Donna Pacicca, MD

Orthopedic Surgeon

4.8 / 5 View Comments

Donna Pacicca, MD, is an orthopedic surgeon at Connecticut Children’s. Dr. Pacicca’s clinical interests include pediatric and adolescent sports medicine, fracture, and reconstruction. Dr. Pacicca is also a basic science researcher with a focus on single-cell genomics of bone and cartilage and the effects of diabetes on bone cells. She is a former Division I soccer player and continues to enjoy running and cycling.

Education

New York University School of Medicine

Residency

Montefiore Hospital/Albert Einstein College of Medicine

Fellowship

Rhode Island Hospital/Hasbro Children's Hospital

  • American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery

Visiting Associate Professor, University of Connecticut School of Medicine

  • Knewtson KE, Gonzalez Flores JG, Pacicca DM, Robinson JL. Transcriptome Sequencing Reveals Sex Differences in Human Meniscal Cell Response to Estrogen Based on Dosing Kinetics. bioRxiv (doi: 10.1101/2020.04.27.064451), April 2020
  • Pacicca DM, Brown T, Watkins D, et al. Elevated glucose acts directly on osteocytes to increase sclerostin expression in diabetes. Sci Rep 9, 17353 (2019) PMID: 31757981
  • McLeod TV, Israel M, Christino MA, Chung JS, McKay SD, Lang PJ, Bell DR; PRiSM Sports Specialization Research Interest Group, Chan CM, Crepeau A, Davis E, Fletcher AL, Laniak J, McCaffrey K, Pacicca D, Riederer M, Rizzone K, Rush JK, Zaslow T. Sport Participation and Specialization Characteristics Among Pediatric Soccer Athletes. Orthop J Sports Med. 2019 Mar 27;7(3):2325967119832399. PMID: 30944839
  • Khoury M, Robinson AL, Staggs V, Dunoski B, and Pacicca D. The Relationship of Anterior Cruciate Ligament Insertion Sites to the Distal Femoral Growth Centers: an MRI study. Arthroscopy: Journal of Arthroscopic & Related Surgery, 33(6):e6. June 2017.
  • Shaw KA, Dunoski BS, Mardis N, Pacicca D. The Effect of Bony Parameters on the Pediatric Knee: Normal versus Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injury versus Tibial Spine Avulsion Fracture. Surg J (N Y). 2016 Dec 22;2(4):e151-e155. 2016 Oct. PMID: 28825010

Locations Where I See Patients

Connecticut Children’s Specialty Care Center – Danbury

105 Newtown Road
Danbury, CT 06810
United States

Connecticut Children’s Specialty Care Center – Westport

191 Post Road West
Westport, CT 06880
United States

Exterior view of 399 Farmington Ave in Farmington

Connecticut Children’s Specialty Care Center – Farmington (399 Farmington Ave.)

399 Farmington Avenue
Farmington, CT 06032
United States

Exterior view of Specialty Surgery Center in Stamford

Connecticut Children’s Specialists at Specialty Surgical Center in Stamford

1281 East Main Street
Stamford, CT 06902
United States

Recent Blog Posts by Donna Pacicca, MD

A patient with a cast in orthopedics clinic looks into the camera.
Blog - Growing Healthy

Kids' Bones Are Different: The Importance of Pediatric Orthopedic Care

Young boy in a football jersey holding a football
Blog - Growing Healthy

Cardiac Arrest and Sports Injuries: What Parents Should Know

4.8
out of 5

Provider showed concern

4.8

Provider explained things clearly

4.8

Provider included you in decisions

4.8

Provider discussed treatment options

4.8

Likelihood of recommending this provider

4.8

Most Recent Comments

October 10, 2026
Dr. Pacicca is great!
August 8, 2026
She was excellent. Very concerned and thorough
July 7, 2026
Dr. Pacicca was knowledgeable, friendly, and reassuring. I left feeling more informed. Fortunately, my child is typically developing, but had there been a concern, I would feel very comfortable working with Dr. Pacicca.
July 7, 2026
Absolutely loved Dr. Pacicca - she was great with my son, explained everything in a helpful way and made us feel very comfortable. Her expertise and bedside manner are top notch!
July 7, 2026
Dr. Pacicca was excellent. She spent quality time with [...] and had a real conversation about sports Injury and overall goals.
June 6, 2026
Doctor P is the only reason I would return to your office. I commuted 25+ minutes with newborn twins on my own for this visit. Every detail was poorly planned and executed despite my efforts to confirm times as early as the day before my visit. She was apologetic and attentive throughout the entire experience. Had she not been there I likely would have left a the visit all together.
June 6, 2026
Dr Pacicca is an outstanding provider. This was a long recovery process for my daughter. Dr Pacicca patience and understanding was very helpful in her recovery. Thank you.
April 4, 2026
Good
March 3, 2026
Our doctor was very nice and personable on top of being well informed. My only constructive criticism is she threw out some possibilities for [...]'s foot swelling (septic joint, bone infection etc) that were alarming to us as nervous first time parents. Perhaps letting us know those were ruled out after the x-ray and ultrasound would have been helpful. I appreciate being informed though and for the doctor taking the time to explain her full thoughts rather than breezing through everything so it's a minor note!
January 1, 2026
I love why she always interacts with children and is always smiling
January 1, 2026
Doctor did a wonderful job of explaining what was going on and the proper course of treatment.
November 11, 2025
Dr. Pacicca was great. She made my daughter feel at ease and comfortable and talked to her so she understood everything we were discussing.