Frank Johannes Plate MD, PhD

Frank Johannes Plate, MD, Ph.D., is an orthopedic surgeon fellowship-trained in primary and complex total hip and knee replacements. He is certified by the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery and is an associate professor of orthopedic surgery at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.
Dr. Plate received his medical degree from Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg in Germany and received a Ph.D. for his work on the influence of aging on orthopedic injuries from the Wake Forest Graduate School of Arts & Sciences in North Carolina. He completed his orthopedic surgery residency at Wake Forest University School of Medicine, followed by a fellowship in adult reconstruction at Duke University Medical Center.

Dr. Plate specializes in total hip replacements using a muscle-sparing anterior hip approach for rapid patient recovery and same-day discharge and teaches this technique to other surgeons. Dr. Plate uses a robotic-assisted system for partial and total knee replacements that allows for patient-specific implant placement and ligament balancing. As the director of adult reconstruction research, Dr. Plate has published over 100 journal articles and book chapters and has presented research at national and international conferences. His research interests include value-based care, robotic techniques for hip and knee replacement, mitigating patient risk factors to improve surgical outcomes, and the treatment of prosthetic joint infections. He serves on the editorial board of various orthopedic journals and is a member of the American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons, the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, and the Emerging Leaders Program of the American Orthopaedic Association.