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Simon Mears, M.D., Ph.D.
Hip, Knee Specialist Simon Mears, M.D., Ph.D., Returns to UAMS Department of Orthopaedic Surgery
| LITTLE ROCK — Simon Mears, M.D., Ph.D., a board-certified orthopaedic surgeon specializing in hip and knee joint-related conditions, has returned to the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) after a year in an endowed professorship in orthopaedics at the University of Florida in Gainesville.
Mears specializes in hip and knee replacement surgery and taking care of patients with complex joint problems such as periprosthetic fractures, revisions and infections.
“We are ecstatic that Dr. Mears has returned to the UAMS Department of Orthopaedic Surgery,” said C. Lowry Barnes, M.D., professor and chair of the department. “He is an outstanding joint replacement surgeon and a leader at the campus level for quality and safety. In addition, he is a nationally recognized researcher in hip and knee replacement.”
Mears earned his medical degree and his doctoral degree in neurobiology from the University of Pittsburgh. He completed his orthopaedic residency at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, followed by two fellowships: in orthopaedic traumatology at the R. Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center at the University of Maryland and in hip and knee replacement at the Mayo Clinic.
He first joined UAMS in 2015 after practicing at Johns Hopkins for 10 years and serving as chair of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at its Bayview Medical Center. Last year, he left UAMS to serve as chief of the Division of Adult Arthroplasty and Joint Reconstruction at the University of Florida, where he was also the Peter Gearen, M.D., Endowed Professor in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery. He returned to UAMS in January.
In September 2023, while a professor of orthopaedic surgery at UAMS, he was elected to the prestigious Knee Society, an academic, invitation-only national organization that represents the world’s most influential surgeons and researchers in knee replacement. He is also a member of the Hip Society and is editor-in-chief for the journal Geriatric Orthopaedic Surgery and Rehabilitation.
An avid researcher with numerous peer-reviewed publications and invited presentations, Mears’ research interests include the clinical outcomes of hip and knee replacement and the biomechanics of fixation in osteoporotic bone.
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 3,485 students, 915 medical residents and fellows, and seven dental residents. It is the state’s largest public employer with more than 11,000 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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