Departmental Research Day

March 18, 2025 | 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. | Interprofessional Education Building

Join us for an exciting and inspiring day at our annual research event, where faculty, fellows, students, and residents will share their cutting-edge research through podium presentations. This is also an excellent opportunity for postdoctoral fellows, undergraduate students, medical, DPT, OTD, graduate students, and residents/fellows to present their research posters for a chance to win prestigious awards.

Don’t miss the chance to celebrate the incredible work in orthopaedics and connect with fellow researchers.

We welcome the 2025 J. Leonard Goldner, MD Visiting Professor and featured speaker, Serena Hu, MD. She is professor and vice chair of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and (by courtesy) Neurosurgery, and chief of the Division of Spine Surgery at Stanford University School of Medicine. Dr. Hu completed her orthopedic surgery residency at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York and her fellowship training in spine and scoliosis surgery at Rancho Los Amigos Rehabilitation Center in Downey, California.

Additionally, we are excited to welcome and feature Elizabeth R. Skidmore, PhD, OTR/L, FAOTA, FACRM, Associate Dean for Research, SHRS; Professor, Department of Occupational Therapy, University of Pittsburgh, School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences.

2024 Poster Award Recipients


2023 Poster Award Recipients

“Ultracongruent polyethylene liner does not affect survival of total knee arthroplasty for moderate valgus deformity.” 
-Niall Cochrane, MD, PGY-4 Resident

“Does Medically Supervised Weight Loss Prior to Total Knee Arthroplasty Decrease Adverse Outcomes and Improve Patient-Reported Outcomes?”
-Albert Rechenmacher, BS, MD Student

“Uncovering role of CX3CR1+ cells in fracture healing and aging.”
-Koji Ishikawa, MD, PhD

“Co-expression of Matrix Metalloproteinases and Leukocyte Cytosolic Protein 1 is Integral for the Metastasis of Chondrosarcoma.”
-Alexandra Krez, BA, MD Student

“Full Weight-Bearing after Dual-Fixation of Clavicle Fracture Appears Safe and Effective: A Multi-Center Comparative Study.”
-Jack Twomey-Kozak, MD Student

 “Blood-induced Meniscus Catabolism: Investigating the Role of Iron and Anti-oxidant Therapeutics.”
-Kevin Betsch, BS

 “The Systematic Relationship between the Spleen and CD4+ Cells.”
-Hansel Heres

“Disparities in 90-day Emergency Department Returns Following Orthopaedic Trauma Surgery.”
-Tristan Chari, BA, MD Student


2023 Podium Award Recipients

“From Baseball To Bones: Bringing Predictive Analytics To Hip, Knee, and Shoulder Arthroplasty.”
-Daniel Goltz, MD, MBA

“The Effect of Early Saline Lavage on Synovial Fluid Composition During the Acute Phase of Human Intra-Articular Ankle Fracture.” 
-Keith Whitlock, MD
 

“Early Aseptic Reoperation Following Shoulder Arthroplasty Increases Risk of Subsequent Prosthetic Joint Infection.”
-John Wickman, MD, MBA

2025 31st Annual J. Leonard Goldner, MD Visiting Professor
Serena Hu, MD

Dr. Hu is a board-certified, fellowship-trained orthopaedic spine surgeon. She is professor and vice chair of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and (by courtesy) Neurosurgery, and chief of the Division of Spine Surgery at Stanford University School of Medicine. Dr. Hu completed her orthopedic surgery residency at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York and her fellowship training in spine and scoliosis surgery at Rancho Los Amigos Rehabilitation Center in Downey, California.

Dr. Hu has extensive experience helping patients with various spinal conditions and injuries. She specializes in treating scoliosis (when the spine curves sideways), kyphosis (when the spine is more bent forward than normal), lumbar spine fractures, spondylolisthesis (when a vertebra moves out of place), disc degeneration, and spinal stenosis (spinal canal narrowing). Dr. Hu draws on her expertise to create a customized care plan for each patient.

Dr. Hu has been the principal investigator in over a dozen clinical trials and studies. She has been awarded multiple research grants from the North American Spine Society, the Scoliosis Research Society, and the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Her research interests include the effects of preoperative pain medication on surgical outcomes and decreasing the risk of complications after spine surgery. She has also studied and tested new technologies that make spine surgery safer and more effective.

She has published over 145 articles in dozens of peer-reviewed journals, including Global Spine Journal, Journal of Spine Surgery, Spine and Spine Deformity. She has written about a range of topics, including quality measures in spine surgery, spinal fusion techniques, spine tumor effects on spine stability, and lumbar decompression for spinal stenosis. Additionally, Dr. Hu has written more than a dozen book chapters on spinal cord injuries, spine fractures, pediatric kyphosis, spondylolysis (vertebra fracture), and scoliosis.

