Orthopedic Research

The Department of Orthopedics is fortunate to have excellent leadership, physicians and pediatric orthopedic researchers. Our physician leaders participate or play a leadership role in a variety of clinical trials, studies and national organizations.

William G. Mackenzie, MD

William G. Mackenzie, MD, is chairman of the Department of Orthopedic Surgery and a pediatric orthopedic surgeon at the Nemours Children’s Hospital, Delaware. Dr. Mackenzie is the preeminent expert in skeletal dysplasia and one of the most respected pediatric orthopedic surgeons in the world. He is the chairman of the medical advisory board for Little People of America, medical director of the Dwarf Athletic Association of America, and is a past president of the Limb Lengthening and Reconstruction Society.

Dr. Mackenzie earned his medical degree and completed his internship and residency at the University of British Columbia and McGill University. He completed his fellowship in pediatric orthopedic surgery at Nemours Children’s Hospital, Delaware. Dr. Mackenzie is certified by the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery and is a fellow of the American College of Surgeons and the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada.

Dr. Mackenzie is an active member in numerous societies and serves on the board of directors of the Pediatric Orthopaedic Society of North America. He is actively involved in research and has authored more than 70 publications in peer-reviewed journals and 16 book chapters. His distinctions include being listed in Delaware Today’s Top Doctors edition, Best Doctors in America, the Guide to America’s Top Surgeons and the Guide to America’s Top Orthopaedists.

Dr. Mackenzie is an educator involved in training residents, fellows and visiting observers. He is frequently invited as a visiting professor nationally and internationally. His research interests include skeletal dysplasia, limb length discrepancy, limb alignment and muscle diseases.

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Alfred Atanda, Jr., MD

Alfred Atanda, Jr., MD, is the surgical director of the Sports Medicine Program, a pediatric orthopedic surgeon and a sports medicine specialist at Nemours Children’s Hospital, Delaware. He also serves as the director of the pediatric orthopedic surgery medical student clerkship at Thomas Jefferson University.

Dr. Atanda also provides mentorship to the department’s fellows and residents, and has received a significant grant for research. He completed an internship and orthopedic surgery residency at the University of Chicago Medical Center. Dr. Atanda received advanced training in pediatric orthopedics with the completion of a fellowship at Nemours Children’s Hospital, Delaware. He also completed a sports medicine fellowship at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital.

With a primary clinical focus of sports medicine and pediatric trauma, Dr. Atanda’s performs arthroscopic surgery of the knee, shoulder, ankle and elbow. His research interests include upper extremity overuse injuries, anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury prevention and patellofemoral disorders (problems stemming from the relationship between the knee and femur, or thigh bone).

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Kirk W. Dabney, MD

Kirk W. Dabney, MD, is the division chief of the Cerebral Palsy Program and a pediatric orthopedic surgeon at Nemours Children’s Hospital, Delaware and a provisional staff member in orthopedic surgery at the Medical Center of Delaware. Dr. Dabney also serves as an assistant professor of orthopedic surgery at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia and clinical assistant professor of orthopedic surgery at Georgetown University Medical Center in Washington.

Dr. Dabney completed his undergraduate degree at Princeton University and earned his medical degree from Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University. He completed a surgical internship at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital and a residency at Howard University in Washington. He completed research and clinical fellowships at Nemours Children’s Hospital, Delaware.

Distinctions include acceptance into the American Orthopaedic Association and Best Doctors in America. Dr. Dabney is an active member of national specialty societies, including the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons and the Pediatric Orthopaedic Society of North America. He has authored more than 55 peer-reviewed publications and more than 20 book chapters, and was the associate editor of the book, Cerebral Palsy (Freeman Miller/Springer). He also serves as a reviewer for two medical journals.

Dr. Dabney is certified by the National Board of Medical Examiners and the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery. His research interests include cerebral palsy, neuromuscular scoliosis and orthopedic problems related to hematologic (blood) disorders.

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Peter G. Gabos, MD

Peter G. Gabos, MD is a pediatric orthopedic surgeon at Nemours Children’s Hospital, Delaware and an assistant professor of orthopedic surgery at Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University.

