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Donald D. Anderson, PhD

Professor of Orthopedics and Rehabilitation

Introduction

I grew up in Cedar Rapids and then spent most of the 1980's in Iowa City completing my education (1985 BSE; 1986 MS; 1989 PhD). After graduating with my PhD, I set out from Iowa City to start a biomechanics laboratory in Pittsburgh, then moved 7 years later to Minneapolis for a similar gig. I returned to the UI Department of Orthopedics and Rehabilitation in 2002 and maintain joint appointments in the Department of Biomedical Engineering and the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering. My wife is a professional social worker who worked for nearly 20 years at Iowa City Hospice. We have one daughter, who as of this writing (2023) is in the midst of her PhD studies in the Biosciences at the University of Chicago.

Current Positions

  • Professor of Orthopedics and Rehabilitation
  • Professor of Industrial and Systems Engineering (ISE)
  • Professor of Biomedical Engineering (BME)
  • Richard and Jan Johnston Chair in Orthopedic Biomechanics
  • Vice Chair of Research, Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation

Education

  • BSE in Biomedical Engineering, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa
  • MS in Mechanical Engineering (Biomechanics emphasis), The University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa
  • PhD in Mechanical Engineering (Biomechanics emphasis), The University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa

Center, Program and Institute Affiliations

Research Interests

  • My research focuses primarily on the computational modeling of articular joint mechanics, particularly in the context of post-traumatic osteoarthritis risk after joint injury. Additional research involves advancing simulation and surgical skills training in orthopedics.
  • The Introduction of New Pre-Operative and Intra-Operative Capabilities to Assist in Articular Fracture Surgery to Prevent Post-Traumatic Osteoarthritis
  • Large Population-Based Studies of the Role of Contact Stress in the Development and Progression of Osteoarthritis
  • Surgical Skills Training and Assessment through Simulation
  • Understanding Critical Mechanical Trade-offs in Reverse Shoulder Arthroplasty
  • Clinical Study of the Pathomechanical Basis of Post-Traumatic Osteoarthritis Following Joint Injuries
  • The Potential Utility of New Weight-Bearing CT Scanning Capabilities in Diagnosing and Assessing Osteoarthritis and Osteoporosis

Selected Publications

  • Kosonen JP, Eskelinen ASA, Orozco GA, Coleman MC, Goetz JE, Anderson DD, Grodzinsky AJ, Tanska P, Korhonen RK. Mechanobiochemical computational framework to study impact-loading-induced cell damage, subsequent proteoglycan loss, and anti-oxidative treatment effects in articular cartilage. J Mathematical Biology (submitted 15 Aug 2024).
  • Williamson L, Brouillette M, Miller T, Goetz J, Wilken J, Anderson DD. Influence of custom dynamic orthoses on tibiotalar joint reaction force and contact stress: A cadaveric study. J Biomech (submitted 8 July 2024).
  • Johnson JE, Clarke GA, de Cesar Netto C, Chrea B, Anderson DD. Bone density and implant fixation features have complementary influence on total ankle tibial component stability when implanted with press-fit. Foot Ankle Int (submitted 11 June 2024).
  • Anderson DD, Dibbern KN, McKinley TO, Marsh JL. Toward a unifying understanding of the influence of acute fracture severity on risk of post-traumatic osteoarthritis following intra-articular fractures. J Orthop Res (submitted 1 Mar 2024).
  • Dibbern KN, Kern AM, Anderson DD. A generalized objective CT-based method for quantifying articular fracture severity. J Biomech (revision requested 23 May 2024).
  • Patterson BM, Johnson JE, Bozoghlian MF, Galvin J, Nepola JV, Anderson DD. Increased deltoid and acromial stress with glenoid lateralization and onlay humeral stem constructs in reverse shoulder arthroplasty. J Shoulder Elbow Arthroplasty (minor revision submitted 16 July 2024).
  • Mattioli DD, Thomas GW, Connor EE, Long SA, Kowalski HR, Anderson DD. Objective fluoroscopic image-based analysis for the assessment of a core technical skill agrees with expert opinion. IISE Trans Healthc Syst Eng. (revision submitted 21 Apr 2024).
  • Tatum M, Kern AM, Goetz JE, Thomas GW, Anderson DD. A novel system for real-time markerless intra-operative bone tracking. Comput Methods Biomech Biomed Engin (minor revision submitted 09 Apr 2024).
  • Clarke GA, Johnson JE, de Cesar Netto C, Anderson DD. Influence of total ankle replacement design features with interference fit on implant-bone micromotion: A finite element study. Foot Ankle Int (accepted 05 Aug 2024).
  • Anderson DD, Ledoux WR, Lenz AL, Wilken J, Easley ME, de Cesar Netto C. Ankle osteoarthritis: Toward new understanding and opportunities for prevention and intervention. J Orthop Res. 2024; Early Access. doi:10.1002/jor.25973.