Dr. Hu has reviewed articles for Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research, Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons: A Comprehensive Review, and Spine. She has also served as Spine Deformity's associate editor and Global Spine Journal's deputy editor.

Having delivered hundreds of presentations, papers, and lectures, Dr. Hu is widely considered one of the world’s leading experts in spine surgery. She has been invited to lecture to her colleagues all over the United States and worldwide, including in Hong Kong, Canada, Brazil, Australia, Argentina, and Greece.

Dr. Hu is a member of multiple professional organizations, including the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, the American Orthopaedic Association, the International Society for the Study of the Lumbar Spine, the Orthopaedic Research Society, and the Scoliosis Research Society. She is also past president of the Scoliosis Research Society and the American Orthopaedic Association.

The J. Leonard Goldner Visiting Professorship is sponsored by the Sequoia Foundation Family Endowment of J. Ollie Edmunds, Jr., MD. Doctor Edmunds completed orthopaedic surgery residency at Duke in 1975, followed by Hand and Microvascular Surgery at Duke under the supervision of J. Leonard Goldner, MD in 1976. Doctor Edmunds is Professor Emeritus at Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA.

Past J. Leonard Goldner Visiting Professors

  1. 1993 Clement B. Sledge, MD
  2. 1994 Roby C. Thompson, Jr., MD
  3. 1995 G. Paul DeRosa, MD
  4. 1996 Andrew J. Weiland, MD
  5. 1997 James H. Herndon, MD
  6. 1998 Lamar L. Fleming, MD
  7. 1999 Cecil H. Rorabeck, MD
  8. 2000 Stuart L. Weinstein, MD
  9. 2001 Kenneth E. DeHaven, MD
  10. 2002 Panayotis N. Soucacos, MD, FACS
  11. 2003 Richard H. Gelberman, MD
  12. 2004 James H. Beaty, MD
  13. 2005 John P. Kostuik, MD
  14. 2006 Peter J. Stern, MD
  15. 2007 Roger A. Mann, MD
  16. 2008 William J.F. Maloney, III, MD
  17. 2009 James R. Andrews, MD
  18. 2010 Robert B. Anderson, MD
  19. 2011 Evan L. Flatow, MD
  20. 2012 John J. Callaghan, MD
  21. 2013 Pau Golano Alvarez, MD
  22. 2014 Steven R. Garfin, MD
  23. 2015 Jay R. Lieberman, MD
  24. 2016 David G. Little, MBBS, FRACS, (ORTH), PhD
  25. 2017 Lori A. Karol, MD
  26. 2018 Mohit Bhandari, MD, PHD, FRCSC
  27. 2019 Leesa M. Galatz, MD
  28. 2022 Joshua J. Jacobs, MD
  29. 2023 William Levine, MD
  30. 2024 Todd O. McKinley, MD

*2020 & 2021 Cancelled due to Covid 

J. LEONARD GOLDNER, MD
Chief Emeritus of Duke Orthopaedic Surgery, 1967-1985

November 19, 1918 – December 20, 2005

A native of Omaha, Nebraska, Dr. J. Leonard Goldner received a B.A. degree from the University of Minnesota in 1939 and B.S. and MD degrees from the University of Nebraska in 1943.  He served as a medical officer in the U.S. Navy in the South Pacific during World War II.

He received his orthopaedic residency training at Duke University from 1946 – 1950 and subsequently he joined the Duke Orthopaedic Surgery staff.  Dr. Goldner served as Chief of that Division from 1967 through 1984 and was awarded the distinguished James B. Duke Professorship in 1979.  He retired formally from surgery in 1988 but continued to teach and attend orthopaedic conferences and clinics until two months prior to his death.

Dr. Goldner had the unique distinction of serving as President of both the American Society for Surgery of the Hand and the American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society.  He was President of the American Orthopaedic Association, the Southern Medical Association and the North Carolina Orthopaedic Association.

In 1981, Dr. Goldner received the Distinguished Civilian Service Award by the Secretary of the Army and in 2004, he was awarded the American Orthopaedic Association-Smith & Nephew Distinguished Clinician Educator Award which “acknowledges hard work and dedication to the Orthopaedic Community.”

Dr. Goldner was a self-disciplinarian, dedicated teacher, tireless surgeon, respected leader and above all, a humanitarian.  He was unparalleled as a teacher and defined the Socratic Method and as a result all of those who trained under him became better teachers.  His attitude was confident, positive and optimistic and it carried over to all of his trainees.  As a mentor, his enthusiasm was infectious and he stimulated his trainees and faculty to higher accomplishments than they ever thought were possible. 

A magnificent giant has fallen and there will never be another one to match him, however whether family member, friend, colleague or student, his sound principles will carry us for decades to come.