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Wan-Ju Li, PhD, awarded Research Forward Grant for groundbreaking osteoarthritis research; Dr. Li named ICORS Fellow

Earlier this month, Wan-Ju Li, PhD, associate professor in the UW Department of Orthopedics and Rehabilitation, and his research team were awarded a prestigious $500,000 Research Forward grant to support a bold new project that integrates cutting-edge science and engineering to tackle one of the biggest challenges in healthcare – osteoarthritis.

Affecting over 32 million Americans, osteoarthritis is a leading cause of chronic pain and disability, with current treatments providing only limited long-term relief. Although joint replacement surgery can restore function, the procedure involves the removal of damaged cartilage and bone and the replacement of these tissues with metal and plastic implants. This approach is highly invasive, costly, and comes with risks such as infection, implant failure, and lengthy recovery periods. 

Dr. Li and his team are developing a novel, minimally invasive method that utilizes advanced ultrasound technology to bioprint engineered cartilage implants directly within the body, eliminating the need for open surgery. The technique uses real-time, AI-powered imaging to guide the precise construction of tissue at the site of damage. By minimizing the need for open surgery, it offers a safer, more targeted approach that could lead to better healing outcomes. 

Read more here.

We are also proud to share that Dr. Li has been inducted as a fellow of the International Combined Orthopaedic Research Societies (ICORS) – recognition awarded to leading researchers who have made exceptional contributions to the field of orthopedic science.

As part of this honor, Dr. Li now holds the distinguished title of "Fellow of International Orthopaedic Research (FIOR)." This designation recognizes his influential work in musculoskeletal tissue engineering, regenerative medicine, and translational research aimed at improving treatment for joint diseases such as osteoarthritis.

Read more here.

Dr. Andrea Spiker named inaugural Dr. William G. Clancy Jr. Professor in Sports Medicine

Andrea Spiker, MD, a nationally recognized leader in orthopedic surgery and sports medicine, has been appointed the inaugural Dr. William G. Clancy Jr. Professor in Sports Medicine in the Department of Orthopedics and Rehabilitation at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health (SMPH). This endowed professorship honors Dr. Spiker’s outstanding leadership, clinical innovation, and research contributions to the field of orthopedics.

Dr. Spiker was formally recognized during the 2025 UW School of Medicine and Public Health Faculty Investiture Celebration on June 18, 2025. The event brought together more than 150 colleagues, supporters, and academic leaders to honor prestigious faculty and recognize the generous individuals who help make their pioneering work possible. 

L-R: David Walsh (President of the Shapiro Foundation), Andrea Spiker, MD, William Clancy, MD, Tamara Scerpella, MD

The Dr. William G. Clancy Jr. Professorship in Sports Medicine – made possible through the generous support of the Herman and Gwen Shapiro Foundation and more than 110 individual donors – honors Dr. William Clancy, a pioneer in sports medicine whose groundbreaking work at UW-Madison laid the foundation for advancements in orthopedic surgery and athlete care worldwide. Dr. Spiker’s appointment carries forward his legacy of innovation and excellence in the field.

Read more here.

Carey Wagoner, DO, joins UW Ortho-Rehab and Pediatrics faculty

Dr. Carey Wagoner joined the team on June 9, 2025, as an assistant professor with a dual appointment in the UW Department of Pediatrics and the Department of Orthopedics and Rehabilitation on the Pediatric Orthopedic team. He joins us from Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, MO, where he served as a pediatric urgent care physician.

Dr. Wagoner earned his Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine from the Arizona College of Osteopathic Medicine in Glendale, AZ. He completed his residency in general pediatrics at Akron Children’s Hospital in Akron, OH, followed by a fellowship in pediatric sports medicine at Children’s Mercy Hospital. His clinical interests include the evaluation and management of acute, non-surgical musculoskeletal injuries in children and adolescents. 

Deeply committed to medical education, Dr. Wagoner serves as the Rotation Director for the Pediatric Acute Care Clinic (PACC), a resident-led clinic focused on enhancing autonomy and preparing trainees for independent practice. He is also pursuing a master’s degree in health professions education, with an expected completion date of Spring 2026.

Drs. Tamara Scerpella and Andrea Spiker inducted into American Orthopaedic Association

Tamara Scerpella, MD, and Andrea Spiker, MD, have been inducted into the American Orthopaedic Association (AOA). This honor recognizes their outstanding leadership, professional achievement, and commitment to advancing the field of orthopedic surgery.

Their induction took place at the AOA Annual Leadership Meeting, held from June 2 to June 7, 2025, in Minneapolis, MN. Election to the AOA is highly selective and one of the most prestigious honors in academic orthopedics, reserved for individuals who have demonstrated exceptional dedication to education, research, clinical care, and the mentorship of future orthopedic leaders.

