Hello.
How can we help you?

Musculoskeletal Epidemiology Research

The Musculoskeletal Epidemiology Research Group is an interdisciplinary research team focused on studying the burden, etiology, prognosis, and treatment of musculoskeletal disorders and their resulting disability.

Our work applies a clinical epidemiological perspective to the area of musculoskeletal health and disorders. As a joint institutional research interface, the group – led by Dr. Cesar Hincapié DC PhD – bridges between the Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Prevention Institute (EBPI) at the University of Zurich and the University Spine Centre Zurich (UWZH) at Balgrist University Hospital.

Research projects we are leading and developing include high-quality clinical trials assessing musculoskeletal and spine care, practice-based clinical research networks focused on musculoskeletal healthcare quality improvement, implementation and evaluation, and descriptive, analytical, and translational epidemiology – all related to scientific questions relevant to musculoskeletal health and care.

Core competencies

Epidemiology and biostatistics
Randomised clinical trials and comparative effectiveness
Knowledge synthesis
Implementation science
Patient and public involvement
Patient centered musculoskeletal health and care epidemiology

Research foci

Epidemiology and clinical research methods, design, analysis, and execution
Clinical trial research methods, design, and implementation
Practice-based research networks – development and implementation
Population-based healthcare epidemiology and health services research
Knowledge synthesis – systematic reviews, scoping reviews, quantitative meta-analyses
Burden of disease, comparative effectiveness, and health economic evaluation studies

Research projects

We use descriptive, analytical, evaluative, and translational epidemiologic approaches to advance and improve musculoskeletal health and care for all.