Benjamin Alman
Professor and Chair, Duke University
Dr. Alman is the James R. Urbaniak Professor and Chair of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at Duke University. He trained in Boston for his Orthopaedic residency and molecular biology research training at Tufts University. Dr. Alman trained as a fellow in Pediatric Orthopaedics at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, where he subsequently held a faculty position. During his tenure in Toronto, he became the A.J. Latner Professor and Chair of Orthopaedics. He founded the Toronto Musculoskeletal Center, now a collaborative training program, and implemented a competency-based residency curriculum in Orthopaedics, the first of its kind. As a pediatric orthopaedist, Dr. Alman focuses on congenital deformities of the limbs and spine, pediatric tumors, neuromuscular diseases, and childhood injuries. In his clinical work, he was the first to demonstrate that long-term corticosteroids slowed the progression of scoliosis in Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.
As an orthopaedic clinician-scientist, Dr. Alman’s research focuses on understanding the role of developmentally important processes in the repair and pathologies involving the musculoskeletal system. The long-term goal of his work is to use this knowledge to identify improved therapeutic approaches to musculoskeletal disorders. He extensively uses genetically modified mice to model human disease, and to translate his research findings to patient care, clinical trials have been initiated and a start-up company was established based on his work. Over the past decade, his research group has extended this work to understand the role of genes and cell processes important in tumor cell heterogeneity, changes in repair with aging, and the role of metabolism in cartilage. His group was the first to identify mutations causing several musculoskeletal tumor types, a role for developmentally important signaling pathways in osteoarthritis, and a role for circulating factors in the rejuvenation of fracture healing. He played a role in founding several research groups, including the RegenerationNext initiative at Duke, the International Consortium for Vertebral Anomalies and Scoliosis, and BUD (Boston, UCLA, Duke) NextGenRegen for OA. His work has been supported by multiple national (CIHR and NIH) research grants. He trained scores of graduate students and post-docs, many of whom now hold faculty positions around the world. He has over 200 peer-reviewed publications including in journals such as Lancet, Cell, and Nature Medicine.
Dr. Alman is passionate about improving care for children. He served as chair of the Bloorview Foundation Board, providing funding for pediatric rehabilitation patient needs and research. He serves on the Research Advisory Board and chairs the clinical research subcommittee for Shriners Hospitals. Recently, he became the chair of the board of the Armstrong Children’s Orthopedic Alliance, a newly formed foundation aimed at improving care for children worldwide.
