Welcome to the Center for Musculoskeletal Research at Johns Hopkins
The Center, led by Dr. Xu Cao, upholds the tradition of Orthopaedic Department by seeking answers and resolutions that ultimately impact the diagnosis, treatment and quality of life for pediatric and adult orthopaedic patients.
About Us
Our research activities are focused on cell and developmental biology of bone and skeletal muscle, regenerative medicine, skeletal neurobiology and pathogenesis of common developmental, degenerative, inflammatory and neoplastic disorders of the musculoskeletal system. The Center is a collaborative effort of basic, transitional, and clinical scientists focused on understanding musculoskeletal conditions. The Center brings together a substantial body of experienced faculty from multiple departments of Johns Hopkins University, creating a diverse interdisciplinary team committed to achieving excellence.
Students who train at the Center work in a field-leading lab and gain experience with in vitro and in vivo model of studies. From planning the animal model and behavior tests to RNAScope and Micro-CT imaging, the Center supports a broad and deep range of research interests. Supported by Hopkins’ state-of-art facilities, outstanding support services and competitive resources, our leading faculty members provide unrivaled mentorship - ensuring every graduate student, PhD candidate and postdoctoral fellow receives an experience that is rigorous, innovative, and cultivates a research-intensive learning environment.
Our Focus & Approach
PhD Program
The Center for Musculoskeletal Research, officially a subsection of School of Medicine, collaborates with Whiting School of Engineering for their prestigious Biomedical Engineering PhD program.
Recently, CMR Faculty members began to teach Musculoskeletal Biology & Disease to students pursuing PhD in Biomedical Engineering.
The course is available to all PhD students across Hopkins' campuses during the Fall semester.
Program Ranked No.1
The Johns Hopkins biomedical engineering graduate programs have earned the No.1 ranking from U.S. News & World Report, in their 2024 Higher Education ranking, marking more than 30 consecutive years at the top spot.
The U.S. News rankings gives each school an average rating based on a survey of academics at peer institutions. Hopkins BME has been consistently ranked No. 1 for biomedical engineering graduate programs since 1992, when U.S. News began ranking specialty disciplines.
Multidisciplinary Approach
Although research in the Hopkins BME PhD program falls broadly into the seven core focus areas (view "Visit Now" option for more details), there is extensive overlap between these areas. Most of the research in the BME program is highly interdisciplinary, and our students form strong research collaborations with scientists, engineers, and clinicians from Johns Hopkins University and leading academic institutions from around the world.
Facilities Available
Click to view facilities available to our BME PhD students:
Networking Opportunities
Collaborations are not only approachable, but also greatly encouraged. We organize seminars and networking events to connect the clinical, engineering, and basic science aspects of research.