Dr. Scerpella, professor and chair of the Department of Orthopedics and Rehabilitation at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, is widely recognized for her leadership in women’s musculoskeletal health, her mentorship of early-career faculty, and her national influence in orthopedic academic leadership.

Dr. Spiker, assistant professor in the UW Department of Orthopedics and Rehabilitation, is a nationally respected orthopedic surgeon specializing in hip preservation and sports-related injuries. She also serves as a team physician for Badger Athletics and plays an active role in orthopedic research, clinical innovation, and resident education.

William Murphy, PhD awarded Research Forward Grant for innovative mRNA vaccine study

William Murphy, PhD, professor in the UW Departments of Biomedical Engineering and Orthopedics and Rehabilitation, has received a $498K Research Forward award for his project: "Biomimetic minerals to expand the therapeutic potential of mRNA vaccines."

This cutting-edge research brings together a multidisciplinary team to take on one of the major challenges in mRNA vaccine technology: overcoming the time and temperature storage limitations of these vital therapies.

Read more here.

Earlier this spring, Michelle Poliak-Tunis, MD, a physiatrist and associate professor in the UW Department of Orthopedics and Rehabilitation, completed certification in the Program for Academic Leadership (PAL).

Offered by the Association of Academic Physiatrists (AAP), PAL is a competitive, three-year program designed to cultivate leadership skills in early-career faculty in physical medicine and rehabilitation (PM&R). PAL prepares participants to navigate the complexities of academic medicine, lead dynamic teams, and manage challenges such as interpersonal and organizational dynamics. The program also equips participants with the tools to engage in effective advocacy and influence health policy at the institutional and national levels.

Five UW Ortho-Rehab faculty-physicians earn promotions

Congratulations to the following UW Department of Orthopedics and Rehabilitation faculty who earned academic appointment promotions in June 2025:

UW Ortho-Rehab hosts 2025 Spring Orthopedic Surgery Visiting Professor

On April 18, 2025, the UW Department of Orthopedics and Rehabilitation welcomed Andrew Pollak, MD, for our spring visiting professor lectureship. Dr. Pollak is a professor and the Chief of Orthopaedics at the University of Maryland Medical System.

Presentations focused on Trauma Surgery, with Dr. Pollak giving talks on “Outcomes After High Energy Lower Extremity Trauma – The Impact of Psychosocial Factors” and “A Career in Orthopedic Trauma: Now What?”

This comprehensive, all-day event included additional presentations by UW Orthopedics faculty, residents, and other residency alumni. The program agenda lists all presenters and lecture topics.

Visiting Professor with the UW Orthopedic Trauma Team

L-R: Paul Whiting, MD, Gerald Lang, MD, Jacqueline Dunahoe, MD, Andrew Pollak, MD (Visiting Professor), David Goodspeed, MD, Christopher Doro, MD, Christopher Domes, MD



2025 UW Ortho-Rehab Research Forum showcases innovation and collaboration

The UW Department of Orthopedics and Rehabilitation hosted its annual Research Forum on May 5, 2025, at the Fluno Center in Madison. The event featured keynote speaker Donald Anderson, PhD, professor and vice chair for research in the Department of Orthopedics and Rehabilitation at the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine.

UW Ortho-Rehab faculty, fellows, and residents delivered presentations throughout the daylong event.

For a full list of speakers and topics, please see the program agenda.

Spring gathering celebrates Dr. William Clancy and establishment of endowed professorship

The UW Department of Orthopedics and Rehabilitation hosted a donor appreciation event on April 5, 2025, at the Pyle Center in Madison, WI, to celebrate the establishment of the Dr. William G. Clancy Jr. Professorship in Sports Medicine.

The event included a video tribute to Dr. Clancy, heartfelt remarks from colleagues, and a program highlighting his lasting impact on the field of sports medicine and his enduring legacy at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

Study shows soft-shell helmet covers offer no protection against concussion

A recent study led by Erin Hammer, MD, a sports medicine physician and associate professor in the UW Department of Orthopedics and Rehabilitation, contradicts earlier studies suggesting that extra padding in soft-shell helmets, known as Guardian Caps, could reduce the force of impact on the head.

The research team conducting the study compared concussion rates of more than 2,600 Wisconsin high school football players and found no statistical difference between the players who wore Guardian Caps during practice and those who did not. Dr. Hammer noted that "using [soft shell helmets] may provide false reassurance to players and their parents who are hoping to reduce their kids’ risk of concussion.”

Watch the Madison Channel 15 News interview here.

Note: Media outlets across Wisconsin covered this story.

