Paul Tornetta, MD, PhD
Professor, Orthopaedic Surgery
Biography
Dr. Paul Tornetta, III is Chief and Chair, Professor and Residency Program Director in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine and the Director of Orthopaedic Trauma for the Boston Medical Center. Dr. Tornetta received his bachelor’s degree in chemistry and mathematics from Franklin and Marshall College in Lancaster, Penn. He earned his medical degree from SUNY-Health Science Center at Brooklyn (NY), where he also completed his internship and residency in orthopaedic surgery, followed by a fellowship in Acetabular/Pelvic Fractures at the Hospital of the Good Samaritan in Los Angeles under Joel Matta, MD. He received his PhD from the University of Groningen, the Netherlands.
Dr. Tornetta has expertise in multicenter trials and trial methodology, serving on the executive committees of the SPRINT, FAITH, TRUST, and FLOW trials. He leads the Orthopaedic Trauma Research Consortium and was on the executive committee of the department of defense funded METRC consortium. He has lectured extensively worldwide on orthopaedic trauma, evidence-based literature application, and education. He has served on the faculty of more than 250 American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgery (AAOS) CME, Orthopaedic Trauma Association (OTA) and international symposia and skills courses as well as developing new educational programs for these organizations. An author of more than 300 peer-reviewed publications, Dr. Tornetta is also a lead editor for Rockwood and Green’s textbook on fracture care (an industry standard) and an editor of multiple other textbooks and textbook series. The AAOS’s new resident orthopaedic core knowledge curriculum (ROCK) was released under his co-editorship and guidance. He has contributed to the field with the development of new surgical techniques as well as implants.
Dr. Tornetta has served many roles for national and international orthopaedic associations. He has been the chair of multiple committees, served on the board, was Chair of the Council on Education for the AAOS, is a past president of the OTA and was an American British Canadian (ABC) traveling fellow. He is currently in the Presidential line for the AAOS and his Presidential year will be 2024-2025. The recipient of numerous awards and honors, including the Orthopaedic Research and Education Foundation clinical research award, Two Kappa Delta Awards, several BUSM Robert E. Leach Resident Teaching Awards and OTA Bovill Awards, Dr. Tornetta has been named a Castle Connolly Top Doctor every year since 1999 and Boston Magazine Top Doc since 2006.
Other Positions
- Chief and Chair, Orthopaedic Surgery, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine
Education
- SUNY Downstate Medical Center, MD
- Franklin & Marshall College, BA
Publications
- Published on 9/20/2023
Alley MC, Vallier HA, Tornetta P. Identifying risk factors for osteonecrosis after talar fracture. J Orthop Trauma. 2023 Sep 20. PMID: 37735752.
Read at: PubMed - Published on 8/24/2023
Megafu M, Megafu E, Mian H, Singhal S, Nietsch K, Yendluri A, Tornetta P, Parisien RL. The statistical fragility of outcomes in calcaneus fractures: A systematic review of randomized controlled trials. Foot (Edinb). 2023 Aug 24; 57:102047. PMID: 37672893.
Read at: PubMed - Published on 7/13/2023
Schemitsch EH, Kumar A, Heels-Ansdell D, Sprague S, Bhandari M, Guyatt G, Sanders DW, Swiontkowski M, Tornetta P, Walter S. Reamed compared with unreamed nailing of tibial shaft fractures: Does the initial method of nail insertion influence outcome in patients requiring reoperations? Can J Surg. 2023; 66(4):E384-E389. PMID: 37442585.
Read at: PubMed - Published on 7/1/2023
Shahien A, Likine EF, Soles G, Samborski S, Mehta SK, Ryan SP, Leroy TE, Mullis B, Spitler CA, Tornetta P. Not All Proximal Humerus Fractures Do Well Without Surgery: Anterior Translation Predicts the Need for Surgery. J Orthop Trauma. 2023 Jul 01; 37(7):366-369. PMID: 37074809.
Read at: PubMed - Published on 6/1/2023
Alley MC, Kain M, Mitchell S, Walker BJ, Jones CB, Tornetta P. Anterior Hook Plating of Patella Fractures: A Biomechanical Analysis and Clinical Series. J Orthop Trauma. 2023 Jun 01; 37(6):e258-e263. PMID: 36728234.
Read at: PubMed - Published on 5/1/2023
Collinge CA, Finlay A, Harris P, Rodriguez-Buitrago A, de la Fuente G, Beltran M, Mitchell P, Archdeacon M, Tornetta P, Mir HR, Gardner M, Sagi HC, LeBus GF, Cannada LK, Smyth B. Effects of Technical Errors on the Outcomes of Operatively Managed Femoral Neck Fractures in Adults Less than 50 Years of Age. J Orthop Trauma. 2023 May 01; 37(5):214-221. PMID: 36728471.
Read at: PubMed - Published on 5/1/2023
Collinge CA, Harris P, Sagi HC, Rodriguez-Buitrago A, Beltran MJ, Mitchell PM, Mir HR, Lebus GF, Tornetta P, de la Fuente G. Comparative Analysis of Supplemental Medial Buttress Plate Fixation for High-Energy Displaced Femoral Neck Fractures in Young Adults. J Orthop Trauma. 2023 May 01; 37(5):207-213. PMID: 36750438.
Read at: PubMed - Published on 4/1/2023
Dunbar RP, Egol KA, Jones CB, Ostrum RF, Humphrey CA, Ricci WM, Phieffer LS, Teague DC, Sagi HC, Pollak AN, Schmidt AH, Sems A, Pape HC, Morshed S, Perez EA, Tornetta P. Locked Plating versus Nailing for Proximal Tibia Fractures: A Multicenter RCT. J Orthop Trauma. 2023 Apr 01; 37(4):155-160. PMID: 36729919.
Read at: PubMed - Published on 3/21/2023
Tanaka MJ, Sodhi A, Wadhavkar I, Kane K, Velasquez Hammerle MV, Mangudi Varadarajan K, Tornetta P. Redefining Trochlear Dysplasia: Normal Thresholds Vary by Measurement Technique, Landmarks, and Sex. Am J Sports Med. 2023 Apr; 51(5):1202-1210. PMID: 36942723.
Read at: PubMed - Published on 3/21/2023
Tanaka MJ, Sodhi A, Wadhavkar I, Kane K, Velasquez Hammerle MV, Mangudi Varadarajan K, Tornetta P. Redefining Trochlear Dysplasia: Normal Thresholds Vary by Measurement Technique, Landmarks, and Sex. Am J Sports Med. 2023 Apr; 51(5):1202-1210. PMID: 36942723.
Read at: PubMed
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