UPMC Recruits World-Renowned Pioneer Of Multi-Trauma Care As Chief Of Orthopaedic Trauma Surgery: Hans-Christoph Pape, M.D.

PITTSBURGH, Dec. 19, 2005 – An orthopaedic trauma surgeon known as a pioneer of multiple-trauma care and “damage control orthopaedics,” Hans-Christoph Pape, M.D., has been recruited by the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) to be chief of the division of orthopaedic trauma surgery within the department of orthopaedic surgery.

Before joining UPMC, Dr. Pape was professor and vice chairman of trauma surgery at Hannover Medical School in Germany, one of Europe’s top medical and trauma centers. He is internationally recognized for his research and clinical work in developing optimal treatments for those with multiple serious traumatic injuries.
Dr. Pape has been a leading investigator of damage control orthopaedics, a concept which mandates that seriously injured patients be stabilized and organ and system functions restored as fully as possible before surgical repair of orthopaedic injuries is begun.

Over the last decade, this staged orthopaedic surgical approach has been instituted in trauma centers around the world, including UPMC, changing the way multiple-trauma patients are treated from admission through discharge and improving their outcomes. Dr. Pape and colleagues have published research findings suggesting that the traditional approach of surgically repairing multiple orthopaedic injuries simultaneously with severe organ and system traumatic injuries immediately upon admission may be unessential and cause additional unnecessary stress.

“Dr. Pape is an orthopaedic surgeon and clinical scientist of extraordinary ability,” said Freddie H. Fu, M.D., professor and chairman of the department of orthopaedic surgery at UPMC and the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. “There is no doubt that his pioneering work in damage control orthopaedics has influenced the practice of orthopaedics throughout Europe and the United States. We are fortunate to have him fully integrated into our orthopaedic trauma division and orthopaedic department and entering into rich collaborations with the other UPMC departments involved in the care of multiple-injury patients,” added Dr. Fu.

Dr. Pape joins orthopaedic trauma surgeon Gary Gruen, M.D., and nearly two dozen other specialized surgeons in UPMC’s department of orthopaedic surgery, one of the largest, busiest and most highly ranked clinical and research departments in the country.

Dr. Pape’s other published research and clinical interests involve the relationship of orthopaedic repair to shock and organ failure, bone fixation and stabilization.
He received his medical degree from Hannover in 1988 and completed six years of residency training in surgery and trauma at Hannover in 1995, during which time he completed a traveling fellowship at the University of Nijmegaen in the Netherlands, participated in an exchange program with Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn., and completed a research fellowship at Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard University. He joined the faculty of medicine and surgery at Hannover in 1996, was appointed professor in 2000, and vice chair of the department of trauma surgery in 2003.

Dr. Pape’s career contributions to orthopaedic and trauma literature include more than 140 peer-reviewed articles, nearly half as lead author. He has been an invited presenter at more than 150 scientific national and international meetings and is a peer reviewer for numerous leading international journals. Another indication of his peer recognition and the influence of his work is the extensive number of times other scientists have cited his work. He has been a visiting professor at Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital, the University of Alabama and the University of Texas at El Paso, and has garnered numerous international clinical scientific achievement awards.

Contact Information

Susan Manko

University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC)

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