Research Faculty

Rachel Seymour, PhD

Vice Chair for Research
Professor
Department of Orthopaedic Surgery
Atrium Health Musculoskeletal Institute

Rachel B. Seymour, PhD, is the Professor and Vice Chair for Research for the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and the Atrium Health Musculoskeletal Institute. Dr. Seymour has over 20 years of experience in clinical research, including multi-center trials and consortium development and management and has received funding from NIH, CDC and DoD to conduct efficacy and effectiveness studies and projects focused on the development, testing and translation of evidence-based interventions. Recently, she served as Principal Investigator, with Dr. Hsu, on CDC-funded projects to implement clinical decision support in the EMR to address abuse, misuse and diversion of prescription narcotics. Dr. Seymour manages the top enrolling site for the Major Extremity Trauma Research Consortium at Carolinas Medical Center and serves as co-investigator on several of the METRC projects. This network of researchers facilitates collaborations across disciplines, facilities and scientific methods.

Joseph Hsu, MD

Vice Chair for Quality
Department of Orthopaedic Surgery
Professor, Orthopaedic Trauma
Director, Limb Lengthening and Deformity Service
Medical Director, Global Healthcare Services
Atrium Health Musculoskeletal Institute

Dr. Hsu is Vice Chair for Quality and a Professor in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Atrium Health Musculoskeletal Institute at Atrium Health. Dr. Hsu has over ten years of experience as an orthopaedic traumatologist. He completed his bachelor’s degree at West Point. He completed medical school and residency at Tulane University School of Medicine as well as a fellowship in trauma.

He has clinical expertise in surgical interventions, limb salvage, orthopaedic infections and perioperative pain management. Dr. Hsu’s current research interests are in lower extremity disability, multimodal pain management strategies and decision support guided clinical pathways. He has many peer-reviewed publications in the field of orthopaedic trauma, opioid prescribing safety and clinical decision support, and he has experience working within clinical consortiums at a national and international level. Dr. Hsu has extensive experience in the military and civilian organizations with creating and implementing clinical practice guidelines. He has also participated in developing guidelines for the management of compartment syndrome, pelvis fractures and irrigation of open injuries for the Joint Theater Trauma System and is currently involved in guideline development for the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons and Orthopaedic Trauma Association. He is currently Principal Investigator, with Dr. Seymour, on CDC-funded system wide computerized decision support intervention related to prescription opioids and benzodiazepines, PRIMUM.

Bailey Fearing, PhD

Research Assistant Professor
Department of Orthopaedic Surgery
Atrium Health Musculoskeletal Institute

Bailey Fearing, PhD, received her doctorate from Wake Forest University in the Molecular Medicine and Translational Sciences program. While at Wake Forest, Dr. Fearing worked within a biomaterials group in labs at the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine and Orthopaedic Surgery. Her studies focused on the use of a novel hydrogel biomaterial for treatment of spinal cord injury and the effects on secondary damage mechanisms. Upon completion of her PhD, Dr. Fearing began a postdoctoral fellowship at Duke University in the Department of Biomedical Engineering as a T32 scholar where she developed studies on cell-material interactions and the role of mechanotransduction in models of intervertebral disc degeneration and osteoarthritis. Following a move by her mentor for a new faculty position, Dr. Fearing continued her postdoctoral studies at Washington University in St. Louis. While at Wash U, her work on mechanosignaling in nucleus pulposus cells of the IVD was awarded a Ruth L. Kirschstein NRSA Postdoctoral Fellowship through NIAMS. Her work has been presented numerous times at national and international conferences resulting in several awards.

Timothy Sell, PhD

Research Professor
Department of Orthopaedic Surgery
Director, Performance Center
Atrium Health Musculoskeletal Institute

Timothy Sell, PhD, is a world-renowned Biomechanist. He completed Graduate training in Human Movement Science and Rehabilitation Science at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and University of Pittsburgh, respectively. Dr. Sell completed his postdoctoral work at University of Pittsburgh in Sports Medicine. He joins us most recently from Duke University where he was on the faculty of the Pratt School of Engineering and served as the Director of the Michael W. Krzyzewski Human Performance Laboratory (K-Lab). Dr. Sell is part of the leadership team in partnership with the Carolina Panthers in creation of the Performance Center in development in Rock Hill, NC. 

Throughout his career he has been involved with the military on biomechanical research related to equipment and injury prevention. Dr. Sell was recently awarded a $2.1 million grant from the Department of Defense to work with Special Forces on cervical spine biomechanics and injury risk. This research will provide the military with novel tools to combat cervical spine injury and will have applications for civilian public service professionals including fire and police departments and federal agencies that have similar issues with head supported mass and equipment.

Susan Odum, PhD

Research Professor
Department of Orthopaedic Surgery
Director, Statistics and Methods
Atrium Health Musculoskeletal Institute

Susan Odum, PhD, serves as the Director of Statistics and Methods Core at the Atrium Health Musculoskeletal Institute, Professor in the Atrium Health Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and is the Senior Research Scientist at the OrthoCarolina Research Institute. Dr. Odum loves to teach and mentor learners at all levels. In addition to her work with Musculoskeletal Institute residents, fellows, attendings and student interns, she is adjunct faculty at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte where she earned her PhD in Health Services Research. She has authored over 120 peer-reviewed publications in all orthopaedic subspecialties including health policy. With her colleagues, she has won the Rand Award, the Ranawat award, the North American Spine Society Value Award and the Cervical Spine Research Society Clinical Award. She has served in national leadership roles with several professional societies including the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons, North American Spine Society and the Lumbar Spine Research Society. Dr. Odum is passionate about research that advances cost-effective healthcare and supports physicians delivering the right care to the right patient at the right time.

Meghan Wally, PhD

Research Manager
Atrium Health Musculoskeletal Institute

Meghan Wally, MSPH, is a research manager in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery. Ms. Wally manages the MSKI registries and facilitates coordination between our research and quality teams. She manages a body of research on opioid prescribing and interventions to promote patient safety. She also works closely with orthopaedic surgery residents to conduct research studies. As a Certified Health Education Specialist and doctoral student in Public Health Sciences, Ms. Wally has expertise in health education and development, implementation and evaluation of large-scale interventions.

Christine Churchill, MA

Research Manager
Atrium Health Musculoskeletal Institute

Christine Churchill, MA, is the Clinical Research Manager for the Musculoskeletal Institute at Atrium Health. Ms. Churchill has extensive experience in coordinating multi-disciplinary and multisite research projects, including those funded by the Department of Defense, Orthopaedic Trauma Association and the Carolinas Trauma Network Research Center of Excellence.