A nationally renowned expert on trauma care systems and policy, Ellen MacKenzie’s research on the consequences of traumatic injuries has been critical to improving the organization and performance of trauma care systems and to achieving better patient outcomes. Her groundbreaking studies on limb trauma changed how surgeons think about successful recovery and continue to guide the orthopaedics field.

MacKenzie’s research focuses on the impact of health services and policies on the short- and long-term consequences of traumatic injury. Of particular interest to MacKenzie is the delineation of factors—both medical and non-medical—that explain variations in functional outcome. Her research has advanced the knowledge of the economic and social impact of injuries and our understanding of how personal and environmental factors influence recovery and return to work. MacKenzie currently heads the Major Extremity Trauma and Rehabilitation Consortium, which brings together over 50 trauma centers and major military medical facilities from across the U.S. to develop best practices for treating serious limb injuries, including preventing infection, reducing post-traumatic stress, and optimizing physical therapy.

MacKenzie joined the Johns Hopkins University faculty in 1980 and was named a Bloomberg Distinguished Professor in 2017.