About - ISTA

Following a series of international symposia focused on the development of custom prostheses for arthroplasty, the International Society for the Study of Custom Prostheses (ISSCP) was formally established in 1990. In 1994, as the Society expanded its scope to encompass a broader range of interests, its name was changed to the International Society for Technology in Arthroplasty (ISTA).

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ISTA Board of Directors

Catherine Van Der Straeten, MD, Scientist (Europe)

Secretary General (2026)

Bio

Catherine Van Der Straeten, MD, PhD, FIOR

Prof. Dr. Van Der Straeten is the head of the Health Innovation and Research Institute of Ghent University Hospital and Clinical Professor at Ghent University. She is also the Medical Director of the Ghent University Hospital Biobank, Chair of the ScienSano (Belgian Federal Knowledge Centre for Health) General Board and Board of Directors. She is a rheumatologist by training and has coordinated and conducted orthopaedic surgery research for 30 years. Her work has focused on the research and development of hip and knee implants, and on bone and tissue regeneration and the clinical results and biostatistical analysis of these interventions. She also conducted several clinical trials on meniscus allograft transplantation, meniscus regeneration and artificial replacement and is involved in the development of a new tissue-engineered meniscus. She was a member of the Working Group on safety of metal implants at the SCENIHR of the European Commission and a member of the External Expert Advisory Board (EEAB) of EU Life Long Joints Project. She was the 2018 President of the International Society of Technology in Arthroplasty and organized the successful meeting in London.

Vani Sabesan, MD, Surgeon (USA)
Program Director (2027)

Bio

Vani J. Sabesan, MD

Dr Vani Sabesan is an associate professor of Orthopaedic Surgery with a subspecialty in Sports Medicine and Shoulder/Elbow surgery. She is a future program director, and Associate Professor working at Atlantis Orthopaedics in Florida. She received her fellowship training in Shoulder and Elbow Surgery/Sports Medicine at the Cleveland Clinic and held the Lang Family Endowed Chair in Orthopaedic Research at Cleveland Clinic, Florida. Dr Sabesan is passionate about research and leadership in her Orthopaedic community. She has served on a number of regional, national, and international committees and boards, including the AAOS Board of Councilors and the American Orthopedic Association Emerging Leaders program. She has been on the academic residency program faculty for over 10 years. She has been awarded over 1million dollars in research funding and she lectures both nationally and internationally. Her areas of interest include pain management and opioid use associated with shoulder surgery. Dr Sabesan has received numerous honors including the Lang Family Chair in Orthopaedic Research, RJOS travelling fellowship, and the Doris Duke Clinical Research Fellowship. She recently served as the co-organizer of the ISTA Emerging Technology in Arthroplasty meeting.

Irina Benimovich
Chief Financial Officer (2025)

Bio

Irina Benimovich

Irina Benimovich has 15+ year of extensive experience as a of finance professional within healthcare, with a focus on MedTech and life sciences. She has a proven track record of driving strategic growth, managing complex transactions, and delivering tailored financial solutions for clients in the healthcare sector. Irina’s expertise spans capital raising, mergers and acquisitions, and advisory services, making her a trusted partner for MedTech innovators navigating dynamic market landscapes.

Stefano Gumina, MD, Surgeon (Italy)
President (2025)

William Mihalko, MD, Surgeon (USA)
1st Past President (2024)

Bio

William Mihalko, MD PhD

Dr Mihalko is the Professor & J.R. Hyde Chair of Excellence in the Campbell Clinic, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery & Biomedical Engineering at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center. He serves as the program chair of the joint graduate program in Biomedical Engineering with the University of Memphis as well as the Chair of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery Methodist LeBonheur Healthcare System in Memphis, Tennessee. In addition to his clinical practice, he runs a large implant retrieval lab in collaboration with Drexel, Cleveland Clinic and Clemson Universities. His other research interests include gait studies concerning hip and knee replacements and biomarkers of aseptic and total joint replacement failures. As a clinician-scientist, he has been actively involved in various regulatory committees including the ASTM International F04 committee on medical and surgical devices, and the AAOS Orthopaedic Device Forum. He is an elected member of both the Knee Society and the Hip Society. Dr Mihalko is currently a Board member of the ORS, AAHKS and is the ISTA BOD President as he is co-organizer of the 2024 meeting in Nashville.

