Martha Murray

Martha Murray, MD, is Professor of Orthopedic Surgery at Harvard Medical School and Orthopedic Surgeon-in-Chief in the Department of Orthopedics and Sports Medicine at Boston Children’s Hospital. An internationally recognized authority on ACL injuries, she pioneered the FDA-approved Bridge-Enhanced ACL Restoration (BEAR) technique that enables the torn ligament to heal without graft harvest. Her clinical practice focuses on knee injuries in athletes of all ages, while her NIH- and NFL-PA-funded research program integrates tissue engineering, quantitative MRI, and translational large-animal models to prevent post-traumatic osteoarthritis.

Education & Training

• BS, Mechanical Engineering, University of Delaware, 1987
• MS, Materials Science and Engineering, Stanford University, 1990
• MD, University of Pennsylvania, 1994
• Internship, Massachusetts General Hospital, 1995
• Residency, Harvard Combined Orthopedic Residency Program, 1999
• Fellowships, Pediatric Orthopedics & Sports Medicine, Boston Children’s Hospital, 2002

Research Focus

Dr. Murray’s work centers on understanding why the ACL fails to heal and developing in-situ biologic solutions that restore native ligament anatomy while limiting secondary osteoarthritis. Her laboratory has created collagen-platelet scaffolds, optimized quantitative MRI biomarkers (T2*, volumetrics), and leveraged multi-omics profiling to monitor ligament remodeling. Recent efforts apply deep-learning models to predict reinjury risk and integrate telehealth to reduce disparities in pediatric sports-medicine care.

Scientific Awards

• Kappa Delta Award – highest research honor in orthopedic surgery
• Cabaud Memorial Award – premier award in sports-medicine research

Clinical Trials & Funding

She is principal investigator on FDA-regulated first-in-human and multi-center randomized trials validating the BEAR technique, supported by the NIH and the NFL Players Association. These studies demonstrated non-inferiority to traditional ACL reconstruction at two years while preserving proprioception and native anatomy. Ongoing work examines six-year outcomes and long-term osteoarthritis prevention.

Labs & Teams

Dr. Murray directs the Sports Medicine Research Laboratory at Boston Children’s Hospital, uniting orthopedic surgeons, bioengineers, imaging scientists, and data scientists to advance ligament repair technologies from bench to bedside.