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
Associate Director for Strategy and Innovation, Institute for Population and Public Health
Director, Vanderbilt Center for Musculoskeletal Research
Research Director, Osher Center for Integrative Health
VUMC Faculty Profile
Dr. Archer conducts research into outcomes after orthopedic surgery and her program focuses on the implementation of rehabilitation interventions through randomized controlled trials. Research interests also include the development of tools to predict outcomes after surgery and assess pain and psychosocial characteristics in patients with chronic pain. Dr. Archer has been funded by the NIH, DoD, and PCORI, as well as various associations and foundations for research studies totaling over 20 million dollars. She served as the Director of the Coordinating Center for the Quality and Outcomes Database (QOD), a national clinical registry for surgical spine procedures, prior to its transition to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS). She has been a site PI and member of the Executive and Science Committees for the DoD-funded Major Extremity Trauma Research Consortium (METRC). METRC received the Kappa Delta Award from the AAOS in 2023 for the development of the largest orthopaedic trauma research endeavor. She was a research fellow of the NIH and a Visiting Scientist at the University of Pittsburgh. Dr. Archer is the author of over 215 peer reviewed papers and has received awards from the North American Spine Society, American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine, and International Society for the Study of the Lumbar Spine. Currently, she is Deputy Editor for Spine journal and serves on the Research Committee for the North American Spine Society.