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 longterm 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 .
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