Morteza Meftah, MD, Surgeon (USA)
2nd Past President (2025)

Bio

Morteza Meftah, MD

Dr Meftah is an orthopedic surgeon specialized in complex primary and revision hip and knee replacement. He is currently an associate professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at NYU Grossman School of Medicine, Chair of the Orthopedic Center for Innovation, and serves as the co-director of NYU Robotic Orthopedic Surgery division. His main clinical practice and research focus is on rapid postsurgical recovery, outpatient joint replacement surgery, opioid-sparing surgical pathways, periprosthetic fractures and infections, and robotic-assisted total joint replacement. Dr Meftah currently holds several patents and multiple instrument designs in the arthroplasty field. He is an entrepreneur and is founder and advisor on several start-ups. He is the outgoing president of International Society for Technology in Arthroplasty (New York 2023), and also a member of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons, and Musculoskeletal Tumor Society.

Markus Wimmer Dr. -Ing. (ME, PhD) (USA/Europe)2028
Future President (2026)

Bio

Markus Wimmer Dr.-Ing. (ME, PhD)

Professor Wimmer is currently the Grainger Director of the Rush Arthritis and Orthopedics Institute,
Director of the Rush Tribology and Human Motion laboratories and Professor and Associate Chairman
for Research at the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Rush University Medical Center in Chicago. He
holds co-joint professorships in the Departments of Anatomy and Cell Biology, and in the Division of
Rheumatology, as well as an adjunct professorship in Bioengineering at UIC. He gained his PhD at the
Technical University of Hamburg-Harburg, Germany. His thesis focused on the wear of the polyethylene
component in artificial knee joints. His subsequent research has expanded into the kinematics of gait
and the wear and corrosion processes of other bearings including metal-on-metal. He is a member of many biomaterial and orthopaedic research societies and has been an active participant in the implant section of the ORS. His research in biotribology and tribocorrosion has been recognized with numerous awards including the HAP Paul award from ISTA. In 1995 he was invited to Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas, USA where he actively worked on three dimensional morphologic analysis of hip joints as an assistant Professor with Prof Philip C Noble. He developed a CT-based navigation system with his computer scientist colleagues at Osaka University, and its clinical trial started in 1998.The results of this research were employed in the design of hip joint implants for Japanese patients. Dr Sugano has received international recognition for his research including the Otto-AuFranc Award from the Hip Society, and the Maurice E. Müller Award for Excellence in Computer Assisted Surgery. HIs ongoing interest in computer aided orthopaedics led him to play the role of leading orthopaedic surgeon in this growing area of hip and knee arthroplasty.

Nico Verdonschot Engineer, Scientist (Europe) 2026
1st Past President Representative

Bio

Philip Noble, PhD

Prof.dr.ir. Nico Verdonschot

Present position

2002 Professor at the Orthopaedic Research Laboratory, Radboud university medical center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
2007 Professor, University of Twente, Enschede, the Netherlands
2018 Honorary doctor at the Aalborg University, Denmark
2019 Board member of the executive committee of ICMS

International esteem

Over 365 publications in the peer reviewed literature
Over a 100 invited lectures at international meetings
2015-2020 Visiting professor at the Politecnico di Milano, Italy
2018-2022 Past-Scientific Director of the Technical Medical Centre, University of Twente
Chairman of the Award committee of the International Society for Technology in Arthroplasty
Honorary member of the International Society for Technology in Arthroplasty
Elected fellow of the International Combined Orthopaedic Research Society
Past president and honorary lifetime member of the European Orthopaedic Research Society
Past president and honorary lifetime member of the International Society for Technology in Arthroplasty (ISTA)
Elected member of the European Knee Society
Elected member of Academia Europea
Consultant for Invibio Ltd (UK) to design a polymer total knee replacement
Consultant for Exactech (USA) to design a new tibial component
Awarded to present the Erwin Morscher Honorary Lecture at the European Federation of National Associations of Orthopaedics and Traumatology (EFORT) meeting in Vienna (2017)
Winner of the 5th Grand Challenge Competition at the World Congress of Biomechanics (2014)
Recipient of European Research Council Grant Advanced Grant, entitled: ‘Biomechanical diagnostic, pre-planning and outcome tools to improve musculoskeletal surgery’ (BioMechTools) (2013)

