• Claudia Di Bella

    Associate Professor Claudia Di Bella

    MD PhD FRACS FAOrthA

    Associate Professor Claudia Di Bella is an accomplished orthopaedic surgeon based in Melbourne, specialising in the comprehensive management of arthritis of the hip and knee and the treatment of bone and soft tissue tumours.

     

    Educational Background and Early Career

    A/Prof Di Bella studied Medicine and Surgery at Bologna University, the first established University in Europe, graduating in 2002 with honours. She has completed her orthopaedic training in 2007 at the Rizzoli Orthopaedic Institute in Bologna, one of the world's most renowned orthopaedic hospitals. Her passion for the treatment of bone and soft tissue tumours started there, where she had the privilege to work alongside the world's best tumour surgeons, with Prof Davide Donati as her mentor. In 2012, A/Prof Di Bella obtained her PhD in oncology and experimental pathology.

     

    A/Prof Di Bella moved to Australia in 2009, where she completed her fellowship in musculoskeletal tumors at St Vincent’s Hospital in Melbourne.

     

    Innovation in Surgical Techniques

    A/Prof Di Bella specialises in lower limb joint replacement surgery and the treatment of bone and soft tissue tumours (sarcomas). Her expertise encompasses employing minimally invasive techniques and leveraging state-of-the-art surgical technologies, including 3D printing and robotic-assisted procedures, to optimise patient outcomes. A/Prof Di Bella is one of the few surgeons in Melbourne expert in pelvic resections and reconstruction with 3D printed custom-made prosthesis and is a leader in Australia performing 3D printing and robotically assisted surgical innovations.

     

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    Professional memberships

    A/Prof Di Bella is a member of:

    • Australian Orthopaedic Association (AOA) - MEMBER and VICE CHAIR of the BOARD OF DIRECTORS of RESEARCH FOUNDATION
    • Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (RACS) - CHAIR of the SECTION OF ACADEMIC SURGERY annual meeting
    • Australia and New Zealand Sarcoma Association (ANZSA) - CHAIR of 2020 ANNUAL CONFERENCE
    • International Society of Limb Salvage (ISOLS) - CHAIR of INCLUSION AND DIVERSITY COMMITTEE for the 2023 conference
    • American Association of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS)
    • Asia-Pacific Musculoskeletal Tumor Society (AP-MSTS)
    • International Society of Cartilage Regeneration (ICRS)
    • Orthopaedic Research Society (ORS)
    • Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine Society (TERMIS)
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    Research Output

    JanuaryJanuaryAs an Associate Professor of Surgery at the University of Melbourne, she is the clinical lead of the cartilage regeneration program and osteosarcoma 3D printing program at the Biofab3D, part of the Aikenhead Centre for Medical Discovery (ACMD).

     

    A/Prof Di Bella has an impressive publication record in peer-reviewed journals and has delivered oral presentations at national and international conferences and has received numerous research awards, such as the prestigious NHMRC-MRFF Investigator Grant (2020-2025), the Senior Research Fellowship from the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons, the Early Career research award from the ANZ Orthopaedic Research Society, and the Orthoregeneration Network award from the International Cartilage Regeneration Society.

     

    List of publications, updated Janurary 2024

    Click here. 

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    Media appearances

    Ms Di Bella features in MIRACLE HOSPITAL (Series 2), a TV series for National Geographic focused on the most innovative technologies in medicine and surgery.

     

    Ms Di Bella has also been interviewed by The Project (Channel 10), Channel 7 News, ABC news for her work in 3D printing and tissue engineering.

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    Bone and Cartilage 3D Bioprinting

    A/Prof Di Bellais the leader of the Cartilage Regeneration program of Research at the Department of Surgery of The University of Melbourne. Her innovative approach to cartilage injury includes the use of the most advanced 3D printing technologies and stem cells.

    A/Prof Di Bella's research, which is still in a pre-clinical phase, is funded by the NHMRC-MRFF.

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    RACS PostOp Podcast Interview

    "In April 2020, orthopaedic surgeon Associate Professor Claudia Di Bella, and her team at BioFab3D, trademarked a revolutionary new method of stem cell transplantation. Located within St Vincent's Hospital in Melbourne, the 3D laboratory is Australia's first hospital-based bio-fabrication lab. In this episode Assoc. Prof. Di Bella explains how its cartilage project aims to build biological structures with the use of stem cells printed within a gelatinous scaffold, and then cultured in 3D."

    Listen on Apple Podcast

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    Rete ITALIA

    A/Prof Claudia Di Bella is frequently a guest to RETE ITALIA radio, where she discusses orthopaedic conditions and common orthopaedic problems in italian, her primary language.

    You can listen to her on fridays at 12:30