ISAKOS 2021 Global Congress Faculty

Carola F. van Eck, MD, PhD, FAAOS

University of Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, PA UNITED STATES

Carola F. van Eck, MD, PhD, FAAOS is an orthopaedic surgeon, board-certified by the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery (ABOS). She is an assistant professor of orthopaedic surgery at the University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) School of Medicine as well as Assistant Professor of Sports Medicine and Nutrition at the University of Pittsburgh School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences. She received her medical degree and PhD from the University of Amsterdam (UvA)/ Academic Medical Centre (AMC), under Prof. Dr. C. Niek van Dijk, in Amsterdam in the Netherlands. She completed her residency training in orthopaedic surgery at University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC), under Prof. Dr. Freddie H. Fu, followed by a fellowship in orthopaedic sports medicine at the prestigious Kerlan-Jobe Institute (KJOC) under Dr. Neal S. ElAttrache, in Los Angeles, California. Dr. van Eck serves as the head team physician for Robert Morris University with its 16 NCAA division I sports teams, as well as the head team physician for the Pittsburgh Passion professional women’s tackle football team. She herself is a retired football player, playing for 3 seasons as left offensive tackle for the Pittsburgh Force women's American Football team, competing in the Women's Football Alliance (WFA). Her clinical interests include a wide array of sports medicine topics such as knee joint preservation, cartilage procedures, complex multiligament knee reconstructions, meniscus repair, patellar re-alignment surgery, (reverse) shoulder arthroplasty, shoulder arthroscopy, hip arthroscopy, elbow surgery, but also fracture care and more. She is Medical Director of the University of Pittsburgh Orthopaedic Engineering & Sports Medicine Laboratory, and co-principal investigator (Co-PI) on various research studies in the University of Pittsburgh Neuromuscular Laboratory. However, she is also involved in a large number of clinical research studies, both at University of Pittsburgh as well multicenter trials. She involved in the academic program for the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Orthopaedic Residency and Orthopaedic Sports Medicine Fellowship, but also teaches for the University of Pittsburgh School for Health and Rehabilitation Sciences and Swanson School for Engineering. She is a member of various national and international societies, including but not limited to the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine (AOSSM), Arthroscopy Association of North America (AANA), American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS), International Society of Arthroscopy, Knee surgery and Orthopaedic Sports medicine (ISAKOS), European Society for Sports Medicine Knee Arthroscopy (ESSKA), American Association of Hip & Knee Surgeons (AAHKS), American Orthopaedic Association's (AOA), Orthopaedic Research Society (ORS), and Arbeitsgemeinschaft für Osteosynthesefragen (AO) Trauma and serves on several society committees. She is also a peer reviewer for 10 scientific journal and serves on 4 editorial boards. Dr. van Eck has been honored with 10 professional awards, including most recently being named as a Top Doctor of 2021, by the Pittsburgh Magazine. She has given over 90 national and international presentations, (co-)authored 11 book chapters, and is author of more than 120 scientific articles.