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Dr. Caggiano took a slightly nontraditional route on his way to becoming a hand surgeon. After graduating from Emory University, he moved to San Diego where he worked in a marina while earning a graduate degree in computer science. He went on to work for Qualcomm as a software engineer for 3 years. However, during a 7,000 mile boat delivery through Central America, he decided that a career in medicine was his calling. He and his wife moved back to the east coast where he earned a medical degree from Drexel University. He completed his orthopaedic surgery residency under Dr. William Delong and subsequently completed a fellowship in hand and microvascular surgery at Harvard University. He and his wife made the move from Boston to San Luis Obispo and couldn’t be happier to be living on the Central Coast!

Dr. Caggiano has dedicated his career to surgery of the hand and wrist. He believes that the surgeon is responsible for providing the patient with all the necessary information to help the two make informed treatment decisions together. He treats acute fractures and soft tissue injuries as well as chronic conditions such as arthritis, nerve compression, and other disorders of the hand and wrist. He is a member of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS), the American Society for Surgery of the Hand (ASSH), the American Association of Hand Surgeons (AAHS), and is Board Certified with the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgeons (ABOS). He has published original research as well as chapters and review articles in the Journal of Hand Surgery, Hand, Hand Clinics, and Orthopedic Clinics of North America. He has presented at the national meetings of the AAOS, ASSH, and AAHS.

Outside of work, Dr. Caggiano enjoys traveling, being on the water, and spending time with his wife Jill, and their two dogs, Larry and Walter. You can view his CV here.

Suggested Reading:

Dr. Caggiano HealthBreak Videos:

Thumb Arthritis

Education

08/2016 - 07/2017

Harvard Orthopaedic Hand Fellowship
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA

09/2016 - 09/2016

Basic Microsurgery Course
Columbia University, New York, NY

07/2011 - 06/2016

Orthopaedic Surgery Residency
St. Luke!s University Hospital, Bethlehem, PA

08/2007 - 05/2011

Doctor of Medicine
Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA

05/2006 - 05/2007

Post-Baccalaureate Pre-Medical Program
University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA

06/2002 - 12/2003

Master of Science, Computer Science
University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA

08/1995 - 05/1999

Bachelor of Arts, Economics and History
Emory University, Atlanta, GA

Professional Licensing and Certification

11/2020

ABOS Subspecialty Certification in Surgery of the Hand

08/2019

American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery Part II Examination

08/2017 - 08/2019

California Radiography and Fluoroscopy Operator and Supervisor

05/2017 - 08/2020

DEA Schedule II, IIN, III, IIIN, IV & V Practitioner License

03/2017 - present

California Physician and Surgeon Medical License

08/2016 - 07/2017

Massachusetts Limited Medical License Caggiano, MD Page 2/5

07/2016

American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery Part I Examination

08/2013 - 08/2016

Pennsylvania Medical Physician and Surgeon, Unrestricted

09/2013 - 08/2016

DEA Schedule II, III, IV & V Practitioner License

03/2012 - 04/2017

Advanced Cardiac Life Support, Basic Life Support

Professional Experience

09/2017 - present

Orthopaedic Hand Surgeon
Central Coast Orthopedic Medical Group, San Luis Obispo, CA

01/2020 - present

Medical Executive Board
Central Coast Orthopedic Medical Group, San Luis Obispo, CA

01/2021 – 12/2021

Managing Partner
Central Coast Orthopedic Medical Group, San Luis Obispo, CA

04/2015 - 07/2016

Staff Physician
LifeCare Hospitals of Chester County, West Chester, PA

12/2015 - 07/2016

Consultant
MedTools Corporation, New York, NY

Previous Employment

05/2007 - 08/2007

Software Engineer
University of Pennsylvania Law School Library, Philadelphia, PA

06/2004 - 05/2006

Software Engineer
Qualcomm, Inc., San Diego, CA

12/2003 - 06/2004

Navigator, Crew Member
S/V Anissa, San Diego, CA

06/2003 - 12/2003

Software Engineering Intern
Qualcomm, Inc., San Diego, CA

02/2000 - 09/2002

Manager
Seaforth Boat Rentals, San Diego, CA

09/1999 - 02/2000

Research Associate
National Search Associates, Carlsbad, CA

Professional Associations

07/2011 - present

Candidate Member
American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, Rosemont, IL

01/2013 - present

Candidate Member
American Society for Surgery of the Hand, Chicago, IL

01/2018 - present

Active Member
American Association for Hand Surgery, Beverly, MA

06/2013 - 05/2016

Candidate Member
Orthopaedic Trauma Association, Rosemont, IL

12/2014 - 01/2016

Resident Assembly Delegate
American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, Rosemont, IL

Committee Membership

08/2013 - 08/2016

Website Volunteer Committee
American Society for Surgery of the Hand, Chicago, IL

09/2013 - 08/2014

Pain Process Improvement Committee
St. Luke’s University Hospital, Bethlehem, PA

07/2011 - 06/2012

Orthopaedic Process Improvement Committee
St. Luke!s University Hospital, Bethlehem, PA

Personal and Community Involvement

11/2017 - present

Volunteer
Central Coast Grown, City Farm SLO, San Luis Obispo, CA

09/2008 - 05/2011

Peer Mentor, Peer Advisory Program
Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA

08/2008 - 06/2009

Coordinator, Med-Scholars Program
Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA

05/2006 - 11/2007

Volunteer Educator
CitySail Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA

01/2005 - 02/2006

Emergency Department Volunteer Sharp Memorial Hospital, San Diego, CA
Caggiano, MD Page 4/5

12/2003 - 06/2004

Sailed 41"!sailboat from San Diego to Miami via the Panama Canal
S/V Anissa, San Diego, CA

Publications

Caggiano NM, Harper CM, Rozental TD. Proximal Interphalangeal Joint Fracture- Dislocations. Hand Clin. May 2018; 34(2);149-165

Christensen JM, Caggiano NM, Giladi AM, Iorio ML. Median Nerve Injury After Removal of Subdermal Implantable Contraceptive. Hand. May 2018; 13(3);NP6-NP9

Caggiano NM, Kaplan SJ, Nelson DL, Matullo KS. Wrong Bone Excision in Hand Surgery. Hand. September 2017; 12(5);467-470

Caggiano NM, Matullo KS. Endoscopic Cubital Tunnel Release. In: Atlas of Endoscopic Plastic Surgery, Raposio E (ed.). Springer International Publishing. 2016; 97-107

Caggiano NM, Fegley MW, Matullo KS. Patients’ Preferences Regarding the Delivery of Healthcare in a Hand Surgical Practice. Hand. December 2015; 10(4);785-788

Caggiano NM, Avery DM, Matullo KS. The Effect of Anesthesia on Non-Surgical Operating Room Time. J Hand Surg Am. Jun 2015; 40(6):1202-9

Avery DM, Caggiano NM, Matullo KS. Ulnar Collateral Ligament Injuries of the Thumb: A Comprehensive Review. Orthop Clin North Am. Apr 2015; 46(2):281-292

Caggiano NM, Matullo KS. Carpal Instability of the Wrist. Orthop Clin North Am. Jan 2014; 45(1):129-140

Kancherla VK, Caggiano NM, Matullo KS. Elbow Injuries in the Throwing Athlete. Orthop Clin North Am. Oct 2014; 45(4):571-585

Conference Presentations

Caggiano NM, Nelson DL, Kaplan SJ, Matullo KS. Wrong Bone Excision in Hand Surgery.

  • Electronic poster presentation at the 2016 Annual Meeting of the American Society for Surgery of the Hand, September 2016.

Caggiano NM, Avery DA, Matullo KS. Concurrent Ipsilateral Supraspinatus Weakness in Patients with Lateral Epicondylitis.

  • Poster presentation at the 2015 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, March 2015.

Caggiano NM, Avery DA, Matullo KS. The Effect of Anesthesia on Non-Surgical Operating Room Time.

  • Electronic poster presentation at the 2015 Annual Meeting of the American Association for Hand Surgery, January 2015.

Caggiano NM, Matullo KS. Does Giving Patients Pre-Operative Hand Therapy Instructions Affect the Need for Post-Operative Hand Therapy?

  • Electronic poster presentation at the 2015 Annual Meeting of the American Association for Hand Surgery, January 2015.
  • Electronic poster presentation at the 2014 Annual Meeting of the American Society for Surgery of the Hand, September 2014.

Caggiano NM, Auchter SP, Matullo KS. Outpatient and Surgical Case Volume Before and After Adoption of an Electronic Medical Record System.

  • Electronic poster presentation at the 2015 Annual Meeting of the American Association for Hand Surgery, January 2015.
  • Poster presentation at the 2014 Philadelphia Orthopaedic Trauma Symposium, June

Caggiano NM, Fegley MW, Matullo KS. Patients’ Preferences Regarding the Delivery of Healthcare.

Poster presentation at the 2014 Philadelphia Orthopaedic Trauma Symposium, June 2014.

Other Research Activities

Kancherla VK, Caggiano NM, Matullo KS. Utility of Electrodiagnostic Studies in the Surgical Treatment of Ulnar Nerve Entrapment. Submitted for publication to Hand.

Caggiano NM, Matullo KS. The Association between Pre-Operative and Post-Operative Hand Therapy.

Caggiano NM, Auchter SP, Matullo KS. Outpatient and Surgical Case Volume Before and After Adoption of an Electronic Medical Record System.

Caggiano NM, Black JD, Nwachuku CO, De Long, WG. Tip-Apex Distance with the Cephalomedullary Device: Does 25mm Still Matter?

Caggiano NM, Chen S, Oxfeld GM, Carolan GF. Incidence and Radiographic Markers of Posterior HAGL Lesions.

Caggiano NM, Karam JA, Burns RK, Eakins JS. Do Autopsies Tell the Tale? A Systemic Review of Autopsy Impact.

Locations &Directions

Map
  • San
    Luis Obispo Office

    862 Meinecke Avenue
    Suite 100, San Luis Obispo, CA 93405

    Phone:

  • Pismo
    Beach Office

    921 Oak Park Blvd.
    Suite 204, Pismo Beach, CA 93449

    Phone:

  • Santa
    Maria Office

    2342 Professional Parkway,
    Suite 200, Santa Maria, CA 93455

    Phone:

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