• Welcome to our new faculty member: Flavia Penteado Kapos, PhD, DDS. She started her dental career and completed her post-doc in Seattle, working on pain management research and solutions. One of her research foci is social determinants of health. Many faculty are working in this space, and her efforts will help coalesce this work. This is an area in which we are poised to make significant advances. 

The annual U.S. News and World Report (USNWR) rankings came out today. I am delighted to report that Orthopaedics at Duke University Hospital remained ranked first in the southeast U.S., second amongst the ranked specialties at Duke University Hospital (first among the specialties using data for ranking rather than reputation only), and No. 22 overall.   

• Many thanks to today’s Ralph Coonrad, MD, Visiting Professor - Charlie Johnston, MD, for his insights about the biological treatment of severe orthopaedic abnormalities. We appreciated seeing a room filled with pediatric orthopaedic colleagues from UNC. Together, we support the Pediatric Ortho Fellowship program.

Please join me in congratulating Alison Toth, MD, on her Duke University Health System (DUHS) Board of Directors appointment.

• Strategic plan update discussions are now underway…in 2014, our plan had three main tenants: transparency, trust, and teamwork to help us transform orthopaedic surgery through research, education, and clinical. The updated plan from 2018 extended the tenants to include effectiveness and innovation. We will work with you to review the current plan and make effective updates. Your participation is essential to our success.

• Louis DeFrate, PhD, and Gurpreet Baht, PhD’s, recent RO1 submissions did well. We should soon learn about NIH award status. Dr. DeFrate is extensively studying the motion of joints. Dr. Baht is focused on ACL injuries, fracture care, and drug therapies. 
   
• Congratulations! U.S. News and World Report ranked Duke Ortho Peds No. 23 – 40 spaces higher than the 2022 ranking. This celebrates how the community views Duke for pediatric care. 

Please join me in congratulating our Pediatric Ortho Team for Duke Children’s ranking in U.S. News and World Report. Duke Ortho ranked No. 23 – 20 places higher than the year before!

Monday is Juneteenth which commemorates the day in 1865 when Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas, to read a federal order effectively abolishing the institution of slavery in the state and the county. This was despite slavery being legally abolished months earlier.

We are thankful for every department member and appreciate the commitment and excellence they bring daily. Whether you have been at Duke one day or for more than 50 years, we are proud to have these individuals on the Duke Orthopaedic Surgery team. Congratulations to the employees receiving milestone years of service recognition this year.

In celebration of Administrative Professionals Day, we are sending a note of appreciation for the outstanding work provided by our administrative professionals in taking the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery to greater heights. Without your hard work and dedication, we could not achieve what we accomplish each day. You work together with the utmost commitment to make every facet of the department work cohesively, which is no small feat. 
 
You are the backbone of our department, and your efforts are crucial to our success today and every day.