He graduated from the New York University School of Medicine and completed his training in general surgery and residency in pediatric orthopedics at St. Luke’s Roosevelt Hospital Center in New York. He completed a clinical fellowship in pediatric orthopedic surgery at Nemours Children’s Hospital, Delaware.

Dr. Gabos is certified by the National Board of Medical Examiners and the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery. He has published extensively in the orthopedic literature, and is a member of several internationally renowned study groups for chest wall and spinal deformity.

He is a credentialed vertical expandable prosthetic titanium rib (VEPTR) surgeon. Dr. Gabos has been named a Patient’s Choice Award winner by patientschoice.org every year since 2007.

His research interests include scoliosis and surgical correction of severe and complex spinal deformities, thoracic insufficiency syndrome and neuromuscular diseases (such as spina bifida, cerebral palsy and Rett syndrome).

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Richard W. Kruse, DO

Richard W. Kruse, DO is the division chief of the Orthopedic Trauma Service, director of the multidisciplinary Osteogenesis Imperfecta Program and a pediatric orthopedic surgeon at Nemours Children’s Hospital, Delaware. Dr. Kruse also is a staff member of the Medical Center of Delaware. He is an associate professor of orthopedic surgery at Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University and the Uniformed Services University School of Medicine in Bethesda, Md.

Dr. Kruse graduated from the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine and completed an internship at Tripler Army Medical Center in Honolulu, Hawaii. He received his orthopedic training at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, and an additional pediatric orthopedic residency at Denver Children’s Hospital. He received advanced training in pediatric orthopedic surgery through a fellowship at Nemours Children’s Hospital, Delaware.

Dr. Kruse is board-certified by the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgery, and is a fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics, American Society of Sports Medicine, the American Orthopaedic Association and the Society of Military Orthopaedic Surgeons. He is a retired U.S. Army Colonel with command experience of a U.S. Army Airborne Forward Surgical Team. He also graduated from the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College and was selected Army Attendee of the U.S. Air Force War College, the highest level of leadership education in the military.

Dr. Kruse serves on the Trauma Committee for the Pediatric Orthopaedic Society of North America and the Process Improvement Committee of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. He is a member of the Board of Councilors of the Medical Society of Delaware and the Board of Directors of the New Castle County Medical Society.

As an ultra-marathon runner, Dr. Kruse has an avid interest in running and sports injury rehabilitation. He also has extensive experience in athletic coaching and is a certified elite-level coach by U.S.A. Track and Field. He is active in coaching high school and middle school running sports and was awarded a National Youth Sports Award at Stanford University for his work in coaching and mentoring young athletes. He lectures nationally and internationally and has published more than 30 articles and book chapters on various topics in pediatric orthopedics and trauma.

Dr. Kruse’s research interests include osteogenesis imperfecta, bone trauma, fractures, exercise training, sports rehabilitation and nutrition.

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Louise Reid Nichols, MD

Louise Reid Nichols, MD is a pediatric orthopedic surgeon at Nemours Children’s Hospital, Delaware and Nemours Children's Health, Newtown Square. She received her undergraduate degrees from the University of Virginia and Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing. Dr. Nichols earned her medical degree from Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine.

After graduating from a residency in orthopedic surgery at Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn, NY, she completed a fellowship in limb reconstruction at the International Center for Limb Deformity in Baltimore, Md. Under the supervision of John Herzenberg, MD, a master in the Ponseti technique, she received advanced training in the management of clubfoot.

Dr. Nichols received advanced training in pediatric orthopedics with the completion of a fellowship at Nemours Children’s Hospital, Delaware. She is active in many societies including the Pediatric Society of North America, Limb Lengthening and Reconstruction Society, American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons and the Ruth Jackson Orthopaedic Society.

She will serve as the co-director of the Clubfoot Clinic at Nemours Children’s Hospital, Delaware. Dr. Nichols also has done studies on an angular correction technique called hemiepiphyseodsis, and published a paper on clubfoot.

