About
Dr. Kurtz serves as a part-time associate research professor and director of the Implant Research Center at Drexel University’s School of Biomedical Engineering, Science, and Health Systems. Dr. Kurtz has expertise in the clinical performance of polyethylene, ceramic, and metal-on-metal hip implants. His professional career has involved the evaluation of medical device technologies, from a combined analytical, experimental, and clinical perspective. His research activities have emphasized real-world clinical performance of medical devices, including orthopedic, spine, and cardiovascular implants, as assessed by human implant retrieval specimens and national health care databases; mechanical behavior of synthetic biomaterials; contact mechanics of artificial joints; and structural evaluation of bone-implant systems.
Dr. Kurtz is active in many professional societies, including the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, the American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons, the Hip Society, the Knee Society, and the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM). Dr. Kurtz has edited seven books and written over 200 journal articles and 460 conference abstracts. He is the founding editor of two educational websites: the UHMWPE Lexicon (www.uhmwpe.org) and the Medical PEEK Lexicon (www.medicalpeek.org). He has co-edited STP 1560: Metal-on-Metal Total Hip Replacement Devices for the ASTM in 2013 and recently completed the UHMWPE Biomaterials Handbook, 3rd Edition, which will be published in October 2015.