The similarities in the mechanisms and treatments of orthopedic injuries between humans and animals have sparked an interest for Steven Arnoczky for more than 40 years.
The Wade O. Brinker Endowed Professor of Surgery at the MSU College of Veterinary Medicine has been making scientific contributions to the advancement of ligament reconstruction of the knee and meniscal repair and replacement.
In recognition of these contributions, Arnoczky will be inducted into the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine's, or AOSSM, Hall of Fame at its annual meeting on July 11 in Seattle. The AOSSM Hall of Fame honors members of the orthopaedic sports medicine community who have made original and significant contributions to the specialty. Induction is the highest honor given to a society member.
There are currently 58 members from 11 countries in the Hall of Fame, and Arnoczky is only the second non-physician to receive this honor.
“This extraordinary honor for Dr. Arnoczky reflects the human medical community’s recognition of his contributions to orthopaedic medicine,” says John Baker, dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine. “It speaks to his accomplishments in basic science and comparative research, and his contributions reflect well on the College's leadership in the comparative medicine philosophy.”
Arnoczky is the director of the College’s Laboratory for Comparative Orthopaedic and has conducted basic science orthopaedic research for 40 years. In 1992 he was named the first Wade O. Brinker Endowed Professor of Surgery at the College, and he holds appointments in the Colleges of Human Medicine and Osteopathic Medicine at MSU.
Among Arnoczky’s honors and awards is the prestigious Kappa Delta Award for Outstanding Orthopaedic Research from the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons and the Neer Award from the American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons. He is a four-time recipient of the Cabaud Award for Soft Tissue Research, a two-time winner of the O’Donoghue Award for Sports Medicine Research, and the 2012 recipient of the T. David Sisk Award for best original research; all from the AOSSM.. He has also received the Distinguished Faculty Award from MSU and the Distinguished Alumnus Award from The Ohio State University.
Arnoczky, who is a founding member of the International Olympic Committee Olympic Academy of Sciences, has published more than 185 scientific articles and 150 scientific abstracts, and has written 78 book chapters. He has co-edited three books on basic science topics related to sports medicine and has given more than 800 invited research lectures around the world.
Arnoczky’s current research focuses on the role of mechanobiology in the pathogenesis and treatment of overuse injuries in tendons.