Thomas Oxland

Thomas Oxland is a Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering within UBC's Faculty of Applied Science, holding cross-appointment as Associate Head – Academic in the Department of Orthopaedics. A Fellow of both the Royal Society of Canada (RSC) and American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), he directs the Orthopaedic and Injury Biomechanics Group at ICORD's Blusson Spinal Cord Centre.

His educational background includes BASc and MASc degrees from Waterloo and a PhD from Yale. Research focuses on three interconnected domains:

• Aging Spine: Biomechanical modeling and imaging of adult spinal deformities in aging populations
• Spinal Cord Injury: Establishing biomechanical injury thresholds through interdisciplinary neuroscience and surgical collaboration
• Orthopaedic Implants: Design evaluation of joint replacements and fracture fixation devices, recently focusing on ankle implants

Analysis of his 2021-2022 publications reveals strong integration of computational modeling with advanced medical imaging (particularly upright MRI), featuring increasing use of AI for muscle segmentation and emphasis on translational applications for spinal deformities. Key trends include rat-human comparative studies and clinical validation of biomechanical thresholds.

Award highlights:

• Killam Teaching Award (UBC, 2017)
• Humboldt Research Award (2013)

His research program demonstrates substantial interdisciplinary collaboration across orthopaedics, neuroscience, and rehabilitation medicine, with consistent funding evident through sustained publication output and leadership in spinal biomechanics. The Orthopaedic and Injury Biomechanics Group maintains active partnerships with clinical teams at Vancouver General Hospital and specialized facilities at the Blusson Spinal Cord Centre.