David Bernhardt, MD, recommend students get their school sports physicals done early

Last month, Dr. David Bernhardt, a pediatric sports medicine physician with UW Health Kids and professor in the UW Department of Orthopedics and Rehabilitation, was interviewed by News 13 in Eau Claire. Dr. Bernhardt urged parents of high schoolers to schedule their children's sports physicals as soon as possible, saying that these exams are often the only opportunity "for adolescents to have time with their primary care provider outside of visits for injuries or illness" and putting off that physical might "delay your child or adolescent being cleared to participate" if something is found that requres further diagnostic testing.

Watch the Eau Claire Channel 13 News interview here.

Dr. Nalini Sehgal co-authors JAMA study on mindfulness and CBT for chronic low back pain

Dr. Nalini Sehgal, a professor in the UW Department of Orthopedics and Rehabilitation, recently co-authored a study in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) that explores the effects of mindfulness-based therapy (MBT) and cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) on chronic low back pain. Dr. Aleksandra Zgierska of the UW Department of Family Medicine and Community Health led the study.

Funded by the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI), this multi-year, multi-site randomized controlled trial evaluated the effectiveness of MBT and CBT in patients with chronic low back pain who are being treated with opioids. The results demonstrated that both approaches are similarly effective in improving pain, physical function, and quality of life, while also reducing opioid use.

This important research highlights the value of non-pharmacologic therapies as promising tools in the management of chronic pain.

Read the full JAMA article here.

Recent publications by members of our team

Minimum 10-Year Outcomes of Adolescents Undergoing Contemporary Hip Arthroscopic Surgery for Femoroacetabular Impingement Syndrome: A Propensity Score-Matched Analysis

Danilkowicz RM, Vogel MJ, Kazi O, Cotter EJ, Nho SJ | Am J Sports Med. 2025 Jun 12

An open-source, ultrasound-based approach using optical flow to accurately measure knee kinematics during clinical laxity assessments

Blomquist MB, Roth JD | J Biomech. 2025 Jun

Fracture incidence in NCAA Women's Sports during 2009/10-2018/19

Chandran A, Boltz AJ, Rao N, Campbell KR, DiPietro L, Kliethermes S | J Athl Train. 2025 May 28

Trabecular bone score predicts distal femur screw pull-out strength better than DXA bone mineral density, CT Hounsfield units, and cortical density

Bernatz JT, Sandhu KP, Krueger D, Borchardt G, Knurr KA, Binkley NC, Roth JD, Anderson PA | Osteoporos Int. 2025 May 28

Transosseous Tunnel Suture Fixation Results in Similar Re-rupture Rates and Patient-Reported Outcome Measures Compared to Suture Anchors for Primary Quadriceps Tendon Repair: A Systematic Review

VanDerwerker NB, Winzenried AE, Mosiman SJ, Grogan BF, Baer GS, Cotter EJ | Arthroscopy. 2025 May 27

Laboratory Evaluation of a Wearable Instrumented Headband for Rotational Head Kinematics Measurement

Tripathi A, Wan Y, Malave S, Turcsanyi S, Fawzi AL, Brooks A, Kesari H, Snedden T, Ferrazzano P, Franck C, Carlsen RW | Ann Biomed Eng. 2025 May 16

Use of the Uninvolved Limb as Comparator When Calculating Return to Sports Hop Test Symmetry After ACL Reconstruction

Arhos EK, Smith AH, Ito N, Risberg MA, Snyder-Mackler L, Silbernagel KG | Sports Health. 2025 May 3

Post-Operative Opioid Use in Hip Arthroscopy for Femoroacetabular Impingement Syndrome is Associated with Tobacco Use and Lower Pre-Operative Patient Reported Outcome Measures

Golden MV, Lasinski AM, Dorobek TR, Kirchmeier AK, Moua JG, Goodavish LL, Spiker AM | Arthroscopy. 2025 Apr 27

Delamination and Oxidation in Compression-Molded Polyethylene

Nickel BT, Weitzler L, Padgett EB, Lang M, Westrich GH, Wright TM, Padgett DE | J Bone Joint Surg Am. 2025 Apr 24

Development and validation of the Wisconsin Sport Specialization Questionnaire (WISSQ) for older adolescent athletes

Kliethermes SA, Nelson EO, Biese KM, Brooks MA, Brown R, McGuine T, Renner MN, Snedden TR, Srygler E, Watson A, Bell DR | Br J Sports Med. 2025 Apr 23

Prevalence and Clinical Impact of Incidental Findings on Preoperative Computed Tomography for Hip Arthroscopy

Winzenried AE, Steiner Q, Mosiman SJ, Markhardt BK, Spiker AM | Orthop J Sports Med. 2025 Apr 17

Transcriptomic landscape around wound bed defines regenerative versus non-regenerative outcomes in mouse digit amputation

Prabahar A, Chamberlain CS, Vanderby R, Murphy WL, Dangelo W, Mangesh K, Brown B, Mazumder B, Badylak S, Jiang P | PLoS Comput Biol. 2025 Apr 9

What Characteristics of Orthopaedic Surgery Residency Programs Are Associated With Increased Percentage of Matched Women Residents?

