Quick Bio

Dr. Shelby Smith is a Delaware native who grew up in Middletown, attended Middletown High School, and graduated from the University of Delaware. She went on to complete her orthopaedic residency and upper extremity fellowship in Chicago and Indianapolis before returning home to Delaware, where she is excited to care for patients in the community in which she grew up.

Dr. Smith specializes in comprehensive care of the shoulder, elbow, forearm, wrist, and hand. She treats a wide range of conditions, including fractures, arthritis, sports and work-related injuries, as well as tendon, ligament, and nerve disorders.

She is committed to providing thoughtful, individualized care and helping patients understand their diagnosis and treatment options. Her goal is to reduce pain, restore function, and help patients return to the activities that matter most to them through both nonoperative and surgical treatment.

Specialties

• Hand, Wrist, Forearm, Elbow, & Shoulder 
• Fractures & Upper Extremity Trauma 
• Upper Extremity Arthritis and Joint Replacement 
• Tendon & Ligament Injuries 
• Nerve Conditions including Microsurgery 
• Sports & Work-Related Injuries 
• Reconstructive Surgery

Locations

• Dover - Enterprise Plaza
• Middletown
• Milford
• Smyrna

Medical School

Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA

Residency

Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL

Fellowship

Hand, Upper Extremity, and Microsurgery: Indiana Hand to Shoulder Center, Indianapolis, IN

Hospital Affiliations

Bayhealth, Kent Campus

Professional Societies

American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgery, American Society for Surgery of the Hand, American Association for Hand Surgery, Medical Society of Delaware, American Medical Association

Publications

Smetana B, Smith SR. Dorsal Radioulnar Joint Instability. Book Chapter in Manual of Hand Surgery, 3rd Edition. 2025

Smith SR, Sabet A, Shuman S, Carroll M, Warrier A, Simcock X, Wysocki R. Return to Work Following Open Debridement for Primary Elbow Osteoarthritis. Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Arthroplasty. 2025

Smith SR, Sabet A, Gullborg EJ, Fernandez JJ, Cohen MS, Simcock XC, Wysocki RW. Outcomes of Hemi-Hamate Arthroplasty for Proximal Interphalangeal Joint Reconstruction. Hand (N Y). 2025 May 8:15589447251329581. doi: 10.1177/15589447251329581. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 40337947; PMCID: PMC12061912.

Smith, SR, Dua, K, Wysocki, R, Fernandez, JJ, Cohen, M, Simcock, X. (2024). The Complication and Safety Profile of Utilizing Kirschner Wires in Four Corner Fusions. Journal of Wrist Surgery. 10.1055/s-0043-1778084.

Fernandez JJ, Smith SR. Traumatic Rhabdomyolysis: Crush Syndrome, Compartment Syndrome, and the 'Found Down' Patient. J Am Acad Orthop Surg. 2024 Feb 15;32(4):e166-e174. Epub 2023 Dec 13. PMID: 38109720.

Smith SR, Patel NK, White AE, Hadley CJ, Dodson CC. Stress Fractures of the Elbow in the Throwing Athlete: A Systematic Review. Orthop J Sports Med. 2018 Oct 8;6(10):2325967118799262. PMID: 30306096; PMCID: PMC6176543.