Nancy Hadley-Miller, MD, Honored with POSNA Hall of Fame Induction

Orthopedic surgeon Nancy Hadley-Miller, MD, has spent her decades-long career as a physician-scientist, harnessing the incredible advancements in molecular medicine in her work while improving care for kids and mentoring her colleagues. Now, she’s receiving well-deserved recognition from her peers by her induction into the Pediatric Orthopaedic Society of North America (POSNA) Hall of Fame.

Dr. Hadley-Miller began her career as the only woman in her residency program. She quickly decided she would pursue a pediatric fellowship in orthopedics at the University of Iowa under the leadership of Stuart Weinstein, MD, and Ignacio Ponseti, MD. She developed a dedication to scoliosis research and treatment, and through work in labs and hospitals across the country, spearheaded many developments made possible with funding from foundations, including POSNA. And it was also through POSNA that Dr. Hadley-Miller made a connection that brought her to Children’s Hospital Colorado.

“I met Mark Erickson at a POSNA meeting, and he saw an opportunity to put Children’s Colorado on the map for orthopedic research,” Dr. Hadley-Miller says. “He has really helped me over time.”

In 2006, alongside orthopedic surgeon Mark Erickson, MD, Dr. Hadley-Miller became the Medical Director of the Musculoskeletal Research Center — a collaborative clinical research program between the University of Colorado School of Medicine and the Orthopedics Institute at Children’s Colorado that provides faculty academic advancement and professional development and works to improve patient outcomes. There, Dr. Hadley-Miller's research on idiopathic scoliosis shined, leading her to create the Miller Scoliosis Lab. Through this lab, she has studied substantial data on this condition including genetic variants and epigenetics in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis, even identifying the areas of the genome that could cause and determine scoliosis outcomes. As genetics continues to play a bigger and bigger role in many treatment areas, so does research like Dr. Hadley-Miller's.

“I am most proud of the determination and commitment to a disorder that is very impactful for families,” Dr. Hadley-Miller says. “It's so attractive to me that you can make an impact like that.”

In addition to her extensive research on scoliosis, she has contributed to research on hip dysplasia and been an integral leader in specialized programs like our Hip Preservation Program. Working at Children’s Colorado has also led her to pediatric-focused research like studying ways to improve how growth plates heal and even growing new ones.

As a result of her esteemed career and dedication to orthopedic medicine, Dr. Hadley-Miller is the third woman inducted in the POSNA Hall of Fame. This honor is given to POSNA members who are outstanding collaborators, mentor other researchers and are making significant impacts for children with musculoskeletal conditions.

“Once you figure out your why, find where you want to make your mark in what you’re doing, you can really build on those strengths and find your passion,” Dr. Hadley-Miller shares. “I decided to make the leap, and it has been wonderful.”