Meet Dr. Ugochi Okoroafor-Ridgway: Board-Certified Orthopedic Surgeon

Headshot of Dr. Ugochi Okoroafor, double board-certified orthopedic surgeon and founder of Niche Hand Surgery and MD Independent, wearing a dark green blazer, patterned top, pearl necklace and earrings, smiling confidently.

As a practicing surgeon and practice owner, Dr. Okoroafor brings firsthand experience and insight to every physician she works with.

Logo of the American Society for Surgery of the Hand (ASSH), featuring a stylized green hand circular symbol and the organization's name.
Logo of the American Association for Hand Surgery (AAHS), featuring a globe and a stylized hand in blue.
Logo of the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery featuring a tree with a snake and rod symbol, with the text ABOS and surrounding circle stating 'American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery, Inc.', 'Founded 1934', and 'MCMXXXIV'.

Who is Dr. Okoroafor?


Dr. Okoroafor is a double board-certified orthopedic surgeon specializing in hand surgery. She is the founder of Niche Hand Surgery and Orthopedics, a private practice located in Fairfax, VA. Her clinical expertise includes hand and wrist fractures, tendon injuries, sports injuries, workplace injuries, nerve problems, and more.

Dr. Okoroafor graduated from the orthopedic surgery residency program at Washington University in St. Louis. She subsequently completed the Hand and Microvascular Surgery fellowship at the University of Washington in Seattle, WA. She is certified in both Orthopaedic Surgery and Surgery of the Hand by the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery.

In addition to her full-time clinical practice, she is actively involved in research, which she has presented nationally, and she has published numerous peer-reviewed articles and textbook chapters. She is a member of the American Society for Surgery of the Hand and the American Association for Hand Surgery. She also serves as a Consultant Reviewer for the Journal of Hand Surgery and an orthopedic specialty topic editor for Dynamed.