Member of the Week
Our member of the week blog introduces you to our fellow level members, showcasing their unique work and commitment to IOF. Each week we feature a different fellow who has made extraordinary contributions to the field of Interventional Orthopedics.
To be considered for this feature, please email us.
This week, we have a very special member to feature, IOF founder and past-president, Dr. Christopher Centeno. A leading regenerative medicine expert, Dr. Centeno founded IOF on the idea that the future of medicine is regenerative. With fewer than one percent of U.S. physicians trained in Interventional Orthopedics, Dr. Centeno recognized the need for an organization committed to providing standardized education, ethical guidance and networking opportunities for those interested in pursuing a practice in this medical subspecialty.
Dr. Centeno served as president of IOF from 2015 to 2019. He currently sits on the organization’s board of directors, in addition to serving as an IOF course instructor and lecturer at IOF’s annual conference. During #IOF2020, Dr. Centeno will present his results from a trio of RCTs using BMC: knee OA, knee ACL and shoulder rotator cuff.
About Dr. Centeno
Christopher J. Centeno, M.D. – former IOF president from 2015 to 2018, is an international expert and specialist in regenerative medicine and the clinical use of mesenchymal stem cells in orthopedics. He is board certified in physical medicine as well as rehabilitation and pain management through The American Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.
Dr. Centeno trained at the Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Medical Center and the Institute for Rehabilitation Research. He hails from both Florida and New York and currently resides in Boulder, Colorado with his wife and three children.
Question and Answer with Dr. Centeno
IOF: How has IOF impacted you the most?
Dr. Centeno: Seeing the organization grow from a few doctors now to hundreds.
IOF: Who is your biggest mentors in regenerative medicine?
Dr. Centeno: Philippe Hernigou
IOF: What do you treat most frequently with regenerative medicine?
Dr. Centeno: Everything, meaning I’m as likely to treat a knee as the C0-C1 facet joint
IOF: What do you like the best about the IOF conference?
Dr. Centeno: The interaction with colleagues
IOF: Of what are you most proud of?
Dr. Centeno: Founding IOF
IOF: What is your best advice for others wanting to get into regenerative medicine?
Dr. Centeno: Question everything about traditional orthopedic care, nothing is sacred and most of it will be replaced by Interventional Orthopedics (IO). Be part of that future by questioning the past.
IOF: How has IOF helped shape/advanced your career?
Dr Centeo: IOF has created a whole ecosystem of physicians who think alike and want to see this field advance, so that has helped me personally as it’s good not to be the only guy shouting at the rain!
Where do you see the field of regenerative medicine going in the next 5 years?
Dr. Centeno: The orthopedic surgery rates will drop over the next few years as more and more IO procedures get insurance coverage, I fully expect 1 in 4 to 1 in 5 Americans to have full IO coverage by that time.