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Saiz Lab | Orthopaedic Surgery | UC Davis Health

Saiz Lab

Our lab primarily investigates the broad area of fracture healing.

Cellular image from the Saiz Lab
Members of the Saiz Lab.

The Saiz Lab primarily investigates the broad area of fracture healing. Specifically, the lab focuses on the fracture-healing response in the setting of polytrauma.

We aim to define mechanistic cellular and molecular pathways involved in the physiologic response to trauma and fracture healing with a goal of identifying potential therapeutic targets. Additionally, we perform clinical and translational research given our direct clinical access. All our work has a specific clinical motivation and translational goals aimed at advancing the field of orthopaedic trauma care.

  • Portrait of Augustine Saiz, MD

    Augustine Saiz, M.D.

    Assistant Professor

    Augustine Saiz is an orthopaedic trauma surgeon and physician-scientist whose research focuses on improving fracture healing and recovery after complex musculoskeletal injuries. His clinical work examines surgical techniques, patient outcomes and innovations in fracture care, while his laboratory studies the effects of polytrauma and muscle injury on bone regeneration. Supported by funding from the NIH, OTA, AO Foundation and OREF, his work has led to numerous publications and national and international presentations. Saiz is an active mentor, educator and leader in the orthopaedic community, serving on committees for AAOS, OTA, ORS and AO, and mentoring trainees through the UC Davis NIH T32 MuSCLE Training Program.

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Explore the Saiz Lab

Current Projects:

  • Systemic and Local Inflammatory Effects of Polytrauma on Fracture Healing 
  • The Role of Senescence in Delayed Fracture Healing Following Polytrauma 
  • Clinical Risk Factors and Predictive Biomarkers of Impaired Fracture Healing in Human Polytrauma Patients 
  • Effects of Immunomodulation in Polytrauma on Fracture Repair 
  • The Therapeutic Use of Mesenchymal Stem/Stromal Cells for Fracture Repair 

Honors
•    NIH NIAMS K08 2025 - 2030 
•    Sactown Magazine Top Doctor 2026 
•    AO Research Olympiad Gold Medalist 2025 
•    Avant-garde Health Research All-Star, Orthopaedic Surgery, Top 1% 2025 
•    ORS Annual Meeting 2025 New Investigator Recognition Award (NIRA) Winner 2025 
•    2025 ORS/OREF Travel Grant in Orthopaedic Research Translation Recipient 2025 
•    UCD Department of Orthopaedic Surgery Outstanding Faculty of the Year 2024 & 2025 
•    OTA 2024 Young Investigator Grant 2024 
•    AO North America Early Career Development Award 2024 
•    ORS ISFR Poster Award Finalist 2024 
•    ORS ISFR Poster Award Finalist 2023 
•    OTA Fellows Graduation Best Abstract Presentation 2022 
•    ON/ICORS Education Scholarship 2022 
•    OTA Research Grants Library Inclusion 2022 
•    AO Trauma North America Young Investigator Research Development Award 2021 
•    ORS ISFR Young Investigator 2021 3-Minute Thesis Finalist 2021 
•    AO John Border Memorial Fellowship 2021 
•    ASSH Linscheid-Dobyns Excellence in Wrist Research Award 2020 
•    OTA Kathy Cramer Young Clinician Scholarship 2020 
•    ORS 2020 Clinician Scholar Career Development Program 2020 
•    COA Annual Meeting 2020 J. Harold LaBriola M.D. Award 2020 


Grants 
•    NIH NIAMS K08 2025 - 2030 
•    UC Davis 2024/2025 GME High Value Care Competition Award Jan 2024 - Jan 2027   
•    AOTrauma North America Fellow Research Grant, Co-PI and Mentor Sep 2024 – Aug 2025 
•    OTA Full Member Grant June 2024 – May 2026 
•    OTA Resident Grant June 2024 – May 2025 
•    OREF New Investigator Grant Feb 2024 – Mar 2025 
•    AO North America Early Career Development Award Jan 2024 – Dec 2025 
•    AOTrauma North America Fellow Research Grant, Co-PI and Mentor Jan 2024 – Dec 2024 
•    OTA 2024 Young Investigator Grant Oct 2023 – Oct 2025 

  • Maryam Rahmati, PhD

    Maryam Rahmati, Ph.D.

