Christopher Evans is the John and Posy Krehbiel Professor of Orthopaedics and Professor in the Departments of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation and Molecular Medicine at the Mayo Clinic USA, where he serves as Director of the Rehabilitation Medicine Research Center. He is also the Maurice Müller Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery Emeritus at Harvard Medical School.
Prof. Evans attended Swansea University, graduating with a B.Sc (first class honours) in Genetics and Microbiology and a Ph.D. in Biochemistry. He completed a postdoctoral fellowship in Molecular Biology at the Free University of Brussels, Belgium. From there he took a junior faculty position in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at the University of Pittsburgh Medical School, working his way through the ranks to become the inaugural Henry Mankin Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery and Professor of Molecular Genetics and Biochemistry. From Pittsburgh he moved to Harvard Medical School, first as the Robert Lovett Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery and later the Maurice Müller Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery. While at the University of Pittsburgh he earned a M.A. in the History and Philosophy of Science. He was subsequently awarded a D.Sc. degree by the University of Wales and has an honorary M.A. from Harvard University.
Prof. Evans uses his background in cell and molecular biology to study clinical problems involving bones and joints, with an emphasis on developing novel therapies that can be translated into early phase clinical trials. He has developed a gene therapy for osteoarthritis that recently completed a Phase I human, clinical trial at Mayo Clinic; it is now the subject of a Phase Ib trial by an arthritis gene therapy company, Genascence Corp., that he co-founded. He and his colleagues are also developing gene therapies to promote the healing of bone, cartilage, tendon and the intervertebral disc.
Prof. Evans is a Fellow of the Learned Society of Wales, the Royal Society of Chemistry and the Royal College of Pathologists; an Honorary Fellow of Swansea University and an inaugural Fellow of International Orthopaedic Research and the Orthopaedic Research Society, where he served as President from 2005-2006. He is also an honorary member of the Croatian Orthopaedic Society. Prof. Evans has received a number of research awards including the Kappa Delta Award of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, the Nicolas Andry Award of the Association of Bone and Joint Surgeons and, from the Orthopedic Research Society, the Arthur Steindler Award for significant contributions to understanding the musculoskeletal system, the Marshall Urist Award for excellence in tissue regeneration research, and the Distinguished Investigator Award. He received the 2024 Clinical Research Award of the Orthopaedic Research and Education Foundation.