Dr. David Wilson

Professor (Orthopaedics); Associate Member (Mechanical Engineering)
Co-Director, Centre for Hip Health & Mobility

Dave Wilson is an orthopaedic researcher with interests in the mechanics of osteoarthritis, sports medicine, joint reconstruction and replacement, and medical imaging. He joined the Division of Orthopaedic Engineering Research at UBC in 2002 after two and a half years in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario. He had previously received his B.Eng. degree in Mechanical Engineering from McGill University in Montreal, Canada in 1991 and his D.Phil. in Engineering Science from the University of Oxford, England in 1996 for work on the three dimensional kinematics of the knee. He completed fellowships in Orthopaedic Biomechanics at the Johns Hopkins University and the Orthopaedic Biomechanics Laboratory of the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Centre and Harvard.   Dave is a former Canadian Arthritis Network (CAN) New Investigator, a supervisor of several CAN trainees, and was co-chair of the CAN Training and Education Committee.

Research Focus

The objective of Dr. Wilson’s research is to investigate links between joint mechanics, clinical symptoms and the success of treatment. His team uses both in vivo studies and ex vivo (cadaver) experiments to investigate the biomechanics of normal and pathological joints and to assess the effects of surgical and non-surgical interventions on joint biomechanics. This team has a particular focus on developing new techniques based on medical imaging to measure in vivo biomechanical quantities more accurately.  This work is supported by a new open MRI scanner, the first of its kind in Canada and the only one in the world dedicated to research. Team members also have expertise in noninvasive assessments of cartilage health using MRI, and make extensive use of quatitative MRI (qMRI) and delayed gadolinium enhanced magnetic resonance imaging of cartilage (dGEMRIC). One of the group’s objectives is to gain a better understanding of the etiology of hip pain and osteoarthritis to identify well-substantiated risk factors for these conditions and more effective prevention and treatment strategies.

Sample Projects

In collaboration with Dr. John Street, spine surgeon, we are using open MRI to better understand the causes of symptoms in degenerative lumbar spondylolisthesis.

In collaboration with Dr. Kishore Mulpure and Dr. Tony Cooper, pediatric orthopaedic surgeons, we are using open MRI to improve treatment of Perthes’ disease, a prevalent pediatric hip disorder.

Keywords:  osteoarthritis, biomechanics, MRI, cartilage, bone, joint, orthopaedics