Kristin R. Archer, PhD, DPT
Professor and Vice Chair of Research, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery
Clint Devin Directorship in Orthopaedic Surgery
Professor, Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation
Director, Vanderbilt Center for Musculoskeletal Research
Research Director, Osher Center for Integrative Health
VUMC Faculty Profile
Dr. Archer conducts research into outcomes after orthopaedic surgery and musculoskeletal injury. Her program focuses on the implementation of rehabilitation interventions through comparative effectiveness research. Research interests also include the development of tools to predict outcomes after surgery, assessment of pain and patient psychosocial characteristics, and management strategies to reduce opioid use in patients with chronic pain. She is the author of over 200 peer reviewed papers and has been funded by the NIH, DoD, and PCORI, as well as various associations and foundations for research studies totaling over 16 million dollars. She served as the Director of the Coordinating Center for the Quality Outcomes Database (QOD), a national clinical registry for neurosurgical procedures and practice patterns, prior to its transition to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS). She is site PI for the DoD-funded Major Extremity Trauma and Rehabilitation Research Consortium (METRC). METRC received the Kappa Delta Award from the AAOS in 2023 for the development of the largest orthopaedic trauma research endeavor. Dr. Archer currently serves as Deputy Editor for Spine and Section Editor for Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation journals and has received awards from the North American Spine Society and American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine. She holds a doctoral degree from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and a masters and doctorate in physical therapy from the University of Colorado.