Hand & Arm Research Collaborative (HARC)

Overview

The goal of the Mass General Hand & Arm Research Collaborative is to build knowledge and advance innovation in hand and arm care towards sustaining health and improving outcomes for patients worldwide. Researchers diagnose and address complex traumatic injuries and conditions, test out new surgical techniques and devices, engage in lively transnational debate, and work to understand the social-emotional aspects of hand and arm injury, treatment and recovery. This group at Mass General partners with researchers from every part of the globe, including extensive work with the Science of Variation Group, an international online collaborative working to understand and optimize reliability in orthopaedic surgery, as well as with the Academic Medical Center in Amsterdam, University Medical Center Utrecht, The Royal Infirmary in Edinburgh, Osaka University, and British Hospital in Montevideo.

Research Projects

Mass General researchers are actively researching many physiological, technological, and psycho-social aspects of hand and arm care. Below is a small sample of current research topics:

• Application of quantitative CT bone density in the upper extremity
• Carpal instability
• Complex elbow fracture patterns
• Drawing application to evaluate hand function
• Fibrosis in Dupuytren's Contracture
• Intra-articular fractures of the proximal ulna
• Inverse problem; converting radiographs to 3D solid models
• Neuromas
• Outcomes after amputation
• Ulnar collateral ligament injuries in the hand
• Sequalae after distal radius fractures
• Surgical simulation
• Targeted muscle reinnervation (TMR)

Publications

Mass General hand and arm clinicians and researchers maintain an active research and publication cadence. See our current and past publications.

You can read summaries of some of the team’s research on Advances in Motion, the research publication of Massachusetts General Hospital.

Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery

Jesse Jupiter, MD

Hand Fellows

Christopher Cheng, MD MBA

David Cholok, MD

Jonathan Lans, MD PhD

Justin Sawyer, MD

Research Coordinators

Sujit Chepuri

John Fitzhenry

PhD Candidates

Stella den Hengst, BSc

Conducting research on distal radius fractures, focusing on developments before, during and after surgery.

Maximilian Mayrhofer-Schmid, MD

Conducts research on surgical strategies in complex hand trauma reconstruction, amputations and peripheral nerve injuries.

Oscar Shen, MD

Researching clinical applications of artificial intelligence in orthopedics including computer vision and large language models for diagnosis, surgical planning, and prognosis.

Jort Wiersma, BSc

Researching the sequelae of upper extremity trauma, with a specific focus on elbow fractures and the development of osteoarthritis.

Research Positions

Mass General hand and arm researchers publish and present their work in top journals and at national and international conferences, including those of the American Society for Surgery of the Hand, the Orthopaedic Trauma Association, the American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons and the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgery.

Short-term volunteer positions are available for medical students who are interested in dedicating time to orthopaedic hand and upper extremity research. Short-term researchers take on projects under the guidance of our PhD candidates and become well-versed in clinical research methodology and biostatistics.

Long-Term positions are also available for those planning on pursuing a PhD or the equivalent at their respective institutions. Such positions extend between two and three years and are well-suited for those interested in independently managing multiple research projects while also exercising leadership in the field.

To apply, please submit your CV and a motivation letter to John Fitzhenry. Letters of recommendation are strongly encouraged.