McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine faculty member Constance Chu, MD (pictured), a leading researcher in cartilage degeneration, repair, and regeneration, was recently chosen as the recipient of the Albert B. Ferguson Jr., MD, Endowed Chair in Orthopaedic Surgery at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.
As director of the Cartilage Restoration Program at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Dr. Chu specializes in joint replacement and cartilage repair. She is one of only a handful of board-certified orthopaedic surgeons conducting research funded by the National Institutes of Health. Her cartilage research program is recognized internationally for innovative studies integrating cellular and molecular biology along with advanced and novel imaging technologies.
Dr. Chu recently received the honor of being only the second American woman awarded the ABC Traveling Fellowship in Orthopaedics. This is the oldest and most prestigious traveling fellowship in orthopaedics and recognizes emerging academic leaders. In 2007, she received the Kappa Delta Young Investigator Award from the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons in recognition of her research efforts that have had a direct impact on the clinical practice of orthopaedic surgery.
Dr. Chu graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1983 to become the first Chinese-American woman to graduate from West Point. After a distinguished military career, she graduated from Harvard Medical School in 1992 and completed her orthopaedic residency at the University of California San Diego. She returned to Harvard for subspecialty training in joint replacement and cartilage repair at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital. She has presented at numerous international meetings, including the International Cartilage Repair Society, the Orthopaedic Research Society, and Regenerate.
Dr. Ferguson served as chair of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine from 1953 to 1986, where he pioneered the use of titanium and other durable materials for hip and knee replacements. He is credited with training dozens of the world’s top orthopaedic surgeons.
Illustration: McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine.
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University of Pittsburgh Schools of the Health Sciences Media Relations News Release (10/03/08)
Bio: Constance R. Chu, MD