About Dr. Catherine W. Cahill

Houston hip and knee surgeon: education, board certification, research and service.

This page summarizes Dr. Cahill’s background, training, and service, with links to official sources for practice information.

Hip and Knee Replacement Specialist

Catherine W. Cahill, MD, is an orthopedic surgeon with Fondren Orthopedic Group in Houston whose practice centers on the hip and knee. Her Fondren profile lists hip replacement, knee replacement, joint replacement and robotic joint replacement among her services, and she is trained in both nonsurgical and surgical musculoskeletal care. Fondren Orthopedic Group (opens external site in a new tab)

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“I believe in treating patients like family, helping them choose the best treatment for their lifestyle and needs and treating them with the best of my abilities every day.”

Board Certification

Dr. Cahill is board-certified in orthopedic surgery by the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery (ABOS). Fondren Orthopedic Group (opens external site in a new tab)

Board certification shows that a surgeon has met established standards for specialty training, medical knowledge and clinical skill through formal evaluation and examination. Continuing certification supports ongoing education and assessment throughout a surgeon’s career. ABOS (opens external site in a new tab)

The ABOS is itself a member board of the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS). This is an affiliation of the certifying board, not a second certification. abms.org (opens external site in a new tab)

Education & Fellowship Training

Doctor of Medicine, Medical College of Wisconsin, 2003–2007. Graduated at the top of her class, was elected to the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society and received scholarship distinction recognizing her as a “complete physician.”
Orthopaedic surgery residency, Baylor College of Medicine, 2007–2012 (five years).
Aufranc Fellowship in Adult Reconstructive Surgery (adult hip and knee reconstruction), New England Baptist Hospital, Boston, 2012–2013.
Hip Preservation Fellowship, Inselspital Hospital, Bern, Switzerland.

Cahill Orthopedics (opens external site in a new tab) · Fondren provider profile (opens external site in a new tab)

Academic Appointment & Research

Dr. Cahill is a volunteer professor in the Joseph Barnhart Department of Orthopedic Surgery at Baylor College of Medicine. Cahill Orthopedics (opens external site in a new tab)

Her research includes work with colleagues at the Michael E. DeBakey Veterans Affairs Medical Center on preoperative screening and risk-factor management before total hip and knee replacement. In that study’s veteran population, the authors reported lower infection and complication rates after the screening criteria were introduced. These are findings of one published study, not a promise of individual outcomes.

Honors & Awards

Hugh Tullos Research Award — Baylor College of Medicine.
J.H. and W.J. Houghton, MD Award — Medical College of Wisconsin.
Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society — Wisconsin Beta Chapter.

Selected Peer-Reviewed Publications

Preoperative Screening and Joint Replacement Complications
Implementation of Preoperative Screening Criteria Lowers Infection and Complication Rates Following Elective Total Hip Arthroplasty and Total Knee Arthroplasty in a Veteran Population (opens external site in a new tab)
Nussenbaum FD, Rodriguez-Quintana D, Fish SM, Green DM, Cahill CW.
The Journal of Arthroplasty. 2018;33(1):10–13. PMID: 28838614.
Full article (PDF, 2.2 MB) (opens a PDF in a new tab)
Cervical Spine Evaluation
Enhancing Evaluation of Cervical Spine: Thresholds for Normal CT Relationships in the Subaxial Cervical Spine (opens external site in a new tab)
Cahill CW, Radcliffe KE, Reitman C.
International Journal of Spine Surgery. 2017;11(5):36. PMID: 29372140.
Bone Marrow and Leukemia Research
AML-Induced Osteogenic Differentiation in Mesenchymal Stromal Cells Supports Leukemia Growth (opens external site in a new tab)
Battula VL, Le PM, Sun JC, et al. Contributing coauthor: Cahill CW (Catherine W. Cahill, MD).
JCI Insight. 2017;2(13):e90036. PMID: 28679949.
Bilateral Knee Replacement in Older Adults
Simultaneous Bilateral Knee Arthroplasty in Octogenarians: Can It Be Safe and Effective? (opens external site in a new tab)
Cahill CW, Schwarzkopf R, Sinha S, Scott RD.
The Journal of Arthroplasty. 2014;29(5):998–1000. PMID: 24321479.

Professional Memberships

American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons
American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons
Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society
Ruth Jackson Orthopaedic Society

Volunteer Service & Mentorship

Faith in Practice

Dr. Catherine Cahill serves locally and abroad, volunteering with Faith In Practice (opens external site in a new tab), providing orthopedic care during medical mission trips to Guatemala. She has led surgical teams since at least 2022, working alongside fellow volunteers and local healthcare partners to help patients who face significant barriers to treatment.

Mission trips

Perry Initiative

Dr. Cahill volunteers with The Perry Initiative (opens external site in a new tab) to encourage young women to pursue careers in orthopedic surgery. Through hands-on workshops, simulated surgical activities, and mentorship, the organization helps high school and medical students explore orthopedic surgery and engineering.

Beyond Medicine

Away from the operating room, Dr. Cahill enjoys volleyball, reading and time with her children. A favorite book is The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett.

The best advice Dr. Cahill ever received: