Patrick Shea Brannan, M.D. Orthopaedic Hand Surgeon

Clinical Biography

Patrick Brannan, M.D., is a fellowship-trained orthopaedic surgeon who specializes in hand and upper extremity conditions and injuries.  Dr. Brannan joined UAMS Health Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine in July 2020 following his retirement from the United States Air Force and brings with him almost 15 years of military orthopaedic surgery experience.   He received his Bachelor of Science degree in Biology at the United Stated Air Force Academy in 1996, where he graduated with Distinguished Military Honors.  He completed medical school at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Rock  (UAMS).  Upon completion of his medical degree, Dr. Brannan completed his internship and residency at the San Antonio Uniformed Services Health Education Consortium (SAUSHEC) in San Antonio, Texas.  His training included orthopaedic care of intercollegiate athletes and mission work abroad.

Following completion of his residency training, Dr. Brannan traveled to the Emerald Coast of Florida, where he was assigned to both a Special Operations Surgical Team and Eglin Air Force Base Hospital during the peak of military operations in both Iraq and Afghanistan.  Dr. Brannan served as Chief of Orthopaedic Surgery overseeing the care of the U.S. Air Force, Navy, and Army Special Operations personnel including the Navy Seals, Green Berets, and Air Force Pararescue Personnel.  He served on six deployments on four continents and was part of the advance team for the Haitian earthquake relief.  Dr. Brannan has received numerous awards honoring him for his service including a Bronze Star and Outstanding Unit Award with Valor.

In 2015, Dr. Brannan transitioned after nine years of trauma and sports care to attend the prestigious Hand and Upper Extremity Fellowship at OrthoCarolina in Charlotte, North Carolina.  He trained with several world-renowned surgeons including Glenn Gaston, M.D., who was named as one of the top hand surgeons in the United States. His mentors cared for elite professional athletes and served as pioneers in the design of modern hand, wrist, and elbow implants. Dr. Brannan’s education also included a traveling fellowship to Barcelona, Spain, to work with renowned wrist surgeon Marc Garcia-Elias, M.D.

Upon completion of his fellowship in 2016, Dr. Brannan returned to Northwest Florida, where he served as the Chief of Orthopaedic Surgery at Eglin Air Force Base Hospital. Using advanced techniques in hand, wrist, and elbow arthroscopy and complex joint replacement, Dr. Brannan provided innovative care for some of America’s most elite athletes – the men and women of the Armed Services. His unique experience there also included service as an orthopaedic hand surgeon in “The Cure” International Children’s Hospital in Northwest Africa.

Dr. Brannan has a strong passion for continued education and the development of modern techniques needed to address the complexity of hand and upper extremity conditions and injuries.  He is widely published in both books and peer reviewed journals.  Dr. Brannan is a board-certified fellow of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons and a Member of the American Society for Surgery of the Hand.  He values “individualized” personal treatment and accessibility for his patients.  A native of Rogers, Arkansas, Dr. Brannan is a proud member of the Rogers Wall of Distinction, and his chief professional goal is reciprocating to Arkansas all it has given to him and his family.