Dennis E. Anderson, Ph.D. received his PhD in Engineering Mechanics from Virginia Tech in 2010, studying musculoskeletal biomechanics with a focus on aging and gait under the direction of Michael Madigan, PhD. He then joined the Center for Advanced Orthopaedic Studies at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center as a postdoctoral fellow to work in studies of the biomechanics of vertebral fracture, using qCT scans and musculoskeletal modeling to examine the risk of vertebral fractures in older adults.
In 2015, Dr. Anderson was promoted to Assistant Professor of Orthopedic Surgery, and his ongoing research centers on understanding the biomechanics of the thoracolumbar spine in aging and disease. He led the creation of the first fully validated musculoskeletal model of the thoracolumbar spine, resulting in a novel model now used worldwide by investigators interested in quantifying spinal loading. Currently his lab is pioneering the in vivo measurement of spinal movement, and methods for efficient, accurate and reliable creation of patient-specific models – a crucial step toward clinical application of musculoskeletal modeling to evaluate spinal loading. This includes ongoing studies in healthy young and older adults, patients with symptomatic lumbar spinal stenosis, and adolescents with idiopathic scoliosis.