The Department of Orthopaedic Surgery has dedicated significant resources to the pursuit of clinical, translational, and basic science research.
Our state-of-the-art Thompson Lab, housed on the fourth floor of Missouri Orthopaedic Institute (MOI), includes ~12,000 square feet solely dedicated to research for a team of more than 50 researchers representing 13 different specialties.
The lab houses Basic Science and Translational Research, Skeletal Morphology Research, Bioengineering Research, and Clinical Research teams and facilities. MOI houses over 40 clinical faculty specializing in sports medicine (primary care and surgical), joint replacement, pediatrics, hip and knee, foot and ankle, shoulder, hand, spine, trauma, limb preservation, regenerative medicine (Mizzou BioJoint® Center), physical medicine and rehabilitation, and diagnostic imaging.
More than 200 other health care professionals and staff provide care and services including nursing, imaging, prosthetics, pharmacy, physical therapy, occupational therapy, nutrition, and mental health. Our internationally recognized faculty and staff — combined with our state-of-the-art Thompson Lab and variety and volume of patients — create an optimal environment for bedside-to-bench-to-bedside research. See below for a full list of active projects and presentations.
Featured Clinical Researcher of the Quarter: Daniel London, MD, MS
Daniel A. London, MD, MS, is a board-certified orthopaedic surgeon with subspeciality certification in hand surgery and serves as an Assistant Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at the Missouri Orthopaedic Institute, where he just started his fifth year of practice. A clinician-scientist and educator, Dr. London combines his surgical expertise with a strong background in clinical and educational research. He earned his medical degree from the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western Reserve University with special qualifications in biomedical research and concurrently completed a master's degree in clinical research. As a Doris Duke Clinical Research Fellow, he trained with orthopaedic hand surgeons at Washington University in St. Louis. Dr. London completed his residency in orthopaedic surgery at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and a hand and upper-extremity fellowship at the Mary S. Stern Hand Surgery Fellowship affiliated with the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, TriHealth Hospital System, and Cincinnati Children's Hospital, where he trained under world-renowned hand surgeon Dr. Peter Stern
Dr. London's research bridges patient outcomes and medical education, earning him more than $415,000 in research funding to date. He has published over 65 peer-reviewed manuscripts, authored six book chapters, and presented his work at more than 137 national and international meetings, including several focused on teaching others how to do research effectively. His research investigates patient reported outcome measures, particularly how patients interpret these questionnaires, how patient expectations influence recovery from upper-extremity conditions, and how they can become more personally meaningful. His team also studies how orthopaedic trainees acquire surgical skills, the benefits of technology in surgical education, and strategies to improve the residency selection process. Dr. London has won numerous awards for his research, including being named a University of Missouri Early Career Research Development Fellow, an American Board of Medical Specialties/American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery Visiting Scholar, and receiving the American Society for Surgery of the Hand's J. Leonard Goldner Pioneer Research Award.
