Orthopaedic surgeon Craig R. Mahoney, MD has been named a 2026 Castle Connolly Top Doctor, marking the thirteenth consecutive year he has received this prestigious designation. This recognition places Dr. Mahoney among an elite group of physicians, as only seven percent of the nation's licensed physicians are selected annually as Castle Connolly Top Doctors within their specialties and regions.
Dr. Mahoney practices with Iowa Ortho, a leading orthopaedic practice recognized for advancing joint replacement care and improving patient outcomes through clinical excellence and healthcare innovation. His current leadership roles include serving as Physician Leader and Vice President of the Orthopaedic Service Line at MercyOne, in addition to being a partner at the Iowa Orthopaedic Center. The selection process for this honor involves nominations by peer physicians and final selection by the physician-led Castle Connolly research team, which evaluates candidates based on medical education, training, hospital appointments, and disciplinary histories. Physicians cannot pay to be selected, ensuring the integrity of the recognition process.
"I am honored to be recognized as a Castle Connolly Top Doctor," said Dr. Mahoney. "With over 23 years of dedicated practice and more than 8,000 successful hip and knee replacements, my philosophy focuses on exhaustive nonsurgical options before recommending joint replacement surgery. My goals include improving mobility and decreasing pain but also improving each patient's quality of life through evidence-based techniques that emphasize long-term outcomes."
Dr. Mahoney's surgical expertise encompasses several advanced procedures including Total Hip Arthroplasty, Total Knee Arthroplasty, Hip and Knee Revision Surgery, Computer-navigated Joint Replacement, Impaction Grafting, and Vascular Management in Rotationplasty. His educational background includes earning his medical degree from the University of Iowa College of Medicine in 1995, completing his orthopaedic surgery residency at the Creighton/University of Nebraska Health Foundation in 2001 with a dedicated one-year orthopaedic research fellowship, and subsequently completing a fellowship in Adult Reconstruction at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York in 2002.
Beyond clinical practice, Dr. Mahoney has contributed significantly to the medical literature, authoring more than 40 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters in publications such as The Journal of Arthroplasty and Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research. His professional leadership includes serving as President of both the Mid-America Orthopaedic Association and the Iowa Orthopaedic Society, along with a six-year term on the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons Board of Councilors. Castle Connolly publishes its Top Doctors list at https://www.castleconnolly.com and in various print and online partner publications, with nominations open to all board-certified MDs, DOs, and DPMs.
This repeated recognition highlights the sustained clinical excellence and patient-centered approach that defines Dr. Mahoney's career. For patients seeking orthopaedic care, particularly those requiring joint replacement procedures, this designation serves as an important indicator of physician quality and expertise. The healthcare industry benefits from such recognition systems that help patients identify highly qualified specialists through rigorous, peer-reviewed selection processes. As healthcare continues to emphasize outcomes and patient satisfaction, recognitions like the Castle Connolly Top Doctor designation provide valuable guidance for those making critical healthcare decisions.
