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Foot & Ankle Research and Innovation Lab

158 Boston Post Road
Weston, MA  02493

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    Foot & Ankle Research and Innovation Lab logo

    The Foot & Ankle Research and Innovation Lab (FARIL) is a groundbreaking initiative from Massachusetts General Hospital’s foot and ankle service focused on pioneering breakthroughs that directly impact care. Led by Christopher W. DiGiovanni, MD and Soheil Ashkani, MD, PhD, FARIL researchers are considering some of the most complex issues facing foot and ankle care today. The Lab aims to leverage clinical expertise and artificial intelligence in its work to refine approaches to diagnosis and both surgical and non-surgical treatment. In recent years, FARIL has produced novel surgical treatment techniques, instruments, implants and guides. Beyond the OR, FARIL is enabling patient-centered post-treatment care and building outcome prediction models to help doctors and patients in the decision-making process.

    Foot & Ankle Research Topics

    Daniel Guss, MD and Lorena Bejarano-Pineda, MD, Principal Investigators with the Foot and Ankle Research and Innovation Lab
    • Artificial intelligence, machine learning and computer vision
    • Biomechanics and kinematics
    • Designing, 3D-modeling, prototyping and testing novel instruments and implants
    • Diagnostic imaging, ultrasound and weightbearing CT scan
    • Finite element modeling
    • Joint preservation and salvage
    • Neurovascular disease
    • Outcomes and translational research
    • Predictive and decision support models and algorithms
    • Surgical techniques (open/arthroscopic/minimally invasive)
    • Venous thromboembolic (VTE) diseases and other orthopedic complications

    Our Team

    Principal Investigators

    • Christopher DiGiovanni, MD

      • Founder and Chair, Foot & Ankle Research and Innovation Laboratory
      • Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery, Harvard Medical School
      • Immediate Past President, American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society

    • Soheil Ashkani-Esfahani, MD

      • Director, Foot & Ankle Research and Innovation Laboratory
      • Instructor of Orthopaedic Surgery, Havard Medical School

    • John Kwon, MD

      • Chief, Foot & Ankle Service
      • Foot & Ankle Orthopaedic Surgeon
      • Associate Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery, Harvard Medical School

    • Daniel Guss, MD, MBA

      • Director, Foot & Ankle Fellowship Program
      • Vice-Chair (Quality & Safety), Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Newton-Wellesley Hospital
      • Assistant Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery, Harvard Medical School

    • Hamid Ghaednia, PhD

      • Co-Director, SORG, CPAI & MGB Orthopaedic Registries
      • Instructor of Orthopaedic Surgery, Harvard Medical School

    • Lorena Bejarano Pineda, MD

      • Foot & Ankle Orthopaedic Surgeon
      • Member of the Faculty, Harvard Medical School

    • Gurneet Khangura, DPM

      • Podiatrist
      • Podiatric Surgeon

    • Adam Landsman, DPM, PhD

      • Podiatrist
      • Podiatric Surgeon
      • Bioengineering Researcher

    • Sara Rose-Sauld, DPM

      • Podiatrist
      • Podiatric Surgeon

    • Jennifer Skolnik, DPM

      • Podiatrist
      • Podiatric Surgeon

    • Gregory Waryasz, MD

      • Director, Foot & Ankle Sports Medicine
      • Foot & Ankle Orthopaedic Surgeon
      • Instructor of Orthopaedic Surgery, Harvard Medical School

    • Norman Wortzman, DPM

      • Podiatrist
      • Podiatric Surgeon

    Affiliated Faculty

    • Christopher Bono, MD

      • Executive Vice Chair, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery
      • Program Director, Harvard Combined Orthopaedic Residency Program
      • Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery, Harvard Medical School

    • Mitchel Harris, MD

      • Chief, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery
      • Orthopaedic Trauma Surgeon
      • Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery, Harvard Medical School

    • Joseph Schwab, MD, MS

      • Chief, Orthopaedic Spine Service
      • Director, Spine Oncology & Co-Director, Stephan L. Harris Chordoma Center
      • Associate Professor of Orthopedic Surgery, Harvard Medical School

    • Miho Tanaka, MD

      • Director, Women's Sports Medicine Program
      • Team Physician: Boston Red Sox, Boston Ballet, Boston Glory
      • Associate Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery, Harvard Medical School

    Clinical Research Coordinators

    • Karina Mirochnik, BS, MS

      • Biomedical Engineering graduate from Worcester Polytechnic Institute, specializing in Biomechanics and Medical Robotics

    • Andreea Lucaciu, BS

      • Biomedical Engineering graduate from Georgia Institute of Technology

    • Kelsey Detels, BS, MS

      • MSE Candidate at Johns Hopkins Center for Bioengineering Innovation and Design

    Affiliates and Research Managers

    • Kate McKiernan, MHSA

      • Sr. Administrative Director, Business, Research, & Academic Operations, Orthopaedic Surgery

    • Sarah Yeates, BS

      • Senior Clinical Research Program Manager, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Mass General

    Research Positions

    members of the Foot and Ankle Research and Innovation Lab during a group meeting

    The Foot & Ankle Research and Innovation Laboratory is a multidisciplinary platform for innovation, research and education, and serves as a unique environment where clinicians, researchers and engineers work together and share their expertise. FARIL researchers get the opportunity to conduct and co-author clinical and biomechanical research across the topics mentioned above and and gain experience with the fundraising process.

