Assistant Professor, Orthopaedic Surgery Sports Medicine, Marshall Health
Photo by Marshall Health.
By Jamie Null
From the football field to the operating room, Chad David Lavender, M.D., believes his drive—for the love of the game and dedication to his profession—is a huge part of his success as an orthopaedic surgeon and assistant professor at Marshall Sports Medicine Institute.
The specialty allows him to take care of athletes and patients of all ages.
“I chose sports medicine because of my background as a football player and the understanding of what it meant for teammates to get back out on the field as soon as possible. I know what it means for athletes to get back on the field to earn scholarships,” says Lavender.
Growing up in Chesapeake, WV, Lavender credits his parents as his greatest mentors and for giving him the chance to attend medical school.
“When I decided to practice medicine, I asked my parents for $1,000 for a medical school review course, and I told them if they could pay for that course, I wouldn’t let them down,” he says. “They didn’t blink, and I hope I lived up to my end of the bargain.”
Lavender attended West Virginia University School of Medicine and Marshall University Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine. He completed his sports medicine fellowship at Orthopaedic Research of Virginia. His duties as an orthopaedic surgeon include seeing patients and performing surgeries several days a week. Lavender specializes in knee and shoulder arthroscopy.
“I have a desire to improve minimally invasive arthroscopy, which is evident in the techniques we have published in our book titled, ‘Biologic and Nanoarthroscopic Approaches in Sports Medicine,’” says Lavender. “My favorite aspects of my position are the patient interactions on a daily basis and the research I do to advance the field. There is no question that the biggest obstacle is the stigma we face being from West Virginia and coming from a less populated area. I have used this fact as motivation to work harder and push obstacles away to achieve our agenda and get our results out to the rest of the country.”
He has also helped provide sports medicine coverage for many sporting events at Marshall University, Virginia Tech, University of Charleston and Capital and South Charleston high schools as well as for the Washington Football Team.
Over the years, Lavender has received many awards for his work in sports medicine. He says being part of the 2022 West Virginia Executive Health Care Hall of Fame means the most to him as both a surgeon and a West Virginian.
“This award is from West Virginia, which is the state I have lived in all of my life, and it is a broader award for all of my research and activities. To me, this gives it more meaning than other milestones I have achieved,” says Lavender. “I am from Chesapeake, WV, and growing up here, I felt so attached to the people in the community. I still have many patients who I have known for a good portion of my life. It was an obvious choice for me to stay here and help serve our area, and my goal has always been to come here and provide world-class care and cutting-edge technology to our state and also do research the state can be proud of. I would have never dreamed of the success we have had and the national recognition we have received, but I hope we are just seeing the beginning of something special.”
Lavender is the father of two children, Chance and Louren, and husband to his wife, Michelle. His family is part of his greatest personal successes in life.
“When I was in residency, my wife never questioned why I had to work long hours and always understood the long-term goal to change patients’ lives. To this day, she understands my passion to change how arthroscopy is performed and my goal to change outcomes. Without them, I wouldn’t be able to spend the time it takes to balance my job,” he says.
As he continues to advance his career, Lavender is still working on making the Mountain State a national referral site for high-level athletes.
“That is my long-term goal—to provide the level of care here in West Virginia that patients routinely travel not just from regional areas but across the world for our care. We have made great gains in this area, but I would like it to be more consistent,” he says. “A very important aspect for any job is that you should continue to learn each day. Overall, what I have learned since being at Marshall is even being in such a small area, we can make differences on a national and international level.”
The Lavender Fertilized ACL Method
One of Dr. Chad David Lavender’s greatest successes in his career has been the publication of his book, “Biologic and Nanoarthroscopic Approaches in Sports Medicine.” Lavender acknowledges that not everyone is able to complete a book and have it published at such an early point in their career. He believes the techniques he worked hard to develop make the book stand out among others.
“It was certainly a long process, but it was well worth it to see the finished product. Seeing it start at number one on the Amazon sports medicine book list was a defining day for my career,” he says.
That is not all Lavender has accomplished in his medical career. He is also the creator of a new technique regarding anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) surgeries.
It is called the Lavender Fertilized ACL Method—where harvested stem cells from a patient’s tibia are combined with the patient’s bone. The combination forms a composite graft, which is injected around the ACL graft into the bone. Lavender and his team also use an internal brace during the procedure. The technique can improve faster healing and early outcomes after ACL surgery.
“I sat down several years ago and created this technique by using the latest and greatest technology we have available to us in the operating room. Currently, I travel and train surgeons on the technique around the country and enjoy hearing outstanding feedback on how it is helping athletes everywhere,” he says.
Lavender says he is in a transitional period after the initial trial on the technique and will start a multi-center trial with larger institutions around the country.
“These are great things to bring to our state, and they provide us with great recognition,” he says.
