Maria Tirta

After finishing my medical degree studies in 2020 at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, I worked for one year as a medical resident in Pediatric Orthopedics Department in Athens, Greece. During this year it became clear to me that Pediatric Orthopedics is the field that I would like to focus on in my career, since its main goal is to act in order to improve the children’s quality of life.

In addition, I completed my Master of Science degree on Epidemiology and Research Methodology in biomedical sciences, clinical practice, and public health. My thesis was on Developmental Dysplasia of the Hip (DDH) screening program and risk factors in a Greek population. I am also interested in conducting Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis, because it is a tool to combine and interpretate the results of current knowledge.

Through my participation in EPOS meetings and courses, I had the chance to meet Dr. Ole Rahbek and Dr. Søren Kold and be inspired by their research work and projects. After one year as a research fellowship in Children’s Orthopedics and Limb Reconstruction of Aalborg University Hospital, I was able to get involved in experimental research, as well as in pre-study planning, handling of data and writing manuscript.

Currently, the overall aim of my PhD thesis is to investigate the long-term effects of growth plate violation on both longitudinal and volumetric growth with stainless steel or titanium alloy nails. Additionally, my research interests include DDH and risk factors, as well as the use of epiphysiodesis for leg-length discrepancy (LLD) treatment, and impedance use for bone healing.