Dr. Burns’ surgical expertise includes total hip and knee replacements, hip resurfacing, robotic knee resurfacing, conventional and reverse shoulder replacements, endoscopic carpal tunnel surgery, hand surgery, and sports injury treatments. He is currently only one of a handful of doctors in the state who perform reverse shoulder replacements, a fascinating combination of human anatomy and today’s constantly advancing medical technology. For him, it’s an unbelievable advancement in the treatment of severely arthritic or injured shoulders.

Dr. Burns is board-certified by the American Board of Orthopedic Surgery, and is the former Chief of Orthopedic Surgery at South County Hospital. He appreciates the collaborative environment at Ortho Rhode Island where doctors with different interests, specialties and points of view share and learn from one another.

His approach to care is to spend a lot of time getting to know each patient to understand and educate them about their situation. But more importantly, he wants them to understand what’s causing them pain and discomfort, why they need surgery, and how it will correct their situation to help them feel comfortable with their decision. He looks forward to every surgery as an opportunity to help a patient get better. Bottom line, he wants to do the right thing for every patient.

Dr. Burns found his passion for surgery at a young age as he was growing up in Pawtucket. When he was in middle school, his surgeon uncle invited him to watch in the OR. He was extremely impressed with his uncle’s skills and decided he wanted to combine his passion for sports, particularly basketball, with his newfound passion of surgery.

When not treating patients, he loves the outdoors: tennis, snowboarding, hiking, snowshoeing. But perhaps his favorite time outdoors is spent on his boat. When his three children were younger there were years when he was coaching as many as four soccer or basketball teams at the same time.