Dr. Victoria Brander is a board certified physician in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, concentrating in the treatment of arthritis, joint pain, pain management, osteoporosis, aging athlete issues, spinal stenosis, and rheumatologic rehabilitation. She is on staff at Northwestern Memorial and St Joseph Hospitals and has been Named by Chicago Magazine as one of America's leading physicians, she concentrates on effective pain management and improving the quality of life for her patients.
Additionally, her clinical work with Northwestern Orthopaedic Institute, she is a Professor of Clinical Orthopaedic Surgery at the Feinberg School of Medicine, where she has been named Research Mentor of the Year. In addition, she is a Visiting Professor in the Department of Orthopedic Surgery and Rehabilitation in the West China Hospital of Sichuan University Chengdu, China. She is frequently invited to lecture on the topics of arthritis and its related treatments at academic and clinical institutions.
An award-winning researcher, Dr. Brander has presented findings at medical conferences throughout the United States and abroad. She has leadership roles in a variety of national organizations related to the practice of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, serves on the Board of Directors of the Arthritis Foundation, and has authored numerous publications on the topics of arthritis and joint reconstruction. She is also the co-author of Arthritis of the Hip and Knee: The Active Person's Guide to Taking Charge. Dr. Brander is a consultant to the National Institutes of Health and a regular contributor to CBS news and WTTW.
In addition to all of these accomplishments, Dr. Brander also takes special pride in her leadership role with Operation Walk Chicago, through which hundreds of total joint replacements and physical rehabilitation treatments are annually preformed free of charge in impoverished areas throughout the world.
She earned her medical degree from Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine and completed her Residency in physical medicine and rehabilitation at Northwestern Memorial Hospital and at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, during which she served as Chief Resident.
Education
- Undergraduate Education 1980-1982
Northwestern University Evanston, Illinois
Bachelor of Medical Science
Six Year Honors Program in Medical Education - Graduate Medical Education 1982-1986
Northwestern University Medical School Chicago, Illinois
Medical Doctorate - Residency 1986-1987
Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
Internship, Transitional
West Suburban Hospital Oak Park, Illinois - Postdoctoral Training 1987-1990
Northwestern University Medical School and Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago
Chicago, Illinois
Board Certification and Medical Licensure
National Board of Medical Examiners
Chicago, Illinois July, 1987
American Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
Chicago, Illinois May, 1992
Faculty and Hospital Appointments
University Academic Appointments
1990-1994
Instructor
Northwestern University Medical School, Chicago, Illinois
Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
2009 – Present
Associate Professor, Clinical
Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois
Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
1994-2009
Assistant Professor, Clinical
Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois
Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
2006-present
Visiting Professor
West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
Department of Orthopedic Surgery and Rehabilitation
November, 2006
Visiting Professor
Zhejiang Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Hangzhou, China
Department of Orthopedic Surgery
Hospital Appointments
1990-present
Attending Physician
Northwestern Memorial Hospital
Chicago, Illinois
1990-2001
Attending Physician
Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago
Chicago, Illinois
1992-1997
Consultant in PM&R
Northwestern Medical Faculty Foundation
Chicago, Illinois
1994-1999
Attending Physician
West Suburban Medical Center
Oak Park, Illinois
Administrative Appointments
1990-1991
Strategic Planning Committee
Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago
Chicago, Illinois
1990-1992
Associate Director, Arthritis Program
Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago
Chicago, Illinois
1990-1994
Budget and Finance Committee
Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago
Chicago, Illinois
1990-2001
Director, Arthritis Program
Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago
Chicago, IL
1990-present
Medical Utilization Review Committee
Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago
Chicago, Illinois
1992-1995
Co-Chairperson
Continuous Quality Improvement Committee
Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago
Chicago, Illinois
1992-1996
Director, Arthritis Program
Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago
Chicago, Illinois
1992-1999
Chairperson, CPR Committee
Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago
Chicago, Illinois
1993-1998
Executive Medical Staff Committee
Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago
Chicago, Illinois
1994-August through December
Acting Director
Consult Liaison Service - Northwestern Memorial Hospital
Chicago, Illinois
1994-1996
Medical Director, ContinuCare
RIC at West Suburban Hospital
Oak Park, Illinois
1994-1996
Medical Director, Rehabilitation Services
West Suburban Hospital
Oak Park, Illinois
1996-1998
Medical Director, ContinuCare at 345
Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago
Chicago, Illinois
1998-2001
Medical Director, Arthritis Center
Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago
Chicago, Illinois
2002-present
Co-Director
Northwestern Arthritis and Rehabilitation Institute
Chicago, IL
2007-present
Co-Director
West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
Center for Orthopaedic Surgery Education and Training (COSET)
Committee Service
University Committee Appointments
1993-1994
Member
Search Committee for Chairman Dept. PM&R
Northwestern University Medical School
1994
Member
Strategic Planning Committee, Subcommittee on Students
Northwestern University Medical School
1999-2001
Member
Honors Program in Medical Education (HPME) Admissions Committee
Northwestern University Medical School
Chicago, Illinois
Awards and Honors
June, 1986
Intern of the Year
West Suburban Hospital
Oak Park, Illinois
1988-1989
Assistant Chief Resident
Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
Northwestern University Medical School
Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago
Chicago, Illinois
1989-1990
Chief Resident
Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
Northwestern University Medical School
Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago
Chicago, Illinois
1993-1994
Falk Medical Research Scholar
Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago
Chicago, Illinois
1997-1999
Falk Medical Research Scholar
Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago
Chicago, Illinois
June, 2000
Senior Research Mentor of the Year
Department of PM & R
Northwestern University Medical School
Chicago, Illinois
February, 2003
Knee Society Ranawat Award
Best Knee Research Paper
American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons
February, 2007
Knee Society’s John Insall Award
Best Knee Research Paper, “Pain and Depression Influence Outcome 5 Years after Knee Replacement Surgery”
American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons
November, 2008
Foundation for Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
Research paper of the Year 2008
Brander V, Gondeck S, Martin E, Stulberg SD, “Pain and Depression Influence Outcome 5 Years after Knee Replacement Surgery.” Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research. 2007 November, 464: 21-26.
December, 2008
Brander V, “Prospective, Single-Arm Pilot Study Evaluating the Safety and Efficacy of Two Hylan G-F 20 Injections in Patients with Advanced, Painful Glenohumeral Osteoarthritis with or without Rotator Cuff.”
Presidents Citation Award for 2008 for Outstanding Research in the Field of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
Professional Society Memberships
American Medical Association
Chicago Medical Society
American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
Illinois Society of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
American College of Rheumatology
Arthritis Foundation