Kristin R. Archer, PhD, DPT
Professor and Vice Chair of Research, Department of 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 independent 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 150 peer reviewed papers and has been funded by the NIH, DoD, and PCORI. 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 and a member of the Executive and Science Committees for the DoD-funded Major Extremity Trauma and Rehabilitation Research Consortium (METRC). Dr. Archer serves on the Editorial Board for Spine, Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, and Physical Therapy & 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.