Darryl D'Lima, MD, PhD, Director, Orthopaedic Research Laboratories

Darryl D’Lima MD, PhD, is director of Orthopedic Research at Shiley Center for Orthopaedic Research and Education (SCORE) at Scripps Clinic in San Diego, Calif. He is an assistant professor in the Division of Arthritis Research at The Scripps Research Institute and an associate professor at the Scripps Translational Science Institute. Dr. D’Lima also holds the Clifford W. Colwell Jr., Medical Director chair in SCORE.

Dr. D’Lima’s orthopedic training began in India where he received a medical degree. He earned a master’s degree and a doctorate in bioengineering from the University of California, San Diego. At SCORE, he conducts research on cartilage injury and investigates new therapeutic approaches to cartilage regeneration. His other research interests and activities include examining joint stresses and kinematics in cadaver and computer models; wear in artificial hip and knee joints; and knee forces in activities measured by SCORE’s electronic knee.

Dr. D’Lima has authored numerous articles in peer-reviewed journals, including The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research, the Journal of Orthopaedic Research, the Journal of Biomechanics, and the Journal of Arthroplasty. He serves on editorial boards of peer-reviewed journals and sits on review boards at the National Institutes of Health.

For his extensive work in orthopedics and biomechanics, Dr. D’Lima has been recognized by many professional organizations including the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons and the Orthopaedic Research Society. In 2000, he helped organize the Cartilage Repair Workshop. Researchers in cartilage and metabolism from around the world attended the educational program, which was sponsored by the Association of Bone and Joint Surgeons. The journal Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research published highlights from the workshop in a special volume.

Dr. D’Lima has received numerous awards and honors for his cartilage research, including:

• Best Cartilage Basic Science Award, International Cartilage Repair Society – 2000
• Best of Program Award, American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons – 2001
• Kappa Delta Award, American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons – 2005

For his research and development of the electronic knee, Dr. D’Lima was honored with the following:

• HAP Paul Award, International Society for Technology in Arthroplasty – 2004
• Chitranjan Ranawat Award, Knee Society – 2005
• Mark Coventry Award, Knee Society – 2008

Dr. D’Lima can be reached at 858-332-0166.