Tessa Balach, MD, has been named Interim Chair of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Rehabilitation Medicine, effective March 1, 2023.
Dr. Balach joined the UChicago faculty in 2016 and is currently Professor and Vice Chair of Education of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Rehabilitation Medicine. She is the Executive Medical Director of Learning and Engagement at UChicago Medicine and the Residency Program Director for Orthopaedic Surgery. She has served in leadership roles for multiple national organizations, including as chair of the American Orthopaedic Association’s Council of Orthopaedic Residency Directors, along with roles in the Musculoskeletal Tumor Society, the Ruth Jackson Orthopaedic Society, and the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.
Dr. Balach is an orthopaedic oncologist who provides comprehensive surgical care for bone and soft tissue tumors. She treats a broad range of benign and malignant tumors in adults and children and works closely with the multidisciplinary musculoskeletal oncology team to provide highly specialized surgical care for patients with rare bone and soft tissue tumors.
As an active researcher, Dr. Balach is the Site Principal Investigator for the multi-institutional consortium study Acute to Chronic Pain Signatures, which was awarded a multi-million dollar grant through the NIH’s HEAL (Helping to End Addiction Long-term) Initiative. She leads and contributes to clinical studies designed to advance the treatment of bone and soft tissue tumors and has published frequently on topics of medical education. Dr. Balach is the current President of the Musculoskeletal Oncology Research Initiative and sits on the national governing board of the Collaborative Orthopaedic Education Research Group.
Dr. Balach will serve in an interim role while we conduct an external search for a new department chair. She succeeds Douglas Dirschl, MD, who announced that he was stepping down in November. Dr. Dirschl has served as the inaugural chair of the department for the past 10 years, overseeing significant transformation and growth in orthopaedics at UChicago.
