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.

Research projects


Daniel London, MD
Daniel London, MD

Featured Clinical Researcher of the Quarter: Dr. Daniel London

Daniel London, MD is a board certified clinician-scientist and educator with an active hand and upper extremity surgical practice for the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Missouri Orthopaedic Institute at the University of Missouri. His areas of expertise include hand and upper extremity surgery and clinical research methodology.

Dr. London and his research team is interested in patient reported outcomes and continuously seeks to better understand how patients answer these questionnaires. He has also done research into understanding how patient mental health and personality influences these scores and patients’ recovery from upper extremity problems. In the realm of education and training, his research has investigated how orthopaedic trainees learn how to perform surgeries and the benefits of technology in this learning process.

Dr. London currently leads the following research studies at the University of Missouri:

  • Impact of Video Exposure on Cadaveric Surgical Outcomes
  • The Impact of Hand, Wrist, and Forearm Range of Motion on Patient Reported Outcomes after Non-Hand Injury
  • Cerner Real World Data for Distal Radius Fractures