Orthopaedic Surgery + Rehabilitation Medicine Research
Developing therapies and medical devices to improve patient health.

The Orthopedics Department at Tufts Medical Center in Boston combines research and education with outstanding patient care. Our expert orthopedic clinical staff continuously contributes new knowledge in the understanding of the causes of bone, joint and muscle disease and studies the long-term outcomes of musculoskeletal conditions.

To improve patient health, our orthopedic research team develops new methods of treatment and participates in studies that lead to new medical devices and innovations. We regularly disseminate our results through participation in professional societies, presentations at conferences and publications in scholarly journals.

Research mission

We combine education and research with our expert care to deliver the best quality to our patients. Our acclaimed orthopedic clinical staff has contributed to new knowledge in the understanding of the causes of bone and joint disease, and has focused on studying the long-term outcomes of musculoskeletal conditions.

Our mission is to develop new methods of treatment and to participate in research leading to new medical devices in order to promote patient health and human well-being in the ethical practice of orthopedic medicine. 
Industry Sponsored Research

The Department of Orthopedics at Tufts Medical Center in Boston is engaged in a number of industry-sponsored research projects, including:

SurgeryPal/HEAL Initiative – Sponsored by Seattle Children’s Hospital
This is a “trial to examine effectiveness of a perioperative program (SurgeryPal) to improve health functioning after spinal fusion surgery.” SurgeryPal is a web and mobile-based program that helps teens and families both pre and postoperatively deal with stress and develop coping mechanisms for pain management. TMC is acting as a referring site for Seattle Children’s’ Hospital. This has been granted IRB approval as Human Research Not Engaged
Research team: Stuart Braun, MD, Zabrina Shabin, MD


Surgical Outcomes System – Sponsored by Arthrex
This is a global registry that will monitor and evaluate the outcomes of different surgeries that are the standard of care in orthopedic and sports medicine. This will help us find out what the best treatments are for different conditions. The data that is collected will be used for research and development, quality control of products and procedures, and educating physicians. This study has been granted IRB approval
Research Team: Justin Drager, MD, Matthew Salzler, MD, Nicole Gauthier (study coordinator)

HIP ATTACK 2
This is an multi-center, international, randomized, controlled trial to determine whether accelerated surgery for hip fracture in patients with acute myocardial injury is superior to standard care in reducing death at 90 days after randomization. This project is in its early stages, but will be grant-funded by the National Institutes of Health and the Department of Health and Human Services. Patients over the age of 45 will be evaluated for eligibility prior to obtaining informed consent for this study.
Research programs

Current areas of interest:

  • Impact of Socioeconomic status on treatment options, referrals, and outcomes for various orthopaedic procedures across each orthopaedic practice discipline
  • The understanding of the interaction of functional somatic syndromes (FSS) (anxiety, depression, and chronic disease) impacts patient outcomes
  • Highlighting historically under-represented groups within Orthopaedic surgery residency in the hopes of increasing diversity and inclusion within the field
  • Evaluating existing clinical studies for fragility of results, to better educate the field about results within the literature, specifically how significant results can be altered depending on loss to follow-up
  • Cost-effective analyses of various treatment options including: pre-procedure testing and usage of alternative agents
  • Understanding complications after common orthopaedic procedures to educate surgeons and inform patient decision making
  • Systematic reviews of the literature including meta-analyses to guide physicians in the treatment of common orthopaedic conditions
  • Collaborative prosthetic joint studies with New England Baptist Hospital covering prosthetic joint infections, sham incisions, alternative implant options for peri-prosthetic fractures, and patient outcomes
Residents + medical students

Collaborating with the community
Orthopedics research enables collaboration on a variety of projects within Tufts Medical Center and the Tufts University communities, as well as with other academic medical centers. We participate in a number of industry-sponsored, prospective trials to ensure the quality of current and new medical devices.

Over the years, we have created numerous publications and presented our findings to our peers, a reflection of our dedication to research that helps patients everywhere.

If you’re a resident or student, joining our efforts can lead to a fascinating future. Our research provides residents with superior training in contemporary surgical procedures while instilling a culture of exploratory practice through applied research. It also introduces orthopedics to medical students who are considering a career in the field or other related fields.

All of the sites in the Tufts-Affiliated Hospitals Orthopaedic Residency Program have research coordinators and/or assistants that can facilitate ideas from project planning to manuscript submission as well as assist with statistical analyses and collaborating with medical students.

We welcome your contributions to assist in new discoveries while enhancing your training and knowledge in orthopedics.

If you're interested in joining our research efforts, please contact our Clinical Research Associate, Nicole Gauthier.
Research application

Application for Research
Contact
user
Nicole Gauthier
Clinical Research Associate