Musculoskeletal

The research of Sharmila Majumdar, PhD, focuses on osteoarthritis, osteoporosis and lower back pain, particularly on quantitative musculoskeletal imaging image processing and artificial intelligence applied to the musculoskeletal system.

Thomas Link, MD, PhD's research is focused on degenerative diseases of the musculoskeletal system, in particular on osteoporosis and osteoarthritis.

Valentina Pedoia, PhD is a data scientist applying computer vision and machine learning techniques to MRI scans to study musculoskeletal disorders.

Deep learning has become a powerful tool in radiology in recent years. Researchers at the UC San Francisco Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging have started using deep learning methods to characterize joint degeneration and osteoarthritis, which will ultimately reduce the number of total joint replacements.

An invitation to serve athletes’ imaging needs at the Salt Lake City Winter Olympics was a highpoint of the lengthy and celebrated career of Lynne Steinbach, MD. “To nurture a lifelong interest in sports imaging and then to be in the presence of the greatest athletes of our time was a dream come true,” shared Dr. Steinbach about the experience.

Through the use of imaging, Dr. Sharmila Majumdar and her team of musculoskeletal researchers have sought to find specific identifiers of joint degeneration.

Research from a team lead by UCSF’s Alexandra Gersing, M.D., was highlighted in the RSNA Newsroom and through a scientific paper presentation on Tuesday, Nov. 28. The MRI study indicates that obese people who lose a substantial amount of weight can significantly slow the degeneration of their knee cartilage, but only if they lose weight through diet and exercise or diet alone.

Thank you to all who came out to our latest event to discuss bone density screening (DXA or DEXA) and osteoporosis, including our world-class presenters, valued community members and many more featured in this quick video.

Last month, we brought our team of bone health experts together to address members of the community and discuss how bone health and osteoporosis shape patient care, research, and education at UCSF.

Jan trusted Dr. Aenor Sawyer, founder and director the multidisciplinary Skeletal Health Service at the UCSF Orthopaedic Institute, to diagnose and treat her osteoporosis after a fall. This is her story.