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DURHAM, N.C. – Benjamin A. Alman, M.D., will join the Duke University School of Medicine as chairman of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, starting in June after departing as A.J. Latner professor and chairman of orthopaedics at the University of Toronto.
 
“Dr. Alman is the ideal leader for our orthopaedic surgery department," said Nancy Andrews, M.D., PhD, dean of the Duke University School of Medicine. “Ben is an internationally-recognized scientist, surgeon, administrator, and educator with an illustrious 20-year career, and we are extremely pleased to have him joining our team.”
 
In addition to leading the Division of Orthopaedics at the University of Toronto, Alman has been a senior scientist in the Research Institute’s Developmental and Stem Cell Biology Program at The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, where he has been on faculty for the past 16 years. He is also vice chair of research in the Department of Surgery and interim director of the Toronto Musculoskeletal Centre at the University Toronto.
 
In his new role at Duke, Alman will lead a respected team of more than 60 clinical and research faculty and 55 residents and fellows committed to advancing scientific discovery and enhancing patient care.
 
“I am confident that Ben will create an environment of collaboration and innovation that will distinguish Duke as the preeminent orthopaedic surgery department in the country,” Andrews said.
 
Alman received his medical degree from Jefferson Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University and completed his residency in general surgery from Pennsylvania Hospital and his orthopaedic residency in the affiliated Orthopaedic Residency Program at Tufts University/New England Medical Center Hospital. He completed his clinical fellowship in pediatric orthopaedic surgery at The Hospital for Sick Children and a research fellowship in molecular pathology at Tufts University/New England Medical Center.
 
His clinical practice focuses on the care of children with syndromes, spinal deformity, neuromuscular disorders, and tumors involving the bones, joints and soft tissues. He also runs an active basic science research program, studying the role of developmental signaling pathways in musculoskeletal tumors and reparative processes. He is the principal investigator on several national research grants, and has over 100 peer reviewed publications.
 
In the period until Alman’s arrival in June, Duke’s Department of Orthopaedic Surgery will be led by interim chairman David Attarian, M.D., FACS.
 
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