviewed journals and written book chapters on a variety of topics including shoulder and elbow injuries in athletes; genetic biomarkers in sports injuries; shoulder biomechanics, baseball injuries, basketball injuries, artistic gymnasts; and stem cell and regenerative medicine for sports injuries.

Dr. Vance is a member of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgery and the American Orthopedic Society for Sports Medicine.

Areas of Clinical Interest:

• Sports injuries (shoulders, knees, ACL, rotator cuff, biceps, patellar, ligament, mensical and cartilage)
• Shoulder arthritis
• Shoulder pain
• Shoulder fractures
• Knee pain
• Elbow pain
• Elbow fractures

Dr. Vance and Mount Sinai Medical Center partnered with Unrivaled, a professional women’s basketball league featuring top WNBA players, to serve as the league’s official medical provider for the 2025 season. Dr. Vance, along with a multidisciplinary team of physicians, provided clinical support during games, as well as administered pre and postseason physicals, medical evaluations, treatments, diagnostic services, imaging, and specialty care as needed.

*This physician is employed by Mount Sinai Medical Center