Paul Tornetta III, MD is a Professor and the Chairman in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at the Boston University School of Medicine. He serves as Chief in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Director of Orthopaedic Trauma at Boston Medical Center and is currently the Chair of the Council on Education for the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.
Dr. Tornetta’s research interests focus on the clinical and technical aspects of orthopaedic trauma surgery, the basic science of fracture healing, and on trial methodology. He has been a part of the largest trauma trials in North America and runs a research consortium.
He earned his medical degree and completed his internship and orthopaedic residency training at the State University of New York Health Science Center at Brooklyn. Following a fellowship at Hospital of the Good Samaritan in Los Angeles, California, he was appointed the director of Orthopaedic Trauma at Kings County Hospital Center and the University Hospital of Brooklyn prior to taking his roles at Boston University Medical Center.
Dr. Tornetta has held numerous leadership roles in national organizations, including as a member-at-large of the AAOS Board of Directors, Chair of the annual meeting committee, and Chair of the evaluations committee. He served on the executive committee of the AOA for 11 years and Chaired the publications and critical issues committees as well as serving as program chair. He is a past ABC fellow.
A former president of the Orthopaedic Trauma Association (OTA), he continues to serve on the education and evidence and value committees. He is the special projects editor for the Journal of Orthopaedic Trauma and is an editor and reviewer for the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, the Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, among others.
Dr. Tornetta is the author of more than 270 scientific papers, has Chaired run over 50 courses, and has won 3 Bovill awards and the OREF Clinical Research Award. He has edited more than 20 books, including his role as lead editor of “Rockwood and Green’s Fractures in Adults”. However, the accomplishment that he values most is being a four-time recipient of the Robert E. Leach Resident Teaching Award.