Baughman MN, Griffin TC, Beyer RSH, Mosiman SJ, Turner EHG, Scerpella TA, Spiker AM | Clin Orthop Relat Res. 2025 Apr 8

Mindfulness vs Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Chronic Low Back Pain Treated With Opioids: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Zgierska AE, Edwards RR, Barrett B, Burzinski CA, Jamison RN, Nakamura Y, Henningfield MF, Tuan WJ, Shen C, Sehgal N, Lennon RP, Dong H, Chinchilli VM, Liu Y, Turnquist A, Schiefelbein AR, Jacobs EA, Veasley C, Cowan P, Garland EL | JAMA Netw Open. 2025 Apr 1

Mineral coated microparticles delivering Interleukin-4, Interleukin-10, and Interleukin-13 reduce inflammation and improve function after spinal cord injury in a rat

Hellenbrand DJ, Lee JS, Mickelson EJ, Baer MC, Ott EL, Martinson NR, Ceelen MR, Hilger KH, Nielsen BE, Jacobs AN, Mishra RR, Hurley SA, Murphy WL, Hanna AS | Exp Neurol. 2025 Apr

Ligament shear strain stiffening arises from unaligned fibers and is amplified by axial strain

Blank JL, Roth JD | J Mech Behav Biomed Mater. 2025 Mar 28

Survival Outcomes After Sudden Cardiac Arrest in Young Competitive Athletes From the United States

Petek BJ, Churchill TW, Moulson N, Delong R, Minnig MC, Kliethermes SA, Baggish AL, Maleszewski JJ, Kucera KL, Harmon KG, Drezner JA | J Am Coll Cardiol. 2025 Mar 21

Synthetic hydrogels support robust and reproducible cardiomyocyte differentiation

Amitrano MJ, Cho M, Coughlin EM, Palecek SP, Murphy WL | Biomater Sci. 2025 Mar 17

Hamstrings Muscle Architecture and Morphology Following 6 Weeks of an Eccentrically-Biased Romanian Deadlift or Nordic Hamstring Exercise Intervention

Crawford SK, Sandberg C, Vlisides J, Thompson Q, Mosiman SJ, Heiderscheit BC, Hickey JT | Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2025 Mar 14

Influence of Running Speed and Time Post-Operatively on Lower Extremity Work in Collegiate Athletes after Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction

Knurr KA, Cobian DG, Kliethermes SA, Joachim MR, Heiderscheit BC | Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2025 Mar 6

Mindfulness training is associated with improved quality of life in female collegiate athletes

Anderson S, Haraldsdottir K, Sanfilippo J, McGehee C, Watson A | J Am Coll Health. 2025 Mar

Anterior Shoulder Instability: Pre- and Postoperative Imaging

Symanski JS, Cooley M, Stoeckl EM, Grogan BF, McKean L, Markhardt BK | Semin Musculoskelet Radiol. 2025 Feb

Artificial Intelligence Research Receives Similar Online Attention but Increased Citation Rates Compared to Control Articles

Polce EM, Call CJ, Griffin TC, Kunze KN, Cotter EJ, Grogan BF | Arthroscopy. 2025 Feb 24

Autologous iPSC- and MSC-derived chondrocyte implants for cartilage repair in a miniature pig model

Lee MS, Lin EC, Sivapatham A, Leiferman EM, Jiao H, Lu Y, Nemke BW, Leiferman M, Markel MD, Li WJ | Stem Cell Res Ther. 2025 Feb 23

Methodology for promoting equity-informed research in sport and exercise medicine: recommendations from the AMSSM Collaborative Research Network

Rizzone KH, Agnew M, Kliethermes SA, Arthur MN, Burton M, Day C, Nicholson C, Ray J, Stern N, Drezner JA, Kroshus E, Blauwet C | Br J Sports Med. 2025 Jan 31

The "Chopsticks" Method: A Technique for Capsular Retraction During Hip Arthroscopy Utilizing Switching Sticks

Winzenried AE, Wagner KR, McLean L, Spiker AM | Video J Sports Med. 2025 Jan 31

The association between Guardian Cap use during practices and sport-related concussion risk in high school American football players

Hammer E, Mosiman S, Joachim MR, Taylor E, Cordum A, Brooks MA, McGuine T | Br J Sports Med. 2025 Jan 28

Learn more at ortho.wisc.edu