• UPMC and Pitt Experts Present at Orthopaedic Research Society 2023
  The Spine Research Team at the University of Pittsburgh Department of Orthopaedics shared a variety of research abstracts and posters at the 2023 Orthopaedic Research Society Annual Meeting, February 10-14 in Dallas, Texas.
• UPMC Experts Contribute to 2023 Youth to the NFL Sports Medicine
  The American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine (AOSSM) and the NFL hosted the Youth to the NFL sports medicine course March 30 – April 1, 2023, in New Orleans, Louisiana. Several members of the UPMC Department of Orthopaedic Surgery shared specialized knowledge and experience on topics from the common to the complex, including Craig S. Mauro, MD, who served as one of this year’s course co-chairs.
• Orthopaedic Surgeons Contribute to Education Program at AAOS 2023 Annual Meeting
  The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) hosted its annual meeting March 7-11, 2023, in Las Vegas, Nevada. Numerous members of the UPMC Department of Orthopaedic Surgery attended and contributed to meaningful sessions, interactive lectures, courses, and workshops focused on the latest breakthroughs in orthopaedics across all specialties and career stages.
• Orthopaedic Sports Medicine Experts Contribute to Course Lectures and Presentations at the AOSSM 2023 Annual Meeting
  The American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine (AOSSM) hosted its 51st annual meeting July 12-16, 2023, in Washington, D.C. Several members of the UPMC Department of Orthopaedic Surgery attended and contributed to meaningful instructional courses, panel discussions, and lectures.

• Ferguson Laboratory Feature | Melissa Yunting Tang, MD | UPMC Physician Resources

Melissa Yunting Tang, MD, is a second-year resident in the University of Pittsburgh Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and a current research fellow in the Ferguson Laboratory for Orthopaedic and Spine Research. Dr. Tang is pursuing the research track of the residency program and is on the path toward becoming an academic spine surgeon.

• Kenneth Urish, MD, Awarded R01 Grant to Study Bacteriophage Therapy in Chronic Periprosthetic Joint Infection | UPMC Physician Resources

UPMC Orthopaedic Care physician Kenneth L. Urish, MD, was awarded a Research Project Grant (R01) from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to study bacteriophage therapy in chronic periprosthetic joint infection. The grant is being funded by the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS).

• Nam Vo, PhD, Awarded R01 Grant to Study Intervertebral Disc Degeneration | UPMC Physician Resources

Co-Director of the Ferguson Laboratory for Orthopaedic and Spine Research, Nam Vo, PhD, was recently awarded a Research Project Grant (R01) from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to study intervertebral disc degeneration. The grant is being funded by the National Institute on Aging.

• Pitt Research Team Proposes MicroRNA-29a as a Novel Target for Non-operative Management of Symptomatic Lumbar Spinal Stenosis | UPMC Physician Resources

In this study out of the Ferguson Laboratory for Orthopaedic Spine Research, a research team from the University of Pittsburgh Departments of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and Orthopaedic Surgery discovered the role of a novel target, microRNA-29a (miR-29a), in modulating LFH and investigated the potential for using miR-29a as a therapeutic means to combat LSS.

• Hillandale Farms family donates $25 million to launch Pitt’s Orland Bethel Family Musculoskeletal Research Center | University of Pittsburgh

The Orland Bethel Family Musculoskeletal Research Center (BMRC) will enable the University of Pittsburgh to elevate its study of musculoskeletal disorders, including osteoporosis, degenerative arthritis, fragility fractures and spinal pathology. It will attract and retain top scientists and advance leading-edge research, making musculoskeletal medicine a major focus at the University of Pittsburgh Health Sciences alongside cancer and neuroscience. The Orland Bethel Family Foundation’s gift, matched by the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, created the center. The University expects it to open in 2024.

• Ferguson Lab Trainee Spotlight: Valerio Tonelli Enrico, PT, MSCE | UPMC Physician Resources

Valerio Tonelli Enrico, PT, MSCE, is a Rehabilitation Science PhD candidate and graduate research assistant at the University of Pittsburgh School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences and research trainee in the Ferguson Laboratory for Spine Research. He began his studies at the University of Pittsburgh in June 2020 and is expecting to complete his doctoral studies in Summer 2024.

• Exploring the Potential of ChatGPT as a Supplementary Tool for Providing Orthopaedic Information | UPMC Physician Resources

Several orthopaedic experts, including UPMC Orthopaedic Care physicians Jonathan D. Hughes, MD, and Volker Musahl, MD, collaborated to conduct a study examining ChatGPT as a potential supplementary tool for providing orthopaedic information.

• LB3P Mechanistic Research Center Probes Phenotypes and Mechanisms Driving Low Back Pain in Search for Personalized Treatment Advances | UPMC Physician Resources

In 2019, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) awarded a total of $21.3 million U19 grant through its Helping to End Addiction Long-Term (HEAL) initiative to University of Pittsburgh and UPMC researchers to establish the Low Back Pain: Biological, Biomechanical, Behavioral Phenotypes (LB3P) Mechanistic Research Center.

The award is a testament to the world-class expertise and cutting-edge research facilities at UPMC and the University of Pittsburgh, including the multidisciplinary Ferguson Laboratory for Spine Research. LB3P is led by Ferguson Laboratory co-directors and study principal investigators Gwendolyn A. Sowa, MD, PhD, chair of the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, and Nam V. Vo, PhD, professor of Orthopaedic Surgery. They are joined in the project by numerous research collaborators from the University of Pittsburgh (see complete list at FergusonLab.Pitt.edu).

• New Chief Named to Lead Orthopaedic Trauma for Pitt and UPMC | UPMC Physician Resources

Dr. George V. Russell is the new chief of orthopaedic trauma in the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine’s Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and the associate chief of UPMC’s orthopaedic service line. Russell also serves as an associate chief of surgical quality and executive vice chair of Pitt’s Department of Orthopaedic Surgery. 

• View additional news from the University of Pittsburgh Department of Orthopaedic Surgery here.

The Ferguson Laboratory for Orthopaedic and Spine Research publications share the latest news and research progress from our faculty and students, upcoming conferences and lectures, and in-depth profiles of the individuals working and training in our facility.

• Ferguson Laboratory Spring 2023 Publication

• Ferguson Laboratory Fall 2023 Publication

• Innovations in Orthopaedic Research | UPMC Physician Resources

In this UPMC Physician Journal feature, MaCalus V. Hogan, MD, MBA, Chair of Orthopaedic Surgery at UPMC and David Silver Professor and Chair of Pitt’s Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, takes viewers inside a research lab to see cutting-edge technology being used to improve diagnosis and care of orthopaedic conditions.

• Assessment and Rehabilitation Principles for Patients with Hip Version | UPMC (upmcphysicianresources.com)

In this CME, David Spaeder, PT, Keelan Enseki, PT, and Dan Lueders, MD, discuss how to implement key rehabilitation principles in both non-operative, pre-operative and post-operative management of femoral and acetabular version in patients with hip pain, articulate effect of version on hip function, and identify appropriate referral sources and provide a collaborative approach to treating complex hip conditions.