Robert LaPrade, M.D., Ph.D., who graduated from the University of Maine in 1981, was recently awarded the university’s Alumni Association’s 2015 Career Award. This is considered to be the most prestigious award given by the university, and is based on a lifetime of professional achievement. Previous recipients of this award include author Stephen King, Admiral Gregory Johnson (retired), and Senator Olympia Snowe. The award ceremony was held on October 24, 2015 at the University of Maine’s Buchanan Alumni House.
“Dr. LaPrade has changed the way all orthopaedic surgeons think about and treat knee injuries. He is one of the top orthopaedic surgeons, researchers, and educators in orthopaedics, ” said Scott C. Faucett M.D., M.S., an orthopedic surgeon at George Washington University, in the October 29, 2015 news release.
Dr. Robert LaPrade is a complex knee specialist at The Steadman Clinic in Vail, Colorado and Director of Biomechanics Research at the Steadman Philippon Research Institute. He has published over 240 peer-reviewed articles, and has received many awards for his research, including the OREF Clinical Research Award
Dr. LaPrade told OTW, “This award means a great deal to me because it helps to validate a lot of the hard work that my team has performed to improve patient care. I am very proud of the education I received at UMaine and am extremely honored to have received this award.”
“As Chief Medical Officer at the Steadman Philippon Research Institute, I help to ensure that our research is focused on bench-to-bedside treatments that improve patients’ lives. My specific research in this area is focused on: optimization of complex knee ligament injuries and meniscal root repairs through detailed quantitative anatomy studies; biomechanically revisiting the newly defined anatomy and validation of anatomic-based reconstructions; development of objective means to determine the presence of injury and the success of surgery; verification of our newly developed anatomic reconstructions through clinical outcomes studies.”