Biosketch Prof. Nico Verdonschot

Prof. Verdonschot is a mechanical engineer and has been working in the field of biomechanics for over 35 years. His expertise is on computer modeling of the musculoskeletal system of the human body. Using multi-modal imaging techniques (ultrasound, MRI, CT, X-Ray) computer models of a human body can be generated. He is recipient of European Research Council Grant Advanced Grant, entitled: ‘Biomechanical diagnostic, pre-planning and outcome tools to improve musculoskeletal surgery’ (BioMechTools; 2013)
With dynamic imaging and musculoskeletal models muscle activation patterns and forces can be estimated. These activation patterns can be compared to EMG-sensors on the body in order to validate the predictions. Furthermore, forces in joints which are predicted by the personalized models can be compared to forces measured with sensors which are embedded in joint implants.
Verdonschot led a large EU project (TLEMsafe) in which he generated predictive tools to assess the functional outcome in patients with cancer in the musculoskeletal system. In these patients often muscle tissue is removed and it remains questionable what the functional recovery will be after surgery. With the models generated by the group of Verdonschot these predictions can be made. Using a virtual reality pre-planning system, the surgeon can execute the surgery on the model (before performing the actual one). The model predicts the functional effects of the surgery and the surgeon can decide together with the patient whether the functional outcome is acceptable or whether for example an amputation should be considered. The functional outcome of these patients can be evaluated with actual measurements on patients using motion and force sensors.
Furthermore, he is specialized in finite element modeling to assess the biomechanical behavior of orthopedic implants such as total knee and total hip replacements and meniscus implants.

John Hollingdale, MD, Surgeon (Europe) 2025
Representative 2 Past President Committee (2024)

Bio

Seung-Beom Han, MD, PhD

Seung-Beom Han is an orthopaedic and joint replacement surgeon with 30 years of experience in the field. He is currently the Director of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at Korea University Medical Center in Seoul, South Korea. He is also in charge of the Division of Adult Reconstruction of Hip and Knee Joints. He received his medical education from the College of Medicine, Korea University, Seoul in 1991 and his Masters degree from the Orthopaedic Surgery department from the same institute in 2000. He has been a Professor since 2001 and in 2007 he spent time as a Visiting Scholar at the Rothman Institute Joint Research Lab in Thomas Jefferson University. His areas of special interest are computer assisted surgery and patient motion analysis using MMT sensors.

Fares Haddad, MBBS MD (Res) MCh (Orth) FRCS (Orth) FFSEM, Europe
At-Large Member (2025)

Bio

Fares Haddad, MBBS MD (Res) MCh (Orth) FRCS (Orth) FFSEM

Professor Fares Haddad is an orthopaedic surgeon with a number of academic appointments including Clinical Director of Surgery and the Director of the Institute of Sport, Exercise and Health at University College London and University College London Hospitals. He is a member of many British, European and American orthopaedic and medical societies and associations. Presently he is a Trustee of the British Orthopaedic Association and the UK representative of the European Hip Society as well as being the Editor-in-Chief of the Bone and Joint Journal among other editorial activities. In addition to his large clinical practice, Fares has spent the last 30 years involved in research to evaluate and optimize the longevity of joint arthroplasty procedures.

Petra Heesterbeek, PhD, Europe
At-Large Member (2025)

Bio

Petra Heesterbeek, PhD

Dr Heesterbeek is a senior researcher in orthopaedic innovations at Sint Maartenskliniek, Nijmegen, The Netherlands. Her research focuses on the clinical and technical aspects of total knee replacement, particularly fixation as monitored by RSA, implant function and kinematics as well as PJIs of knee, hip and shoulder implants. She is a long-term member of the Dutch Orthopaedic Association and is a Board member of the International Radiostereometric Society. Dr Heesterbeek is active in the education of young orthopaedic surgeons, particularly in research methodology and statistics. Her current research projects include work on understanding the phenomenon of poor responders after TKA, improving outcome through more personalized alignment and the clinical evaluation of a polycarbonate anatomical meniscus prosthesis system.

Ebru Oral, BSc, PhD.
At-Large Member (2025)

Bio

Ebru Oral, BSc, PhD

Dr Oral received her PhD in Chemical Engineering from Purdue University and has been working in the fields of Orthopaedics and Arthroplasty since 2003 when she joined the Harris Orthopaedic Lab at Massachusetts General Hospital. She is presently the Associate Director of that lab and holds the position of Associate Professor in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at Harvard Medical School. Her research has focused on developing new ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylenes including vitamin E stabilized crosslinked materials. Her work led to novel manufacturing methods and clinical implants, many of which have been patented and licensed to numerous orthopaedic manufacturers. Her current work focuses on the development of polymeric drug delivery systems with a special interest in preventing and treating infections. She is a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors and a Fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering. She holds numerous other honors and awards for her research work including two HAP Paul awards from ISTA.

