Laboratory of Krystle R. Tuaño, MD
Overview
My academic interests center on improving outcomes in extremity reconstruction through the study of extremity trauma, limb salvage, wrist and carpal biomechanics, and sport-specific injury patterns. I am particularly interested in defining normative biomechanical parameters of the wrist and developing data-driven models to guide individualized treatment and surgical planning, work that I aim to advance through translational research using imaging datasets, cadaveric analysis, and AI-based approaches.
A complementary area of interest is sport-specific injury epidemiology in climbing athletes. Through an ongoing collaboration with World Climbing (WC), I am involved in longitudinal surveillance across recreational, Olympic, Paralympic, and youth climbing populations, with the goal of better characterizing upper extremity injury patterns, and informing evidence-based guidelines for prevention and athlete health.
Clinically, I look to connect these interests to quality improvement, leveraging AI in surgical practice, outcome assessment, and care efficiency, with the goal of delivering smarter, more individualized care. I believe deeply in a collaborative, multidisciplinary approach, ensuring every patient receives the same thoughtful, personalized attention regardless of the complexity of their situation.
Research Projects
Sport Specific Injury Research and Global Athlete Health in Rock Climbing
An injury surveillance collaboration with World Climbing characterizes upper extremity injury trends across competitive and recreational climbers to inform sport-specific care.
Extremity Reconstruction in Oncologic and Traumatic Settings
This research examines outcomes across the spectrum of extremity reconstruction, from high-energy trauma to orthopedic oncology, to refine surgical decision-making, improve care coordination, and optimize long-term function.
Limb Salvage Reconstruction, Orthoplastic Pathways, and Predictive Modeling
This research examines clinical and systems-level predictors of outcomes in limb salvage to optimize orthoplastic coordination, perioperative pathways, and patient-centered results.
Translational Advancements in Wrist and Carpal Biomechanics
Using cadaveric dynamic CT, this work defines normative and pathologic carpal kinematics and builds reproducible models of ligamentous instability and fracture malalignment to improve diagnosis, surgical planning, and computational modeling.
Research Team
Kyle R. Eberlin, MD
Email: KEBERLIN@mgh.harvard.edu
Ian L. Valerio, MD
Email: IVALERIO@mgh.harvard.edu
Abhiram R. Bhashyam, MD PhD
Email: abhashyam@mgh.org
Neal C. Chen, MD
Email: nchen1@mgh.org
Ronald W. Mercer, MD
Email: rmercer@mgh.harvard.edu
Alireza Gholipour, MS PhD
Email: agholipour@mgh.harvard.edu