CI Professor Ian Harris AM MBBS, MMed (Clin Epi), MSc(HDS), PhD, FAHMS, FRACS
Career summary: Prof Harris is a practising orthopaedic surgeon and clinical researcher with higher degrees in clinical epidemiology (Masters), surgery (PhD) and Health Data Science (Masters). He is Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at UNSW and Director of the Whitlam Orthopaedic Research Centre at the Ingham Institute for Applied Medical Research.
Research support: Awarded over $65 million ($46 since 2019) from 83 grants (55 since 2019) including NHMRC Project Grants, Program Grant, Partnership Grants, Centre for Research Excellence Grants, MRFF grants, university grants and not-for-profit grants.
Research contribution and translation: Published over 450 papers with over 15,000 citations (h index 68, Google Scholar), including major general medical journals (NEJM, Lancet, JAMA, BMJ, BMJ Open, MJA, PLoS ONE). Authored 40 randomised trials and 45 systematic reviews in the field of musculoskeletal medicine and surgery, including Cochrane reviews.
Contributions to field: Published on the evidence base for orthopaedic surgery with reviews of randomised trial support of current practice and studies describing the quality of trials and systematic reviews in surgery. Assisted in the development of ANZMUSC Musculoskeletal Clinical Trials Network and CI on 3 associated NHMRC Centre for Research Excellence grants. Established two multisite registries in musculoskeletal medicine: the ANZ Hip Fracture Registry, and ACORN (Arthroplasty Clinical Outcomes Registry, National), now part of the AOANJRR program.
Professional involvement: AOA Board member and Scientific Secretary (2015-2019), ANZMUSC Executive, AOANJRR Deputy Director (2015-2022), ANZ Hip Fracture Registry founder and co-chair (2012-2022).
Community engagement and participation:
Inter/national standing: Invited speaker at over 180 meetings, including Europe (UK, Switzerland, France, Germany, Denmark, Sweden), India, China, Thailand, New Zealand, South Korea and USA. Invited to publish review articles for Nature Rheumatology reviews, MJA, BMJ and Lancet. A leading surgeon academic in Australia, frequent national invited speaker and research collaborator.
Peer review: Editorial board of the Bone and Joint Journal (formerly Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, British) and Injury until 2022. Reviewer for NEJM, BMJ, Spine, Bone and Joint J, Injury, MJA, ANZ J Surg and others. Reviews grants for NHMRC, AOA, ANZMUSC and Musculoskeletal Australia.
Supervision and mentoring: Currently supervising / co-supervising 3 PhD and 1 Masters students and supervised 17 PhD and 8 Masters students to completion.
Example/s of how research has impacted policies or programs through translation:
Contributed extensively to public and professional debate regarding evidence-based medicine and low value care. Extensive work through publications, media appearances and meeting presentations has contributed to a large decline in the rate of knee arthroscopy surgery in Australia, particularly in NSW where the decline was 48% over 7 years. Currently involved in several projects aiming to reduce low value care, through the NSW ACI and the State Insurance Regulatory Authority (NSW). Secured MRFF funding and led first registry nested trial within AOANJRR (“CRISTAL”) involving over 23,000 participants producing the first adequately powered RCT comparing the two most common forms of clot prevention in joint replacement, showing aspirin to be inferior to low molecular weight heparin, contradicting previous observational evidence and majority practice in Australia, UK and US. Follow up surveys showed that most surgeons previously using aspirin changed their practice as a result of the CRISTAL trial.
