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VCU College of Engineering’s Michael McClure, Ph.D., named chair of Orthopaedic Research Society’s Skeletal Muscle Section

Sep 18, 2025

2 min

Michael J. McClure, Ph.D.

Michael McClure, Ph.D., associate professor from the Department of Biomedical Engineering and affiliate faculty in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and in the Institute for Engineering and Medicine, has been named chair of the Orthopaedic Research Society’s (ORS) newly launched Skeletal Muscle Section.


The section began in August 2025, building on research interest groups and symposia to create a dedicated home for skeletal muscle studies within ORS. Its mission is to advance collaboration, innovation, education and translation in this field.


Skeletal muscle disorders cause disability, chronic pain and high health care costs. Severe injuries and degenerative diseases, such as muscular dystrophies, remain difficult to treat. The section will strengthen research in muscle development, aging, trauma, disuse and disease. This work will expand the basic understanding of and identify therapeutic targets to restore function.


In its first year, the section will measure success through increased skeletal muscle abstracts at the 2027 ORS Annual Meeting, growth in ORS membership and active participation in section programs.


“We are thrilled to launch the Skeletal Muscle Section,” McClure said. “This home for translational muscle research will build on ORS progress over the past 10 years, help recruit new members and foster an environment that connects multiple areas of orthopaedic science.”


McClure’s commitment to this work is shaped by his family’s experience with neuromuscular diseases, witnessing the impact of war-related injuries on patients’ quality of life from the Richmond Veterans Affairs Medical Center, and the momentum of translational discovery.


Learn more about the ORS Skeletal Muscle Section.

Connect with:
Michael J. McClure, Ph.D.

Michael J. McClure, Ph.D.

Associate Professor, Department of Biomedical Engineering | BE, Vanderbilt University | Ph.D, Virginia Commonwealth University

Understanding the role of extracellular matrix and mechanical forces to regulate skeletal muscle structure, function, and innervation.

Muscle agingCell-matrix interactionsIntegrin-mediated signalingMyoblast fusionRegenerative rehabilitation in skeletal muscle trauma

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