UAMS’ Simon Mears Inducted into Prestigious Hip Society

By Spencer Watson

“I am grateful for this tremendous honor and am proud to represent both Arkansas and UAMS,” said Mears. “The Hip Society represents the nation’s thought leaders when it comes to disorders that affect the hip and hip surgery, and to be among their company will be a great benefit to me in providing the best care possible for my patients.”

Mears will be inducted into the Hip Society in March in Orlando, Florida, at the 2020 annual meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.

Mears joins C. Lowry Barnes, M.D., chair of the UAMS Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, as a member of The Hip Society. They are the only current members from Arkansas, marking the first time the state has had two members in the society at the same time. Barnes’ predecessor as department chair, the late Carl. L. Nelson, M.D., was also a member.

“I’m very happy to welcome Dr. Mears to The Hip Society,” said Barnes. “To have two physicians from our department working with this organization is a rare gift for our patients and for all Arkansans.”

Mears earned his medical degree and a doctoral degree in neurobiology from the University of Pittsburgh. He completed his orthopaedic residency at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. He completed a fellowship in orthopaedic traumatology at the R. Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center at the University of Maryland, as well as a second fellowship in hip and knee replacement at the Mayo Clinic.

Mears has won the prestigious Jahnigen Award in geriatric medicine. He practiced at the Johns Hopkins University for 10 years and served as chairman of orthopaedic surgery at the Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center.

Mears specializes in hip and knee replacement including both primary and revision surgery. His research interests include the clinical outcomes of geriatric patients and the biomechanics of fixation in osteoporotic bone. He is vice president of the International Geriatric Fracture Society and deputy editor for the Journal Geriatric Orthopaedic Surgery and Rehabilitation.

UAMS is the state’s only health sciences university, with colleges of Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, Health Professions and Public Health; a graduate school; a hospital; a main campus in Little Rock; a Northwest Arkansas regional campus in Fayetteville; a statewide network of regional campuses; and eight institutes: the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute, Jackson T. Stephens Spine & Neurosciences Institute, Harvey & Bernice Jones Eye Institute, Psychiatric Research Institute, Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging, Translational Research Institute, Institute for Digital Health & Innovation and the Institute for Community Health Innovation. UAMS includes UAMS Health, a statewide health system that encompasses all of UAMS’ clinical enterprise. UAMS is the only adult Level 1 trauma center in the state. UAMS has 3,275 students, 890 medical residents and fellows, and five dental residents. It is the state’s largest public employer with more than 12,000 employees, including 1,200 physicians who provide care to patients at UAMS, its regional campuses, Arkansas Children’s, the VA Medical Center and Baptist Health. Visit www.uams.edu or uamshealth.com. Find us on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), YouTube or Instagram.

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