    Postdoctoral Fellow

    Maryam is doing her postdoctoral fellowship in orthopaedics and tissue engineering with Dr. Saiz. She did her undergraduate in Orthopaedic engineering and her Master’s in biomaterials and tissue engineering. She completed her Ph.D. in bone tissue engineering at the University of Oslo, Norway, and the University of Giessen, Germany. She then did a fellowship at the University of Manchester, UK, on using nanofibers for angiogenesis and bone formation.

    Outside the lab, Maryam enjoys kickboxing, swimming, running, hiking, and biking, which keep her physically active and mentally refreshed.

  • Matthew R. Frederickson, M.D., PGY2

    Matthew R. Frederickson, M.D.

    Resident Physician, PGY-3

    Matthew Frederickson is a Resident Physician in Orthopaedic Surgery at UC Davis. He was born in Sacramento and grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area. He received a B.S. in biology at UCLA and then completed medical school at the University of Cincinnati before returning home to California to complete his orthopaedic training at UC Davis. Matt is a big fan of football, rugby, and Australian rules football, and his research interests include orthopaedic trauma and sports medicine.

  • Reginald Obinna Chinweze, M.D., L.L.M.

    Reginald Obinna Chinweze, M.D., L.L.M.

    Clinical Research Postdoctoral Scholar

    Reginald's research interests are in trauma care, fracture healing, and the psychosocial impact of musculoskeletal injury. He completed medical school at Grodno State Medical University in Belarus and earned a master’s degree in Healthcare Ethics and Law from the University of Manchester in England. Before joining UC Davis, he worked within the NHS in the United Kingdom. Outside of medicine, he's a big sports fan and enjoys following soccer, football, and basketball.

  • Hamza Allam, Ph.D. Student

    Hamza Allam

    Ph.D. Student

    Hamza is an immunology graduate student in the laboratory of Dr. Augustine Saiz, where they investigate how immune responses following traumatic injury influence fracture healing outcomes. Supported by a K08 award, their work centers around clinical observations that patients with polytrauma experience significantly higher rates of fracture nonunion compared to those with isolated injuries. They characterize how the post-traumatic immune environment evolves dynamically across different injury patterns, with an additional focus on how MSC function is modulated in these settings. Their translational goal is to identify when, how, and in which patients to intervene immunologically in order to improve fracture healing and reduce nonunion rates in clinical practice.

    Outside the lab, Hamza enjoys basketball, snowboarding, and motorcycles.

  • Mandeep Chhokar, M.D. Student

    Mandeep Chhokar

    M.D. Student

    Mandeep's research focuses on Orthopaedic trauma/polytrauma. His hobbies include weight lifting, hiking, and enjoying nature.

  • Tony D. Baldini, Volunteer

    Tony D. Baldini

    Research Volunteer

    Tony's a medical student at California Northstate University. He's interested in the intersection between orthopaedic surgery and basic science research and has a passion for the field of surgery as a whole. Outside the lab, he enjoys going to the gym, reading, and fishing.

  • Charlie Black, Volunteer

    Charlie Black

    Research Volunteer

    Charlie is a second-year undergraduate majoring in physiological science at UCLA. He joined Dr. Saiz's lab in February of 2025, and is currently working on a review paper about the role of mesenchymal stem cells in polytrauma in addition to projects in the lab relating to osteoporosis and the role of infection in polytrauma fracture healing. Outside of the lab, Charlie likes to run, go to the gym, read books, spend time outside, and root for Liverpool Football Club and the Sacramento Kings.

  • Alex Pham, Volunteer

    Alex Pham

    Research Volunteer

    Alex is a UC Davis Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior Major with research interests in chickens and bones. His hobbies include playing badminton, bouldering, baking, and fishing.

  • Saad Syed, Volunteer

    Saad Syed

    Research Volunteer

    Saad is a UC Davis undergraduate student working in the lab on projects focused on fracture healing in polytrauma. Outside the lab, he enjoys watching and playing sports, playing video games, and reading. 

  • Maya Bhimani, Volunteer

    Maya Bhimani

    Research Volunteer

    Maya is interested in orthopedics and sports medicine, especially injury recovery and fracture healing. She grew up doing junior Olympic gymnastics, which sparked her interest in sports-related injuries and how the body heals.

    Outside of school, Maya loves working out, spending time with friends and family, trying new food spots, and being involved with the UC Davis gymnastics team as the student manager!

All papers can be found on PubMed through the National Library of Medicine.

Augustine M. Saiz Jr., M.D.
Assistant Professor 

Email: amsaiz@health.ucdavis.edu
Office Number:
916-734-2182