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Louis Edwin DeFrate

Laszlo Ormandy Distinguished Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery
Orthopaedic Surgery
MSRB Room 379, Box 3093 DUMC, Durham, NC 27710
Room 379, Medical Sciences Research Building, Box 3093 Med. Ctr., Durham, NC 27710

Current Appointments & Affiliations


Laszlo Ormandy Distinguished Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery · 2023 - Present Orthopaedic Surgery, Clinical Science Departments
Professor in Orthopaedic Surgery · 2019 - Present Orthopaedic Surgery, Clinical Science Departments
Affiliate of the Duke Regeneration Center · 2021 - Present Duke Regeneration Center, Basic Science Departments

In the News


Published October 14, 2024
The Science Behind ACL: Why Women are Prone to a Debilitating Knee Injury
Published May 4, 2023
Duke Awards 44 Distinguished Professorships
Published April 18, 2018
Study Shows Men and Women Tear ACL the Same Way In Non-Contact Injury

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Recent Publications


Resting Supine for 45 Minutes Yields Consistent Baseline Lumbar Intervertebral Disc Height in Asymptomatic Participants.

Journal Article Ann Biomed Eng · May 13, 2025 PURPOSE: Intervertebral disc (IVD) height fluctuates diurnally as the spine is exposed to periods of high and low loading. Therefore, accounting for loading history prior to measuring in vivo IVD height is important when investigating IVD mechanics. Howeve ... Full text Link to item Cite

Tibiofemoral cartilage strain and recovery following a 3-mile run measured using deep learning segmentation of bone and cartilage.

Journal Article Osteoarthr Cartil Open · March 2025 OBJECTIVE: We sought to measure the deformation of tibiofemoral cartilage immediately following a 3-mile treadmill run, as well as the recovery of cartilage thickness the following day. To enable these measurements, we developed and validated deep learning ... Full text Link to item Cite
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Recent Grants


Boston Children's/UCLA/Duke Next Generation Regeneration for Osteoarthritis (BUD NextGenRegen for OA)

ResearchInvestigator · Awarded by Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health · 2024 - 2029

In vivo ACL mechanics and risk factors for injury

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases · 2024 - 2029

Mentoring in Musculoskeletal Pain Phenotypes

ResearchCollaborator · Awarded by National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases · 2022 - 2027

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Education, Training & Certifications


Massachusetts Institute of Technology · 2005 Sc.D.