Avneesh Chhabra, M.D.

Avneesh Chhabra, M.D., MBA, is Professor of Radiology at UT Southwestern Medical Center and Chief of its Musculoskeletal Radiology Division. He also serves as Chief of Musculoskeletal Imaging at Parkland Hospital. His clinical interests include magnetic resonance neurography (MRN), sports imaging, rheumatology and sarcoma imaging, and related image-guided interventions.

Originally from India, Dr. Chhabra earned his Bachelor of Medicine Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) degree at Maulana Azad Medical College in New Delhi. He completed his residency in radiology at Delhi University’s Willington Hospital before receiving additional diagnostic residency training at Drexel University College of Medicine in Philadelphia. He then received advanced training in musculoskeletal radiology through a fellowship at Temple University Hospital in Philadelphia. In 2021, he earned an MBA from the University of Texas at Dallas.

Prior to joining the UT Southwestern faculty in 2013, Dr. Chhabra was an Assistant Professor of Radiology and Orthopedic Surgery at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland.

Research interests

Dr. Chhabra focuses his research on refining musculoskeletal ultrasound, computed tomography and MR practices; and the novel use of 3D joint imaging in sports medicine, MR neurography, sarcoma imaging, infection, and rheumatology imaging. He is working on new forms of image-guided pain management, including minimally invasive image-guided injections.

Dr. Chhabra is actively involved in 3D MRI and 3D CT research on adult painful hip disorders, functional bone and soft tissue tumor assessment, and 3D knee MRI research with respect to meniscus and cruciate ligament injuries.

New approaches to patient care

Dr. Chhabra provides patient care at the University Hospital Radiology Clinic, where he translates his research into clinical practices by deploying novel MRN techniques to map peripheral neuropathy in patients preparing for surgery, and to direct perineural nerve injections in patients with neuropathies. His technical developments with respect to 3D MR and 3D CT imaging for multiple joints, such as knee, hip and shoulder, are also being rapidly translated into the clinical practices for the improved diagnosis of meniscus, labrum and rotator cuff injuries, bone and soft tissue sarcoma, and spondyloarthritis. He also published OT-RADS, guideline for bone tumor follow-up strategy using MRI and is engaged in other national-level guideline documents.

Global impact

Dr. Chhabra serves as a committee member for numerous national and international professional organizations, including several scientific committees. He is also an active member of the International Skeletal Society, Society of Skeletal Radiology (SSR), Indian Radiological and Imaging Association, American College of Radiology, and the Texas Radiological Society, which he serves as an alternate counselor.  

Teaching and lecturing

Dr. Chhabra is frequently invited to lecture nationally and internationally at conferences and venues throughout the United States and around the world, including presenting the keynote addresses to the American Roentgen Ray Society, Radiological Society of North America, Ontario Association of Radiologists and musculoskeletal radiology societies in China, South Korea, South America, and the Arabian Gulf. He has also presented the Tummala Madhusudana Rao Endowment Oration to the Asian Musculoskeletal Society. 

Dr. Chabbra has received many scholarly awards, including the Young Investigator Award from the SSR, the GE Radiology Research Academic Fellowship (GERRAF) award from the Association of University Radiologists, the William M.G. Gatewood M.D. Fellowship Award from Johns Hopkins University, and the Stephen B. Milam Research Award from the Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Foundation.

The author of more than 270 peer-reviewed publications, two textbooks and 30 book chapters, Dr. Chhabra also serves as a reviewer for multiple scientific journals, and is on the editorial boards of The Journal of Foot and Ankle Surgery, European Radiology, Journal of Computer Assisted Tomography, and BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders.

His dedication to the community is demonstrated by his commitment to volunteerism, ranging from judging professional conference events to local science fairs, and organizing medical camps.

Personal note

Dr. Chhabra’s longtime passion for cricket and tennis includes playing the games. He also enjoys watching basketball and football, traveling to different parts of the world, and cooking traditional Indian food.