The Department of Orthopaedics is thrilled to welcome two exceptional new faculty members, Geoff Handsfield, PhD, and Ming-Feng Hsueh, PhD. Dr. Handsfield and Dr. Hsueh join our rapidly growing research team in the department.
In 2022, the department successfully recruited Dr. Joe Hart, a clinical musculoskeletal scientist, to lead the department’s research programs. Since then, Dr. Hart and his team have developed several strategic partnerships across the University centered around growing musculoskeletal science and innovation at UNC. The research programs began by developing a strong clinical research infrastructure intended to engage and support the ongoing research expertise in existing orthopaedic clinical faculty, staff, and collaborators. The research team engaged in partnerships with the Departments of Exercise and Sport Science, Biomedical Engineering, Cell Biology and Physiology, and the Thurston Arthritis Research Center as initial and essential steps toward growth of the research programs. These synergies allowed the research team in Orthopaedics to recruit two additional talented basic science faculty.
We are excited about the expertise and innovation that Dr. Handsfield and Dr. Hsueh bring to our department and look forward to their contributions to advancing orthopaedic research and patient care.
Dr. Ming-Feng Hsueh
Lab location: Thurston Building (Room 4103)
Dr. Ming-Feng Hsueh joined the department in April as an Assistant Professor in Orthopaedics. He comes from Duke University, where he held an Assistant Professor position and where he completed his PhD and post-doctoral research. Dr. Hsueh’s research focused on osteoarthritis and the protein components in cartilage using mass spectrometry-based proteomic methods.
Dr. Hsueh’s current research continues to explore osteoarthritis, with a focus on developing effective therapeutic strategies for degenerative diseases. His multidisciplinary approach has revealed increased cartilage anabolism in ankle cartilage compared to hip cartilage, suggesting a potential regenerative capacity that could be leveraged to enhance joint repair. These findings not only contribute to our understanding of OA pathogenesis but also provide a foundation for formulating novel therapeutic approaches.
Dr. Geoff Handsfield
Lab Location: Taylor Hall
Dr. Geoff Handsfield joined in May as an Assistant Professor in both the Department of Orthopaedics and the Department of Biomedical Engineering. He comes from the University of Auckland, where he completed his post-doctoral research at the Auckland Bioengineering Institute. Dr. Handsfield earned his PhD from the University of Virginia, where he conducted research in the Multiscale Muscle Mechanics (M3) lab.
An orthopaedic bioengineer by training, Dr. Handsfield is committed to collaborating with clinicians to address complex problems and deliver innovative solutions to patients. He aims to enhance medical imaging techniques to resolve connective tissues in greater detail and to develop improved mechanical models of force transmission in the musculoskeletal system. His passion for medical imaging, including MRI, drives his work in creating patient-specific models of the musculoskeletal system. These models are designed to identify sub-resolution areas and predict potential injury sites.
Welcome Dr. Hsueh and Dr. Handsfield!