CHA Names Hans Van Lancker Chief of Orthopaedics
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — Cambridge Health Alliance (CHA), a community health system serving Cambridge, Somerville, and Boston's metro-north communities, has named Hans P. Van Lancker, MD, FRCSC, FAAOS, as chief of orthopaedics. Dr. Van Lancker is an accomplished surgeon, leader, teacher, and researcher with extensive experience in complex high-acuity orthopaedic trauma and reconstructive surgery. His expertise will expand CHA's capacity to help patients with acute and chronic bone, joint, and muscle injuries, and enable them to heal and recover quickly with the best outcomes possible.
"Dr. Van Lancker's clinical expertise, innovative thinking, and commitment to performance improvement and problem-solving will help build on the department's fantastic reputation and identify ways to enhance our operations while delivering the highest quality care to our patients," said CHA's Chief Medical Officer Jeffrey Hoffman, MD, FACS.
Most recently, Dr. Van Lancker served as the vice chair of orthopaedic surgery, vice president of trauma services, and the chief of orthopaedic trauma at St. Elizabeth's Medical Center in Boston. He oversaw the evaluation and management of all fractures and orthopaedic trauma across Massachusetts while developing St. Elizabeth's as a tertiary orthopedic trauma referral center for both the Steward Network and its neighboring communities. He established protocolized care for hip fractures across the department in addition to a 24/7 med/surg co-management service, leading to St. Elizabeth's becoming the only Healthgrades 5-star hip fracture hospital in eastern Massachusetts. He also successfully reorganized and re-branded the surgical capabilities of Carney Hospital in Dorchester as Lower Mills Surgery Center, subsequently increasing its surgical volume threefold.
A graduate of the Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Dr. Van Lancker performed his residency training at the McGill University Health Centre in Montreal and then completed the Harvard Orthopaedic Trauma fellowship at Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham and Women's Hospital. He has received several awards for patient experience and outcomes, including being repeatedly recognized among Boston's Top Doctors. He has authored multiple book chapters and research articles and frequently gives national and international presentations. Dr. Van Lancker is also an instructor in orthopaedic surgery at Harvard Medical School and active in medical student, resident, and fellow education and research, establishing a new orthopaedic trauma fellowship while at St. Elizabeth's. He is board certified by both the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery and Royal College of Surgeons of Canada.