Kristin R. Archer, PhD, DPT

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 180 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 Research Consortium (METRC). METRC received the Kappa Delta - Elizabeth Winston Lanier Award from the AAOS in 2023 for the development of the largest orthopaedic trauma research endeavor. Dr. Archer serves as a Deputy Editor for Spine, Section Editor for Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, and has served as Co-Editor for Special Issues and on the Editorial Board for Physical Therapy & Rehabilitation journal.

She has received awards from the North American Spine Society and American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine. Dr. Archer is also actively involved in several professional societies, currently serving as a member of the Research Committee for the North American Spine Society and the Executive Committee for the International Society for the Study of the Lumbar Spine. She holds a doctoral degree from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and a master’s and doctorate in physical therapy from the University of Colorado.