Graham King Musculoskeletal Research Chair

Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry is pleased to announce that Dr. Jim Johnson has been appointed as the Graham King Musculoskeletal Research Chair for a five year term (January 1, 2012 through December 31, 2016). Dr. Johnson graduated with his PhD in Mechanical Engineering from the Technical University of Nova Scotia in 1991. Prior to his PhD, he completed his BEng (Mechanical) at McGill University and a BSc in Biological Sciences at Concordia University. Dr. Johnson is currently the Director of Biomedical Engineering at The University of Western Ontario. He is also Co-director of the Bioengineering Research Laboratory of the Hand and Upper Limb Centre of St. Joseph's Health Centre, affiliated with the University of Western Ontario.

Dr. Johnson's research encompasses the application of engineering-based studies to address clinical problems in orthopaedic surgery that include fracture fixation, soft-tissue and ligament repair, and implant replacement, with special interest in stability, kinematics, joint articular mechanics, and load transfer. Experimental studies range from the employment of basic bench-top approaches to the use of advanced testing systems that permit the simulation of joint function. In addition, implant development is a major thrust of this research. In collaboration with industrial partners, new implant systems have been developed and these are now commercially available on the international market. Also, a variety of improved surgical and rehabilitation techniques that have been evaluated in the laboratory, have been implemented clinically. More recently, Dr. Johnson and his colleagues have developed intra-operative measurement systems as a component of computer-assisted surgery, with special interest in the optimization of minimally invasive surgical procedures. Dr. Johnson and his colleagues at the Hand and Upper Limb Centre lead a team of researchers that include engineering and medical undergraduate and graduate students, and surgical residents and fellows that focus on novel and applied hand and upper limb biomechanics research aimed at improved patient-care.

Dr. Johnson has published over 100 papers in peer reviewed journals and holds research funding from CIHR and NSERC. He has been a Core Member of the Canadian Orthopedic Research Society since 1997 and held the role of President in 2007. He sits on the Editorial Board of The Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery, The Journal of Biomechanical Engineering and The Journal of Hand Surgery.