Muneaki Ishijima, MD, PhD is an orthopedic surgeon and at the same time a clinical-scientist with a special interest in the pahthophysiology of knee OA. Dr. Ishijima is currently an Associated Professor of both the Department of Medicine for Orthopaedics and Motor Organ, Juntendo Univeristy Graduate School of Medicine and the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Juntendo University Hospital in Tokyo.
Dr. Ishijima graduated from Juntendo University, Tokyo in 1996 and completed a residency at Juntendo University Hospital in 1998. He engaged in the bone biology field and received a PhD at Juntendo University Graduate School of Medicine in 2002 under the leadership of his mentor Professor Masaki Noda in Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Tokyo. Dr Ishijima also engaged in the cartilage biology field in National Institute of Health (NIH) at Bethesda as a Visiting Fellow with the Postdoctoral Fellowship for Research Abroad of Japan Society for the promotion of Science (JSPS) with Dr. Yoshihiko Yamada, PhD.
His research interests include the pathophysiology of early stage knee OA, especially for the role of meniscus, hyaluronate degradation, osteophyte development and synovitis, and the development of new concept for clinical outcome in patients with knee OA, which could contribute to extend the disability-adjusted life expectancy (DALE) in elderly individuals in the super-aged era.
Dr. Ishijima is currently a member of conference of representatives of the Japananese Orthopaedic Association (JOA) and continues to be clinically active for both non-surgical and surgical treatment, including both around the knee osteotomy (AKO), unicompartmental knee arthroplasty (UKA) and total knee arthroplasty (TKA), of the patients with knee OA.