    We are recruiting for the following academic positions/classifications:

    Research Internship

    Full or part-time unpaid position

    Qualifications:

    • US Citizen
    • Undergraduate/Graduate/Medical student enrolled in accredited program
    • Biostatistics familiarity
    • Programming and coding skills are preferred
    • Being able to work onsite is preferred

    How To Apply: Please send your resume/CV and letter of interest to Soheil Ashkani, MD.

    Research Internship for Data/AI Engineers

    This position is specifically for trainees and students focused on data science and various aspects of AI engineering, including but not limited to machine learning, natural language processing, deep learning, data analytics, image analysis, 3D design, statistical analysis, software, and web design. Participants should be committed to participating for a minimum of 12 weeks. The program is unfunded; however, individual financial support might be available based on the type of project and the presence of financial support.

    Qualifications:

    • Being able to work with a team of clinical and biomedical researchers
    • Experience in developing machine learning algorithms is highly preferred
    • Python programming experience is preferred.

    How To Apply: Please send your resume/CV and letter of interest to Soheil Ashkani, MD.

    International Research Intern

    This program is offered to train international students, MD graduates, and clinical researchers with limited experience in research willing to expand their knowledge and learn more about orthopaedic research and innovation. The program is for 6 months to 1 year and can be extended according to the conditions. The position is unfunded*; however, limited funding opportunities can be available based on the type of the project and the presence of financial sponsors/grants.

    Qualifications:

    • MD and/or PhD student or recently graduated
    • Excellent proficiency in the English language
    • Enrolled in an educational program such as MPH, MBA, PhD or post-doc program is preferred
    • Excellent experience in clinical research (at least 1 peer-reviewed publication as the first author is preferred)
    • Biostatistics familiarity
    • Programming and coding skills are preferred
    • Need to have two letters of support from previous/current supervisors

    How To Apply: Please send your resume/CV and letter of interest to Soheil Ashkani, MD.

    International Research Fellow

    One- or two-year unpaid* position

    Required Qualifications:

    • MD (with clinical orthopedic experience)
    • Excellent proficiency of the English language
    • Biostatistics familiarity
    • Two letters of support from previous/current supervisors

    Preferred Qualifications:

    • Enrolled in a PhD or post-doc program
    • Programming and coding skills
    • At least 3 peer-reviewed publications as first author

    *Limited potential for funded research projects

    How To Apply: Please send your resume/CV and letter of interest to Soheil Ashkani, MD.

    Research Fellow/Post-Doc

    This position is ideal for candidates seeking a long-term career in academic medicine.
    Project-based funding available

    Required Qualifications:

    • MD or MD-PhD
    • US Citizen or permanent resident
    • Solid knowledge on biostatistics
    • Two letters of support from previous/current supervisors

    Preferred Qualifications:

    • At least 5 peer-reviewed publications as first author
    • Programming and coding skills

    How To Apply: Please send your resume/CV and letter of interest to Soheil Ashkani, MD.

    Learn more about FARIL Research

    Dr. DiGiovanni explains how syndesmosis, an instability and ligament problem in the ankle, is often underdiagnosed and undertreated. Currently, his research is exploring operative and non-operative diagnosis options, which offer dynamic and direct perspectives on the effects of syndesmosis.

    Soheil Ashkani-Esfahani, MD, Director of FARIL, discusses the latest diagnostic advances made by the hospital's Foot & Ankle Research and Innovation Laboratory (FARIL).

    Daniel Guss, MD, MBA, orthopaedic surgeon in the Foot and Ankle Center, discusses the unique roles minimally invasive surgery has in the foot and ankle service. He explains how minimally invasive surgery allows them to see in the joints much better, speeds up recovery and avoids wound complications.

    Christopher W. Digiovanni, MD explains how fifth metatarsal injuries burden a sizeable portion of the athletic patient population. His research team is working on better implants to increase the chance and speed of bone healing and treatment options that allow for weight-bearing sooner.

    Christopher W. DiGiovanni, MD, believes in the next two decades, researchers will develop better ways to help patients with Lisfranc injuries, which affect the main arch of the foot, to return to a "better health span."

    Christopher W. DiGiovanni, MD, and Daniel Guss, MD, MBA, discuss how the researchers in the Foot and Ankle Research and Innovation Laboratory collaborate to develop better diagnosis options, technologies and surgical techniques so that care is accessible and effective for patients.

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    FARIL Team Photos

    Members of FARIL at a conference
    The FARIL team on a hike
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    FARIL-SORG Collaborative

    Two Mass General orthopedic labs recently joined forces to share space, maximize efficiency and drive innovation across specialties.

    Learn more

    Visit our Foot & Ankle Store

    Visit the Foot + Ankle Store at Mass General Waltham. Created for our patients, helping them find the best retail medical products & footwear.

    Learn more.