Skip to main content
construction release_alert
Profile editing is temporarily unavailable from June 11-24, 2026 while manual profile data entry transitions to Elements. Learn More.
cancel

Steven Zachary George

Laszlo Ormandy Distinguished Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery
Orthopaedic Surgery
200 Morris Street, Office 6510, Durham, NC 27701
200 Morris Street, Office 6510, Durham, NC 27701
Office hours By appointment only  

Overview


Dr. George’s primary interest is research involving biopsychosocial models for the prevention and treatment of chronic musculoskeletal pain disorders.  His long term goals are to 1) improve accuracy for predicting who is going to develop chronic pain; and 2) identify non-pharmacological treatment options that limit the development of chronic pain conditions.  Dr. George is an active member of the American Physical Therapy Association, United States Association of the Study of Pain, and International Association for the Study of Pain. 

Dr. George’s research projects have been supported by the National Institutes of Health, Department of Defense, and Orthopaedic Academy of the American Physical Therapy Association.  Dr. George and his collaborators have authored over 330 peer-reviewed publications in leading medical, orthopaedic surgery, physical therapy, rehabilitation, and pain research journals.  He currently serves as Editor-in-Chief for the Physical Therapy & Rehabilitation Journal. Dr. George has also been involved with clinical practice guideline development for the Academy of Orthopaedic Physical Therapy and the American Psychological Association. 

Dr. George has been recognized with prestigious research awards from the American Physical Therapy Association, American Pain Society, and International Association for the Study of Pain. For example from the American Physical Therapy Association: he was named the  21st John H.P. Maley Lecturer, recognized as a Catherine Worthingham Fellow in 2017, and selected for the Marian Williams Award for Research in Physical Therapy in 2022.    

Current Appointments & Affiliations


Laszlo Ormandy Distinguished Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery · 2020 - Present Orthopaedic Surgery, Clinical Science Departments
Professor in Orthopaedic Surgery · 2017 - Present Orthopaedic Surgery, Clinical Science Departments
Professor in Population Health Sciences · 2023 - Present Population Health Sciences, Basic Science Departments
Member in the Duke Clinical Research Institute · 2016 - Present Duke Clinical Research Institute, Institutes and Centers

In the News


Published April 14, 2020
Duke Awards 29 University Distinguished Professorships

View All News

Recent Publications


Baseline characteristics of Veterans from improving Veteran access to integrated management of back pain (AIM-Back) - an embedded pragmatic, cluster-randomized trial in the United States.

Journal Article Pain Manag · June 2026 OBJECTIVE: Describe baseline characteristics and representativeness of AIM-Back trial participants relative to Veterans with low back pain at participating clinics. METHODS: Veterans were referred to AIM-Back randomized care pathways and included 1) enroll ... Full text Link to item Cite

Development of Machine Learning Algorithms Predicting Psychological Distress After Total Joint Arthroplasty.

Journal Article J Arthroplasty · May 27, 2026 BACKGROUND: Psychological distress is associated with suboptimal outcomes after total joint arthroplasty (TJA). This study aimed to develop and evaluate machine learning (ML) models to predict a high psychological distress phenotype using only preoperative ... Full text Link to item Cite

A meta-model of low back pain to examine collective expert knowledge of treatment effects and their mechanisms.

Journal Article Eur Spine J · May 19, 2026 PURPOSE: Low back pain (LBP) is a complex, multifactorial condition with numerous contributors across biopsychosocial domains. To advance understanding of this complexity, we synthesized diverse expert knowledge on treatment effectiveness and underlying me ... Full text Link to item Cite
View All Publications

Recent Grants


Navigator-Assisted Non-Pharmacologic Pain Relief for Veterans with Back Pain

ResearchCo-Principal Investigator · Awarded by Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute · 2026 - 2031

2/3 CTSA K12 Program at Duke University

ResearchMentor · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2025 - 2030

Biomarkers to Advance Clinical Phenotypes of Low Back Pain (BACk)

ResearchCo Investigator · Awarded by National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases · 2023 - 2028

View All Grants

Education


University of Pittsburgh · 2002 Ph.D.
West Virginia University · 1994 B.S.