Dr. Robert Barrack graduated from the University of Tennessee, with highest honors, as a chemistry major and a member of Phi Beta Kappa honor fraternity. He completed medical school at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in Nashville, TN in 1980. He served as a surgical intern at the Naval Regional Medical Center in Portsmouth, VA, and following this, he spent a year as a research fellow in orthopaedic biomaterials at Tulane University. In later years, he became an adjunct professor of biomedical engineering at Tulane. From 1982-86, he completed orthopaedic residency training at Tulane University in New Orleans, LA. He did additional training in total joint replacement at New England Baptist Hospital and Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, before assuming the role as chief of adult reconstructive surgery at the Naval Regional Medical Center in Oakland, CA. In 1990, prior to being discharged from the military, he was selected as an American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine (AOSSM) European traveling fellow. He received a Navy commendation medal for his achievements in medical research and for establishing one of the few tissue banks in the military at the time. He was honorably discharged from the Navy as a Commander.
In 1990, Dr. Barrack served as a clinical and research fellow in hip and implant surgery at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School with Dr. William Harris. Following completion of his fellowship, he returned to Tulane Medical School where he served as Director for Adult Reconstructive Surgery and Residency Program Director for 13 years. In 1993, Dr. Barrack was selected as an ABC traveling fellow by the AOA. In 2004, he joined the faculty at Washington University School of Medicine as the Charles and Joanne Knight Distinguished Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery and chief of service for adult reconstructive surgery.
Dr. Barrack has been the recipient of numerous research awards, including the Excellence in Research award by the AOSSM, the Coventry and Ranawat Awards by the Knee Society, the Stinchfield, Aufranc, and Charnley Awards by the Hip Society, the James Rand Award by the AAHKS (on three occasions) and the Marshall Urist Award by the Association of Bone and Joint Surgeons. He has served on the executive board of directors and as program chairman for the Hip Society, Knee Society and Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons. Dr. Barrack has been listed in Best Doctors in America® since 2005.
Dr. Barrack is the author of over 350 peer-reviewed publications and numerous book chapters. He served as editor of “The Hip” for the Master’s Techniques in Orthopaedic Surgery, as well as the second edition of “The Adult Knee”. He has delivered many visiting professor lectureships, including the Richard Rothman lecture at the Philadelphia Orthopaedic Society, the William Harris lectureship at Harvard Medical School, the John Charnley lectureship at the British Orthopaedic Association and the John Insall lecture at the Hospital for Special Surgery.
Dr. Barrack spearheaded the introduction of robotic total joint surgery at Washington University Orthopedics and Barnes-Jewish West County Hospital in recent years, and is a nationally recognized leader in the field.
Dr. Barrack served as president of the Knee Society In 2018, and as president of the Hip Society in 2020.