Dr Kristen Barton, MD, PhD, MSc, BSc (Hons), FRCSC, CSEP-CEP, CSEP-HPS

As an innovator, educator, best-selling author, and researcher, Dr. Kristen Barton is dedicated to helping patients reduce pain and improve mobility caused by osteoarthritis. Her research focuses on understanding the impact sports injuries have on disease progression. A competitive athlete in her youth, she faced athletic injuries and underwent several knee surgeries. Recognizing that these kinds of injuries could lead to chronic pain, Dr. Barton was motivated to pursue a career in orthopaedic surgery.


She has previously completed a combined BSc (Hons) degree in Kinesiology (exercise physiology), a MSc degree in Kinesiology (joint tribology), a PhD degree in Medical Sciences (joint injury and arthritis), and a medical degree – all at the University of Calgary. Dr. Barton completed her orthopaedic surgery residency at Western University and is currently an Adjunct Professor at Western University in the Department of Physical Therapy. She completed subspeciality fellowship training in lower extremity joint reconstruction in Denver at Colorado Joint Replacement and in sports medicine in Chicago at Rush University Medical Center. Further to this, she also completed a post-graduate certificate in surgical leadership through Harvard Medical School. She has secured nearly $1,000,000 in individual scholarships and awards, as well as over $500,000 in operating grants. As part of her research program, Dr. Barton developed Joint Management (www.jointmanagement.ca), which is a web-based platform that offers evidence-based patient education on hip and knee osteoarthritis, an exercise programming video library, and access to health care professionals, all with the goal of assisting patients to improve function and mitigate pain. Joint Management has recently partnered with the Arthritis Society (www.arthritis.ca) for a nation-wide implementation strategy to make the resources available to all Canadians for free.


Dr. Barton is passionate about addressing gaps in education and spearheaded the development of the Canadian Orthopaedic Association’s Emerging Leadership Program (https://coa-aco.org/education-and-practice/emerging-leaders-program/), which is now supported by Zimmer Biomet.


She has been recognized for her research and leadership initiatives, most notably the 2026 AOSSM Playmaker Grant, 2025 Canadian Orthopaedic Association’s Emerging Leaders Award, The Hip Society’s 2025 Frank Stinchfield Award, the Canadian Orthopaedic Foundation’s Carroll A. Laurin Award for Excellence in Clinical Research, the Association of Women Surgeons Top 40 Under 40 Award, the Canadian Orthopaedic Foundation’s Bones and Phones Scholarship, the University of Calgary Presidents Award for Leadership Excellence, and the Alberta Science and Technology Foundation Leaders of Tomorrow Award.

Dr Robin Jones completed his medical degree at the University of Cambridge before undertaking his surgical training in the South West of England, gaining his FRCS in 2025 and completing training in 2026. During training, he acted as the trainee representative for the South West of England and was appointed as Chief Registrar at the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital.

His research interests lie in lower limb arthroplasty, particularly the management challenges surrounding robotic and short-stay ambulatory hip and knee replacement - work he has presented nationally and internationally.

Robin hopes to develop his clinical and research experience at the Sydney Orthopaedic Research Institute over the next year and is looking forward to learning from some of the leading surgeons in knee surgery worldwide.

Dr. Lanbo Yang completed his medical training at Southern Medical University in Guangzhou, China, obtaining his MD in 2007, followed by a PhD in Surgery from Zhengzhou University in 2020. He subsequently completed postdoctoral research in Guangzhou in 2024, with a focus on medial knee instability.
During this period, he served for five years as an Associate Chief Physician at Luoyang Orthopaedic Hospital of Henan Province, where he specialised in the surgical management of knee injuries. He has been recognised as an Outstanding Young Talent in Medical Science and Technology Innovation in Henan Province, China.
He has published more than 10 peer-reviewed articles, supervised master’s students, and serves as a reviewer for several international journals. His research at SORI focuses on improving knee joint stability following surgical intervention, with the aim of optimising surgical decision-making and enhancing patient outcomes through evidence-based orthopaedic care.

Dr. Anne Kleiner completed her training in Orthopaedics and Trauma Surgery at the Medical University of Vienna, Austria, in November 2025. She gained broad experience in trauma care, joint reconstruction and arthroplasty, while working closely with leading trauma and knee surgeons. Alongside her clinical work, she has been actively involved in research and teaching activities, with a particular interest in knee preservation and reconstructive surgery and has participated in national and international educational conferences and workshops.

Her long-term goal is to provide expert orthopaedic care across the full spectrum of knee conditions, from acute injuries to chronic degenerative disease.

Dr. Apoorva Praveen Kabra obtained his MBBS and MS Orthopaedics degrees from the prestigious All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, where he secured the top rank in the postgraduate examination in 2022. He also holds DNB Orthopaedics, MRCS (Glasgow), and DipSICOT (2024) qualifications, along with memberships in ISAKOS, AO Trauma, SICOT, and the Indian Orthopaedic Association.

Following his postgraduate training, Dr. Kabra served as a Senior Resident in Orthopaedics at AIIMS, New Delhi, until July 2025, gaining extensive experience in knee and hip reconstructive surgeries. Thereafter, he pursued a research fellowship at the AO Innovation and Translation Centre (AO ITC) in Switzerland, where he was involved in advanced orthopedic research.

He has earned prestigious awards including the National Torrent Young Scholar Award in Orthopaedics (2021, winner and best orator) and the SICOT India Foundation Award, plus multiple first prizes for presentations and posters at conferences such as SICOT World Congress (Madrid, 2025), OTA Annual Meeting (2023), APOA-YSF, and DOA MIDCON (2024).

Dr. Kabra has authored over 20 publications in high-impact, PubMed-indexed journals including Journal of Orthopaedic Trauma, European Journal of Orthopaedic Surgery & Traumatology, and Injury, and has served as faculty for AO Trauma courses and workshops.