Her research interests include the correction of orthopedic deformities and reconstruction, clubfoot and pediatric trauma.

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Suken A. Shah, MD

Suken A. Shah, MD is division chief of the Nemours Spine and Scoliosis Center, as well as the clinical fellowship director and a pediatric orthopedic surgeon at Nemours Children’s Hospital, Delaware. He also serves as an associate professor of orthopedic surgery at Thomas Jefferson University. Dr. Shah is certified by the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery.

He earned his medical degree as a cum laude graduate of Jefferson Medical College. He completed an orthopedic surgery residency at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital/Rothman Institute in Philadelphia, and received advanced training in pediatric orthopedics and scoliosis surgery at Nemours Children’s Hospital, Delaware.

Distinctions include a Scoliosis Research Society Traveling Fellowship, a Spinal Deformity Education Group Advancement Award, Best Doctors in America (2007-2012). He also was named one of the Top 17 U.S. Pediatric Orthopedic Surgeons by Orthopedics This Week, 2012. Dr. Shah serves on the Board of Directors of the Scoliosis Research Society, where he chairs the Program Committee.

He is a member of the Pediatric Orthopaedic Society of North America and multiple research study groups. In addition, he has authored more than 50 research publications in peer-reviewed journals and 17 book chapters. Dr. Shah also serves as a reviewer for four medical journals.

He is an innovator, researcher and key opinion leader in the field of spinal deformity surgery and performs advanced deformity correction techniques. He trains residents, fellows and visiting observers in these techniques. He is frequently invited to teach and lecture at national and international courses, educational symposia and other institutions.

Dr. Shah’s research interests include adolescent idiopathic scoliosis, early-onset scoliosis, complex spinal deformities, kyphosis, spondylolisthesis and other problems of the spine, minimally invasive techniques for surgery and cerebral palsy.

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Mihir M. Thacker, MD

Mihir M. Thacker, MD is an orthopedic surgeon at Nemours Children’s Hospital, Delaware. He attended the Seth G. S. Medical College in Mumbai, India, and completed his orthopedic residency at the Lokmanya Tilak Municipal General Hospital in Mumbai. Dr. Thacker has had extensive subspecialty training through pediatric orthopedic fellowships at the National University Hospital in Singapore, Hospital for Joint Diseases/New York University in New York, and Nemours Children’s Hospital, Delaware. He also completed a fellowship in musculoskeletal oncology at the Jackson Memorial Hospital/University of Miami.

Dr. Thacker performs limb salvage surgery for tumors, including using noninvasive expandable (growing) prostheses. He is also interested in hip disorders in children and performs complex hip reconstruction (including surgical hip dislocations and periacetabular osteotomies), treatment of complex congenital anomalies, correction of complex deformities, and limb lengthening.

Dr. Thacker is active in teaching medical students, residents, fellows and international visiting observers. He is invited to lecture nationally and internationally, and is a member of several societies including the Pediatric Orthopaedic Society of North America, Children’s Oncology Group, Musculoskeletal Tumor Society and Lower Limb Reconstruction Society. Dr. Thacker is actively involved in research and has authored more than 30 peer-reviewed publications and five book chapters, as well as presented at national and international scientific conferences.

Dr. Thacker has been selected by Delaware Today as one of the best surgeons in Delaware among both pediatric surgeons and surgical oncologists, and has been listed for years in Best Doctors in America. Most of his research has centered on bone and soft tissue tumors, as well as pediatric hip disorders, limb length/growth abnormalities and skeletal dysplasias. He also completed a study on Morquio syndrome for publication in the Journal of Pediatric Orthopedics.

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Jennifer M. Ty, MD

Jennifer M. Ty, MD is a pediatric orthopedic surgeon at Nemours Children’s Hospital, Delaware. She attended Harvard University, where she graduated magna cum laude with highest honors in biology and anthropology. She went on to attend the UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine, where she developed her interest in orthopedic surgery and graduated in 2000.

After medical school, Dr. Ty spent a research year at the National Institutes of Health. She subsequently attended the Harvard University Combined Orthopedic Surgery residency program and graduated in 2006. She completed her first orthopedic surgery fellowship in pediatric orthopedics at Boston Children’s Hospital and a fellowship in hand and microvascular surgery at the University of California, San Francisco.

Dr. Ty is a diplomate of the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery. She has a particular focus in pediatric hand and upper extremity disorders. Her research interests include congenital hand conditions, brachial plexus birth palsy and trauma of the upper extremity.

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Research Staff:

• Geraldine Neiss, PhD
• Petya Yorgova, MS, CCRP
  

A History of Innovation

We're helping to lead the way in pediatric orthopedics, developing innovations such as:

The Wilmington Brace

A type of spine brace that’s now used to treat scoliosis in kids everywhere, the Wilmington brace was designed right here at Nemours Children’s Hospital, Delaware and is now used worldwide. In short, it’s a brace that’s designed specifically to fit each patient, using X-ray imaging of the spine. The brace is made of lightweight plastic and can be easily hidden under loose-fitting clothes.

The Gait Analysis Laboratory

The Gait Analysis Laboratory at Nemours Children’s Hospital, Delaware was created in 1993 to provide the medical community with state-of-the-art, computer-assisted motion analysis of the complex movement patterns of patients. The lab develops an insightful, three-dimensional model of the patients pre- and post-treatment to determine changes in motion and improvement in function.

ScoliScore Helps Us Diagnose Kids With Scoliosis

The experts at our Nemours Spine and Scoliosis Center participated in innovative collaborative research with others in the field of pediatric scoliosis that led to a simple test called the “ScoliScore Test,” used to figure out how mild or severe a patient’s scoliosis curve will be. Kids simply provide a saliva sample, which is then sent to a lab for processing. If the results show a mild curve, we may not need to do anything but observe the child’s progression over time. If the test shows a severe curve, we focus immediately on treatment options.

Nemours Orthopedics Today

Our pediatric orthopedic research program continues to grow in both size and scope. Clinical questions drive our investigations and our research capabilities are of great benefit to all the children we see clinically.

At Nemours Children’s Hospital, Delaware, the physicians in our department are involved with pediatric orthopedic research projects related to their specific interests. At any given time, we’re working on more than 100 research projects, including dozens of grant-funded studies each year.

We publish scores of manuscripts every year in peer-reviewed journals. Our physicians have been invited to present their clinical knowledge in pediatric orthopedics and research findings at major conferences around the world. Often, our orthopedic specialists are the keynote speakers at these conferences.

A sampling of the major conferences where we’ve recently presented includes:

• American Academy for Cerebral Palsy and Developmental Medicine (AACPDM)
• American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS)
• American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine (AOSSM)
• European Paediatric Orthopaedic Society (EPOS)
• Gait and Clinical Movement Analysis Society (GCMAS)
• International Meeting on Advanced Spine Techniques (IMAST)
• Orthopaedic Trauma Society (OTS)
• Pediatric Orthopaedic Society of North America (POSNA)
• Scoliosis Research Society (SRS)

Every year, our Department of Orthopedics trains 3–4 research fellows, who often come from other countries to learn our advanced, in-the-field approach to conducting research. They complete a manuscript for publication and return home to share what they’ve learned about the Nemours way. These physicians then become leaders at their home institutions and spread word of our excellence near and far. Additionally, two PhD-trained researchers support the department.

Our entire team of physicians, researchers and associated health professionals are dedicated to finding cures and treatments for children with a variety of orthopedic conditions. Whenever possible, we collaborate with physicians and pediatric orthopedic researchers in other medical specialties to understand how a treatment affects a child.

For example, we’ve worked closely with our:

• Anesthesia colleagues to understand proper pain medication dosage and recovery time.
• Pediatricians at Nemours Children’s Hospital, Delaware to develop a better understanding of the monitoring of patients before surgery so as to lessen their hospital stays.
• Trauma personnel to learn where child abuse occurs and to develop appropriate prevention strategies (about 80 percent of injuries from child abuse are orthopedic in nature).

Physicians in the hospital’s Department of Genetics to understand the underlying make-up of children to better provide more specific care for each child.