What is your current career stage? With what institutions and departments are you affiliated, and what position(s) do you hold?
I am currently a faculty member (Assistant Professor) in the Department of Orthopaedics at Emory University, with a Health Science Specialist appointment at the Atlanta VA Medical Center.

What areas are you most passionate about and why?
Our lab’s central mission is to develop new treatments and therapeutics to repair or replace our joint tissues. In particular, we focus on cell-microenvironment interactions early in the disease or regeneration setting, understanding this behavior in an effort to guide biomaterial and adjuvant therapies for macro-scale benefit. Our lab has a few major research thrusts; the first relates to a cartilage-penetrating hydrogel system that fortifies cartilage and protects it from catabolism. We simultaneously explore chondrocyte response to the system and translation of the therapy in preclinical models. The second thrust relates to cartilage regeneration, in guiding marrow stimulation towards volumetric and functional tissue maturation. We direct marrow cell behavior in this early provisional clot towards both preferential chondrogenesis and robust matrix deposition. Finally, our third research thrust relates to using the biomaterial microenvironment around meniscus cells to guide their plasticity for region-specific tissue deposition. The area that I’m currently very passionate about is utilizing subtle cell-scale information early in the deteriorative or regenerative process to predict longer-term tissue outcomes, as this may give us key insights on how to direct these initial phases.

How did you get involved in orthopaedic research?
As an avid sports fan, I’ve always been interested in sports medicine, in particular soft tissue injuries. But my interest in orthopaedic research only started during my senior year Tissue Engineering course, where our final project involved drafting a grant research strategy; our group pitched a composite scaffold for ACL reconstruction. Through this experience, I was drawn to joining a PhD lab in the musculoskeletal tissue engineering field and was fortunate to join the lab of Drs. Michael Dunn and Charles Gatt at Rutgers, working on a fiber-reinforced meniscus scaffold. From my time as a PhD student, through both lab research and attending orthopaedic conferences (mostly ORS), my interest in orthopaedic research grew tremendously.

What are some of the biggest challenges in your research journey so far?
As we all know, the academic journey is full of its ups and downs. I’d say the biggest challenge has been starting a lab! My postdoc experience was tremendous in preparing me in many ways, but there are many soft skills that you only pick up when you’re on the job. Examples include hiring and mentoring personnel effectively, prioritizing research directions, and managing two lab spaces and their budgets (Emory and VA). All that being said, the Atlanta and broader ORS community have been helpful in guiding me through these steps.

What is one accomplishment you are really proud of?
I’m very proud of my research at all three stages of my career progressing translationally. Both my graduate school and postdoctoral work were pivotal towards the formation of startup companies that have received small-business funding. While not in clinical trials yet, this is a crucial step towards impacting clinical care, and certainly something I’m proud of!

What are you most excited about in the future of orthopaedic research?
With the AI and machine learning revolution, I’m excited by the incorporation of machine-learning based decision making, for not only diagnosis but prognosis. For example, every meniscus tear is different, but by incorporating patient information, activity levels, imaging-identified tear patterns, knee alignment, and other factors, perhaps we can come to an informed decision on whether to remove, repair, or replace. The same applies for arthritis treatments (palliative versus replacement), cartilage repair techniques, and beyond.

Can you share an example of how your research has influenced, or has the potential to influence, clinical decision-making or patient care?
Since a central theme of our lab is to develop new biomaterials and therapeutics to preserve or regenerate cartilage tissues, the translation of these therapies has tremendous potential if/when they make it to the clinic. We recognize that most of them won’t make it all the way, so our hope is that even the knowledge we gain in understanding early environments in disease and regeneration can motivate and direct new therapies in the field.

In your opinion, what clinical question is in urgent need of high-quality research right now?
Tough question, since there are many! Related to our work, I think finding the early determinants/signs of long-term joint health are in urgent need of high-quality of research, perhaps as a combination of structural, biological, and genetic factors. Early detection and preventative modalities would help curb disease progression at its start.

Why do you believe investing in orthopaedic research is more critical now than ever?
As people live longer, healthy and active aging is paramount. In fact, recent studies have inversely linked activity levels to morbidity. Unfortunately, due to the increasing incidence of traumatic injuries earlier in life and rising levels of obesity, activity levels are diminished in a large portion of our population. Since musculoskeletal ailments (e.g., back pain, arthritis) are leading causes of disability and inactivity, it is paramount for us to invest in orthopaedic research, to develop new treatments to keep people more active and healthy as they age.