DES MOINES, IA – Craig R. Mahoney, MD, an orthopaedic surgeon with Iowa Ortho, has been named a 2026 Castle Connolly Top Doctor, marking the 13th time he has received this honor. Only 7 percent of licensed physicians nationwide are selected annually as Castle Connolly Top Doctors in their specialties and regions.
Dr. Mahoney serves as Physician Leader and Vice President of the Orthopaedic Service Line at MercyOne and is a partner at the Iowa Orthopaedic Center. With over 23 years of practice and more than 8,000 successful hip and knee replacements, his philosophy emphasizes exhaustive nonsurgical options before recommending 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," said Dr. Mahoney.
His expertise includes advanced procedures such as total hip and knee arthroplasty, revision surgery, computer-navigated joint replacement, impaction grafting, and vascular management in rotationplasty. Dr. Mahoney earned his medical degree from the University of Iowa College of Medicine in 1995, completed his orthopaedic surgery residency at the Creighton/University of Nebraska Health Foundation in 2001, and a fellowship in Adult Reconstruction at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York in 2002.
He has authored more than 40 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters in journals including The Journal of Arthroplasty and Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research. His leadership roles include President of the Mid-America Orthopaedic Association and the Iowa Orthopaedic Society, and he served on the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons Board of Councilors for six years.
Castle Connolly Top Doctors are nominated by peer physicians and selected by the physician-led research team based on criteria including medical education, training, hospital appointments, and disciplinary histories. Doctors cannot pay to be selected. The full list is published at castleconnolly.com and in partner publications.