Yasushi Oshima, MD, PhD (Asia)
At-Large Member (2025)

Bio

Yasushi Oshima, MD, PhD

Dr. Oshima is an orthopaedic surgeon who holds the title of Associate Professor in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at Nippon Medical School in Tokyo. His orthopaedic training included a residency and a PhD course at the Department of Orthopaedics, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, a research fellowship at the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of California San Diego and a visiting professorship at the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, New York University Hospital for Joint Diseases. He has been a long-term member of the Japanese Orthopaedic Association and is a member of various other orthopaedic societies including the Japanese Society for Replacement Arthroplasty and the Orthopaedic Research Society in the US. His PhD study involved the regeneration of articular cartilage using mesenchymal stem cells. His recent clinical research involves studies of osteoarthritis of the knee, cartilage repair, knee biomechanics, and knee arthroplasty. He received the ISTA Young Investigator award in 2018 as a co-author.

Francesco Siccardi
At-Large Member (2027)

Bio

Francesco Siccardi

Mr. Francesco Siccardi, Medacta’s CEO and Member of the Company Group Executive Management.

Qualifications: Mr. Siccardi holds a Master of Science (MSc) in Biomedical Engineering from the Polytechnic University of Milan (2002). He also completed the Executive Program for Growing Companies (EPGC) at Stanford Business School Executive Education in Stanford, California, USA (2009).

Career highlights: Mr. Siccardi joined Medacta International in 2002 and served as a Member of its Board of Directors since 2003. He then served on the Board of the Company from its incorporation until March 21, 2019. Following the retirement of the Company’s CEO, Mr. Siccardi was appointed Chief Executive Officer as of November 1, 2018. Prior to becoming CEO, he served as Executive Vice-President and Medical Affairs Manager (from 2013 to 2014) and as Executive Vice-President (from 2014 to 2018). He further served on the Board of various Medacta Group companies internationally.

Other main activities: Member of the Board of Directors of Surgical Practice Resource Group SA, Lugano since 2015, Member of Verve SA since 2004 and of Medacta for Life Foundation, Castel San Pietro from 2011 till 2023.

Personal information: Swiss and Italian nationality, married, four children, love active lifestyle including sailing, boating, skiing and golfing with all his family.

Prof. Dr. med. habil. Dr.Ing. Thomas M. Grupp, FIOR
At-Large Member (2027)

Bio

Prof. Dr. Thomas Grupp

Associate Professor for “Experimental Orthopaedics and Biomechanics” Medical Faculty Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich since 2015 (Habilitation & Venia legendi 2010, Lecturer since 2007) and Principal Expert Engineer at Aesculap AG Research & Development with a special focus on Biomechanics, Biotribology, Orthopaedic & Spine Surgery and related Biomaterials since 1996 (Ph.D. University of Stuttgart 2001). Director R&D Aesculap Knee Arthroplasty & Biomechanical Research since 2005.

Honorary life-time status “Fellow of International Orthopaedic Research” (FIOR) in Montréal in 2019.

Chair of the “European Federation of National Associations of Orthopaedics and Traumatology” EFORT Implant & Patient Safety Initiative IPSI-WG1, nominated in dialogue with the European Commission in Brussels 2020-2023.

Chair of the 1st EFORT European Consensus “Introduction of Innovations in Artificial Joint Arthroplasty under the framework of Medical Device Regulation 2017/745” together with Prof. Soeren Overgaard, Copenhagen University Hospital, Denmark.

German Arthroplasty Registry (EPRD) – Committee Member Evaluation & Studies since 2017

Editorial Board Member – Journal of Functional Biomaterials MDPI Basel, Switzerland since 2024

Editorial Board Member – Journal of Clinical Medicine Section Orthopaedics MDPI Basel, Switzerland since 2024

Member of the Board of Directors ISTA “International Society of Technology in Arthroplasty” since 2024

Clinical & Scientific Societies ESB, EORS, ORS, DGfB, DGOU, DGOOC, EPRD, ISO, ESSKA, ISTA

Thomas Grupp has published about 120 peer-reviewed publications in the field of Biomechanics, Biotribology, Biomaterials, Orthopaedic & Spine Surgery and given about 400+ conference presentations.