Sheffield surgeon receives honour for bone disease​​​​​​​ research

Professor Mark Wilkinson who is also Professor of Orthopaedics at the University of Sheffield is one of only two researchers across the UK to be given a 2021 Fellowship Award from the Orthopaedic Research Society of the United States.

The honour is the most prestigious the Society can bestow upon its 5,000 members.

Professor Mark Wilkinson’s pioneering research has played a pivotal role in helping to improve treatments and care for patients with bone and joint diseases, the most common cause of chronic disability worldwide.

Professor Mark Wilkinson said: “I am honoured and delighted to have received this distinguished lifetime award. For the past three decades my research has looked to understand the biology and behaviour of bone and joint disease which has enabled us to make great strides in finding and developing better treatments for these physically weakening and often burdensome conditions.

"This award is a credit to Sheffield Teaching Hospitals the University of Sheffield and the many research collaborators I have worked with and excellent recognition of the exceptional clinical and academic facilities we have here in Sheffield. To be recognised by my peers at the highest international level is a huge privilege.”

Supported by the Mellanby Centre for Musculoskeletal Research, Professor Wilkinson’s research was the first to identify the majority of genetic factors known to cause osteoarthritis and the first to explain the biological mechanisms that lead to joint implant failure.

His research has also identified the genetic factors that lead to congenital hip dislocation, a condition when the ball and socket joint of the hip does not properly form in babies and young children.

Most recently he has led on the development and creation of JointCalc, a tool built using data collected by the National Joint Registry which enables patients and GPs to predict personalised outcomes of joint replacement surgery based on an individual characteristics.