THOMAS M. BRUSHART, M.D., was the inaugural Thomas M. Brushart, M.D. Professor in the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine’s Division of Hand Surgery. He has gained wide recognition for his expertise in the treatment of hand and peripheral nerve problems, as well as for his research into the restoration of function after nerve injury. Dr. Brushart and his colleagues have focused on techniques of stimulating nerve fibers to regenerate after injury, reconnecting properly with muscle and skin. He has received numerous honors, including the Milton Fellowship at Harvard, where he earned undergraduate and medical degrees; the Bunnell Traveling Fellowship of the American Society for Surgery of the Hand; and the L.W. Freeman Award of the Spinal Cord Injury Foundation.
Thomas M. Brushart, M.D. Professorship in Hand Surgery
School of Medicine
Orthopaedic Surgery
Established in 2000 by donors and patients of Thomas M. Brushart, in his honor
Held by Dawn M. LaPorte
DAWN M. LAPORTE, M.D., is a professor in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery where she is also vice chair of education and director of the residency program.
Dr. LaPorte joined the department in 2001, and in 2015 she became the second female professor in the department’s 107-year history. She earned her undergraduate degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and her medical degree from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine where she also completed her residency. Dr. LaPorte’s fellowship was in hand and upper extremity surgery at the Raymond Curtis National Hand Center in Baltimore.
She is recognized nationally and internationally as a leader for her work in education and diversity, equity, and inclusion. Within the department, Dr. LaPorte has served as residency program director since 2006, and vice chair of education since 2014. Her tireless work for the residents includes developing and implementing a formal longitudinal mentoring program, as well as successfully advocating for increased diversity both in the program and throughout the department.
Outside of the department, Dr. LaPorte authored nearly 100 peer-reviewed publications, has chaired the American Society for Surgery of the Hand’s Resident Educator Workshop as well as its Resident and Fellow Review Course, served as vice chair of the Orthopaedic Residency Review Committee, and is an oral examiner for the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery. As president of the Ruth Jackson Orthopaedic Society, she led the field’s national women’s organization; she is also the international co-chair of Women in Orthopaedics Worldwide. Dr. LaPorte is certified in hand surgery and in orthopaedic surgery by the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery.