Program Director, Cerebral Palsy and Spasticity Program
 

Dr. Monica Payares-Lizano is a pediatric orthopedic surgeon and serves as program director of the Cerebral Palsy and Spasticity Program within the Orthopedic, Sports Health, and Spine Institute at Nicklaus Children's Hospital. She also provides care as part of the multidisciplinary Brachial Plexus and Peripheral Nerve Program, Hemophilia Treatment Center, Neural-Tube Defect Clinic (Spina Bifida), Neuromuscular Program and the Spasticity and Movement Disorders Clinic for children and teens affected by cerebral palsy. Dr. Payares-Lizano earned her medical degree from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx, New York. She also completed a residency in orthopedic surgery at Albert Einstein College of Medicine/Montefiore Medical Center. Dr. Payares-Lizano then pursued a fellowship in pediatric orthopedic surgery at Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children in Wilmington, Delaware. Her clinical interests include general orthopedics, cerebral palsy, neuromuscular disorders, and musculoskeletal trauma.

Dr. Payares-Lizano is board certified in orthopedic surgery. Her work has been published in peer-reviewed journals and she has presented at medical conferences nationally and internationally. She is a fellow of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and a member of the Pediatric Orthopaedic Society of North America. Dr. Payares-Lizano also serves on committees for the American Academy of Cerebral Palsy and Developmental Medicine. She remains an active mentor with the Hispanic Center of Excellence at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and has volunteered with Mentoring in Medicine since 2007. Dr. Payares-Lizano is a co-founder of Fundación Juan Jose Payares Bustos, an organization she created with her family to honor her late father, which provides educational and vocational training to children and families in his rural hometown of Galerazamba, Colombia. The nonprofit also organizes mission trips to deliver medical care to residents of this community. In addition, Dr. Payares-Lizano is involved with Sharing for Kids, a Miami-based nonprofit focused on improving health and education for underserved children in Cartagena, Colombia.