Author Archives: Lindsey Reich

UNC Orthopaedics is celebrating a series of major milestones led by Dr. Joe Hart, whose recent accomplishments reflect both personal achievement and the department’s growing national presence in musculoskeletal research. In September 2025, Dr. Hart was awarded a $500,000 in partnership with Novant Health (New Hanover County) to establish a...

UNC Orthopaedics proudly welcomes Dr. Brian Phelps, a spine surgeon specializing in adult spinal deformity care. Born and raised in North  Carolina, Dr. Phelps returns home with a mission to improve lives through advanced surgical techniques and patient-centered care. Dr. Phelps was drawn to spinal deformity because of its unique...

The UNC Orthopaedics Hand and Microsurgery Division was proudly represented at the 25th Annual Meeting of the American Society for Surgery of the Hand (ASSH), where the team’s research was recognized among the top submissions of the year. Altogether, the UNC team bestowed three poster presentations and two podium presentations,...

When doctors found a lump in his back, Tondrick Robinson was diagnosed with scoliosis. Guided by his UNC Health care team, he underwent surgery and became one of the first patients to benefit from UNC Health’s groundbreaking bone MRI technology. Featuring UNC Orthopaedics’ Dr. Stuart Mitchell, who is dedicated to...

The Department of Orthopaedics is thrilled to celebrate Abby Noschese (Executive Assistant) and Manal Khan (Research Project/Program Manager) for receiving the Dean’s Performance Award, one of the highest honors given by the UNC School of Medicine. Each year, only eight staff members across the School are recognized for their outstanding...

BME and Orthopaedics faculty receive multi-institutional NIH R01 grant to guide personalize treatment for Achilles Tendinopathy An interdisciplinary team from the Lampe Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering, the Department of Orthopaedics, and the University of Delaware has received a new 5-year, $3M R01 Grant from the National Institutes of Health...

Ming-Feng Hsueh, PhD, Assistant Professor in the Department of Orthopaedics at the UNC School of Medicine, is leading innovative research entitled “Anabolic indices of matrix proteins identify regenerative small RNA intrinsic to human cartilage”—recently published in Science Advances—that reveals the human ankle’s remarkable ability to regenerate cartilage, an ability previously...

June: Scoliosis Awareness Month Scoliosis, a condition that causes an abnormal curvature of the spine, affects people of all ages but is most diagnosed in children and adolescents. Each June, Scoliosis Awareness Month brings attention to the importance of early detection and access to specialized care—something the UNC Department of...

The Department of Orthopaedics is proud to announce the promotion of J. Megan Patterson, MD, to Professor, effective May 1, 2025. This historic milestone makes Dr. Patterson the first woman in the department’s history to achieve this prestigious rank. Dr. Patterson has been a vital member of the department since...

Dr. Geoffrey Handsfield, Assistant Professor of Orthopaedics and Biomedical Engineering at the University of North Carolina, is contributing to the NIH-funded TARA (Topological Atlas and Repository for Acupoint) project, a collaborative international effort led by the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. This initiative aims to create a comprehensive...

Dr. Stuart Mitchell, a board-certified surgeon in the UNC Department of Orthopaedic Surgery is transforming patient care by utilizing cutting-edge technology to both reduce radiation and amount of time under anesthesia, and to improve surgical technique in his pediatric patients.  Dr. Mitchell specializes in pediatric spinal surgery and uses 7D...