Research/Areas of Interest:
Orthopedics:
Bone and cartilage growth and remodeling, repair in response to injury, and grafting.
Skeletal tissue engineering.
Bone and soft tissue biomechanics.
Bone inductive and mitotic proteins.
Ligament and tendon physiology and response to injury.
Orthopedic device development.
Animal models of orthopedic disease.
Equine podiatry.
Joint disease and interventions.
Cardiovascular:
Percutaneous treatment of cardiac disease.
Animal models of cardiac disease.
Interventional cardiology.
Education
- Bachelor Veterinary Medicine, Veterinary Clinical Sciences, Cambridge University/England, GBR, 1983
- Master of Arts, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
Biography
Dr. Carl Kirker-Head is a large animal surgeon, with a musculoskeletal focus, an equine sports medicine expert (tendon, ligament and bone injury and rehabilitation), and professor of large animal surgery at Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University. As the Marilyn M. Simpson Chair in Equine Medicine, his research and clinical interests range from fracture causation and repair to tendon and ligament rehabilitation to therapeutic farriery. As the director of the Orthopedic Research Laboratory, Dr. Kirker-Head's research interests include bone, tendon, ligament, and cartilage remodeling and regeneration. He also undertakes research on orthopedic device and database development, as well as catheter-based interventions for cardiac disease.
Dr. Kirker-Head contributes lecture, small-group and one-on-one teaching on diverse topics ranging from clinical equine unsoundness and surgery to practice management to non-traditional veterinary income supplementation (industry consultant, expert witness, etc). As the immediate past-Chair of AOVET International, a preeminent educator in veterinary orthopedics, he has been heavily involved in improving patient outcomes by developing life-long educational offerings for veterinary orthopedists across the globe.
Dr. Kirker-Head owns and runs a boarding and rehabilitation facility for horses recovering from injury and disease in Sturbridge, Massachusetts.
Dr. Kirker-Head contributes lecture, small-group and one-on-one teaching on diverse topics ranging from clinical equine unsoundness and surgery to practice management to non-traditional veterinary income supplementation (industry consultant, expert witness, etc). As the immediate past-Chair of AOVET International, a preeminent educator in veterinary orthopedics, he has been heavily involved in improving patient outcomes by developing life-long educational offerings for veterinary orthopedists across the globe.
Dr. Kirker-Head owns and runs a boarding and rehabilitation facility for horses recovering from injury and disease in Sturbridge, Massachusetts.